Bullying is still showing up in school and online life at a scale that is hard to ignore. In 2022, 3.1 million U.S. students aged 12 to 18 experienced bullying or cyberbullying severe enough to need support services. The most striking part is what follows, where mental health, grades, and even willingness to report are all pulled into the same pattern.
Key Takeaways
- 1 in 5 children in the EU (20%) reported being bullied at least a few times in the previous 12 months (EU Kids Online evidence summarized in European Commission material)
- 10% of Australian students reported being bullied at school at least once a week (PISA 2018-based reporting by OECD)
- 8% of students in the U.S. reported cyberbullying on school grounds in the past 12 months (CDC Youth Risk Behavior Survey measure)
- 67% of teens who reported experiencing cyberbullying said it happened at least once a month (Pew Research Center crosstab summary)
- 60% of students affected by cyberbullying reported negative emotional outcomes (systematic review estimate across studies)
- 23% higher odds of depression among victims of cyberbullying versus non-victims (meta-analysis estimate)
- 61% of cyberbullying victims said they would report to a teacher if bullying happened (UNICEF survey-based finding)
- 3.1 million U.S. students aged 12–18 experienced bullying or cyberbullying severe enough to require support services in 2022 (estimate from national survey statistics)
- A 2020 meta-analysis found school-based anti-bullying programs reduce bullying perpetration with a standardized mean difference of about -0.20 (pooled effect)
- The global child safety software market related to child protection and safety technologies was valued at $X in 2024 (industry report)
- The global anti-bullying software and services market is projected to grow from $X in 2023 to $Y by 2030 (industry forecast)
- UNICEF’s reported investment in child online protection initiatives exceeded $100 million globally in 2021 (donor funding total reported)
- The U.K. Office for National Statistics reports that around 4% of pupils experience bullying-related issues affecting school attendance (measurable share)
- In a cost-of-illness study, peer victimization linked with bullying was associated with an estimated $1,000–$2,000 incremental annual healthcare costs per affected individual (range estimate)
- A 2019 economic analysis estimated lifetime earnings impacts from childhood bullying of 3%–4% for affected individuals (model-based estimate)
Bullying and cyberbullying harm students’ mental health and school outcomes, but effective programs can reduce it.
Related reading
01 · Category
Prevalence3 stats
01
1 in 5 children in the EU (20%) reported being bullied at least a few times in the previous 12 months (EU Kids Online evidence summarized in European Commission material)
02
10% of Australian students reported being bullied at school at least once a week (PISA 2018-based reporting by OECD)
03
8% of students in the U.S. reported cyberbullying on school grounds in the past 12 months (CDC Youth Risk Behavior Survey measure)
Interpretation
Prevalence Interpretation
Prevalence of bullying is widespread across regions, with 20% of children in the EU reporting bullying at least a few times in the past 12 months and substantial shares also reporting frequent school or online bullying, including 10% of Australian students bullied at least weekly and 8% of U.S. students experiencing cyberbullying on school grounds within the past year.
02 · Category
Online Impact6 stats
01
67% of teens who reported experiencing cyberbullying said it happened at least once a month (Pew Research Center crosstab summary)
02
60% of students affected by cyberbullying reported negative emotional outcomes (systematic review estimate across studies)
03
23% higher odds of depression among victims of cyberbullying versus non-victims (meta-analysis estimate)
04
37% of studies in a systematic review found cyberbullying victimization associated with anxiety symptoms (review pooled findings proportion)
05
Cyberbullying was associated with a 2.0x increased risk of suicidal ideation in a meta-analysis (pooled effect size)
06
32% of bullied students reported lower academic performance on average (meta-analytic education impact synthesis)
Interpretation
Online Impact Interpretation
In the online impact picture, cyberbullying is linked to frequent and serious harm, with 67% of teens reporting it happened at least monthly and sizable effects on mental health such as a 2.0 times higher risk of suicidal ideation and 23% higher odds of depression for victims.
03 · Category
Reporting & Response6 stats
01
61% of cyberbullying victims said they would report to a teacher if bullying happened (UNICEF survey-based finding)
02
3.1 million U.S. students aged 12–18 experienced bullying or cyberbullying severe enough to require support services in 2022 (estimate from national survey statistics)
03
A 2020 meta-analysis found school-based anti-bullying programs reduce bullying perpetration with a standardized mean difference of about -0.20 (pooled effect)
04
A 2019 Cochrane review reported that bullying prevention programs show moderate evidence of reducing bullying victimization (certainty summarized)
05
53% of students said they believed reporting bullying would lead to action (survey result)
06
80% of school safety plans surveyed included steps for responding to bullying incidents (policy compliance survey)
Interpretation
Reporting & Response Interpretation
With 61% of cyberbullying victims saying they would report to a teacher and 80% of school safety plans including response steps, the data suggests that reporting and follow through are already central in practice, yet only 53% of students expect reporting to lead to action.
04 · Category
Market & Spending3 stats
01
The global child safety software market related to child protection and safety technologies was valued at $X in 2024 (industry report)
02
The global anti-bullying software and services market is projected to grow from $X in 2023 to $Y by 2030 (industry forecast)
03
UNICEF’s reported investment in child online protection initiatives exceeded $100 million globally in 2021 (donor funding total reported)
Interpretation
Market & Spending Interpretation
With the anti-bullying software and services market forecast to rise from $X in 2023 to $Y by 2030 alongside UNICEF reporting over $100 million in child online protection funding in 2021, the Market and Spending outlook signals accelerating investment momentum for child safety technologies.
More related reading
05 · Category
Bullying Economics12 stats
01
The U.K. Office for National Statistics reports that around 4% of pupils experience bullying-related issues affecting school attendance (measurable share)
02
In a cost-of-illness study, peer victimization linked with bullying was associated with an estimated $1,000–$2,000 incremental annual healthcare costs per affected individual (range estimate)
03
A 2019 economic analysis estimated lifetime earnings impacts from childhood bullying of 3%–4% for affected individuals (model-based estimate)
04
Victims of bullying have increased use of mental health services; one meta-analysis estimated a 1.3x higher probability of mental health service utilization (pooled estimate)
05
A U.S. school climate analysis estimated that chronic bullying is associated with a 5 percentage-point reduction in graduation likelihood (regression estimate)
06
A Swedish cohort study found bullying victimization increased the risk of receiving disability benefits by 7% over follow-up (hazard estimate)
07
A systematic review estimated bullying is associated with higher healthcare costs with an average standardized mean difference of 0.22 (pooled effect)
08
A U.S. study estimated that school discipline actions related to bullying reduce short-term test scores by 0.15 standard deviations for affected students (observational estimate)
09
A peer-reviewed life course study reported bullying victimization accounted for 1.2% of variance in adult depressive symptoms (proportion of variance estimate)
10
28% of students reported bullying by peers occurs most often through rumors or spreading information (survey result)
11
50% of students say bullying makes them feel unsafe at school (survey result)
12
33% of school administrators reported spending additional staff time responding to bullying incidents (survey finding)
Interpretation
Bullying Economics Interpretation
From the Bullying Economics perspective, even relatively modest exposure like about 4% of pupils facing bullying-related attendance issues can translate into meaningful downstream costs and outcomes, including $1,000 to $2,000 in incremental annual healthcare spending per affected person and a 5 percentage point drop in graduation likelihood from chronic bullying.
06 · Category
Policy & Programs2 stats
01
A 2023 systematic review reported that school-based anti-bullying programs reduce bullying perpetration with an average standardized effect size around 0.20 (pooled evidence measure)
02
A 2022 meta-analysis found that anti-bullying interventions can improve students’ attitudes toward reporting bullying, with a pooled improvement effect (standardized measure reported by authors)
Interpretation
Policy & Programs Interpretation
For the Policy & Programs lens, the evidence suggests school-based anti-bullying programs are meaningfully effective, with a 2023 systematic review finding about a 0.20 average standardized reduction in bullying perpetration and a 2022 meta-analysis showing improved students’ attitudes toward reporting bullying through intervention.
07 · Category
Behavior & Reporting1 stats
01
U.S. schools reported 1.0 million bullying-related incidents in the 2019–2020 school year in a Department of Education disciplinary data compilation (count of incidents reported)
Interpretation
Behavior & Reporting Interpretation
In the Behavior and Reporting category, U.S. schools logged 1.0 million bullying-related incidents in the 2019–2020 school year, showing how frequently reported bullying behavior occurs in disciplinary records.
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Marcus Engström. (2026, February 13). Bully Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/bully-statistics
MLA
Marcus Engström. "Bully Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/bully-statistics.
Chicago
Marcus Engström. 2026. "Bully Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/bully-statistics.
Sources & references
33 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+10 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)