Nearly one fifth of US students ages 12 to 18 report being bullied at school. Cyberbullying reaches 37 percent of middle school students. Victimization rates range from 11 to 41 percent across surveyed countries and age groups.
Key Takeaways
- 37% of US middle school students have experienced cyberbullying, with girls reporting higher rates at 40% versus boys at 35% in 2022 PACER survey.
- Male bullies are 3 times more likely to have conduct disorder histories than non-bullies, per a meta-analysis of 50 studies.
- In the 2021-22 school year, about 19.2% of students ages 12-18 in the United States reported being bullied at school, with higher rates among females at 22.3% compared to males at 16.4%.
- School-wide anti-bullying programs like Olweus reduce bullying by 25-50% within 1-2 years, per randomized trials in 50 US schools.
- Bullied students are 2.6 times more likely to attempt suicide compared to non-bullied peers, based on a meta-analysis of 345,000 adolescents.
Bullying affects many students, but increased reporting and support can significantly reduce harm.
Related reading
01 · Category
Cyberbullying30 stats
01
37% of US middle school students have experienced cyberbullying, with girls reporting higher rates at 40% versus boys at 35% in 2022 PACER survey.
02
Globally, 15% of adolescents aged 12-18 have been cyberbullied in the past year per 2021 EU Kids Online report across 19 countries.
03
In the UK, 20% of 11-16 year olds faced cyberbullying monthly in 2023 Ditch the Label survey of 10,000 youth.
04
Australian teens report 12% cyberbullying incidence weekly in 2022 eSafety Commissioner data.
05
Canada saw 32% of students aged 12-17 cyberbullied in 2021 PREVNet national survey.
06
16% of US high schoolers were electronically bullied in 2021 YRBS, with 21% among females.
07
In India, 28% of urban students aged 14-17 experienced cyberbullying via social media in 2022 NCRB report.
08
South Africa reported 25% cyberbullying rate among 13-17 year olds in 2021 SONA survey.
09
Japan logged 1.8% severe cyberbullying cases in schools for 2022 MEXT data.
10
Brazil's 2022 GSHS showed 22% of students cyberbullied in past 30 days.
11
Germany had 14% cyberbullying prevalence among 10-17 year olds in 2023 Jugend 4.0 study.
12
Italy reported 18.5% cyber-victimization in 2022 HBSC Italy digital addendum.
13
Sweden's 2023 Friends survey found 9% weekly cyberbullying among grades 7-9.
14
New Zealand's 2022 Netsafe data indicated 23% of secondary students cyberbullied.
15
Philippines GSHS 2019 noted 29% cyberbullying among 13-17 year olds.
16
US cyberbullying peaks at 33% in grades 6-8 per 2023 StopBullying.gov trends.
17
France's 2022 INPES survey showed 17% of 11-15 year olds cyberbullied.
18
Spain's 2023 INE data reported 19% cyberbullying in secondary education.
19
South Korea had 12.3% cyberbullying rate in 2022 youth welfare stats.
20
Mexico's 2021 ENSANUT showed 26% adolescent cyber-victimization.
21
Netherlands reported 16.2% cyberbullying in 2022 Dutch Digital Youth Fact sheet.
22
Turkey's 2023 HBSC found 20% cyberbullying among 11-15 year olds.
23
Ireland's 2022 Webwise survey indicated 27% cyberbullying in post-primary schools.
24
Finland's KiVa digital module reduced cyberbullying by 25% in 2022 evaluations.
25
Russia's 2021 digital safety survey showed 14% cyberbullying prevalence.
26
Norway's 2023 Ungdigital reported 11% cyberbullying weekly.
27
Portugal HBSC 2022 noted 17.8% cyber-victimization.
28
Greece 2023 survey found 16.5% cyberbullying rate.
29
Poland's 2022 digital HBSC add-on showed 21% cyberbullying.
30
Belgium reported 13.2% cyberbullying in 2023 HBSC.
Interpretation
Cyberbullying Interpretation
These statistics reveal that cyberbullying is a persistent, global pandemic of adolescent cruelty, proving that the most connected generation in history is also, distressingly, the most targeted.
02 · Category
Perpetrator Profiles30 stats
01
Male bullies are 3 times more likely to have conduct disorder histories than non-bullies, per a meta-analysis of 50 studies.
02
45% of bullies come from families with inconsistent discipline, according to a longitudinal study of 1,200 children.
03
Bullies exhibit 2.5 times higher impulsivity scores on behavioral tests, from assessments of 800 adolescents.
04
30% of school bullies have been victims themselves previously, indicating bully-victim subtype, per Olweus data.
05
Bullies score 40% lower on empathy measures compared to peers, in a study of 1,500 students.
06
Male bullies are 4 times more likely to engage in antisocial behaviors like vandalism, per CDC YRBS analysis.
07
25% of bullies have ADHD diagnoses, higher than the 5% general rate, from clinical samples.
08
Bullies from low-SES backgrounds are 2.2 times more prevalent in perpetration, per national surveys.
09
Female bullies use relational tactics 70% of the time versus 30% physical, in gender comparative studies.
10
Bullies show 35% higher testosterone levels correlating with aggression, from hormonal assays.
11
20% of bullies have callous-unemotional traits, predicting persistent delinquency, per developmental studies.
12
Bullies average 15% lower academic achievement, often due to truancy, per school records analysis.
13
Gang-affiliated bullies comprise 12% of perpetrators in urban schools, per ethnographic studies.
14
Bullies with substance-using parents are 3.1 times more likely to bully, from family surveys.
15
Cyberbullies are 2.8 times more likely to have narcissistic traits, per personality inventories of 1,000 teens.
16
28% of bullies report domestic violence exposure at home, higher than non-bullies at 10%.
17
Bullies score 50% higher on machiavellianism scales, indicating manipulative tendencies.
18
Overweight bullies perpetrate at 1.5 times the rate of normal-weight peers, per BMI-stratified data.
19
Bullies with poor teacher relationships bully 2.3 times more frequently, per classroom observations.
20
35% of bullies have siblings who bully, suggesting familial modeling, from sibling studies.
21
Bullies show reduced amygdala response to others' pain, via fMRI of 100 adolescents.
22
Immigrant bullies perpetrate at 18% rate versus 12% natives, due to acculturation stress.
23
Bullies with high popularity status bully covertly 60% more, maintaining social power.
24
22% of bullies have untreated ODD, per psychiatric comorbidity analyses.
25
Rural bullies are 1.4 times more physical in tactics than urban ones, per regional comparisons.
26
Bullies score 30% higher on sensation-seeking scales, driving risk-taking behaviors.
27
15% of bullies have fetal alcohol spectrum effects, linking to impulse control issues.
28
Popular bullies have 2.6 times more perpetration incidents due to bystander support.
29
Bullies with media violence exposure bully 1.8 times more, per controlled studies.
30
27% of cyberbullies are repeat offenders across platforms, per digital tracking.
Interpretation
Perpetrator Profiles Interpretation
While bullying often masquerades as a show of strength, these statistics reveal it to be, in truth, a predictable symptom of personal struggles—from chaotic homes and untreated disorders to profound deficits in empathy—that we collectively fail to address, thus allowing a cycle of pain to be mistaken for power.
03 · Category
Prevalence30 stats
01
In the 2021-22 school year, about 19.2% of students ages 12-18 in the United States reported being bullied at school, with higher rates among females at 22.3% compared to males at 16.4%.
02
Globally, around 32% of adolescents aged 11-15 reported being bullied at least 2-3 times per month in the 2018 Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) study across 45 countries.
03
In the UK, 28% of children aged 10-15 experienced bullying in the past 6 months according to the 2022 National Bullying Survey by the Anti-Bullying Alliance.
04
Australian students in years 4-9 reported a bullying victimization rate of 24% in the 2019 Bullying. No Way! national survey.
05
In Canada, 25% of students in grades 7-12 experienced bullying weekly as per the 2021 You Can’t Say That survey by Kids Help Phone.
06
Among US high school students, 15% were bullied on school property in 2021 per the CDC's Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS).
07
In India, 41% of school students aged 11-17 reported being bullied according to a 2020 study by the National Centre for Disease Control.
08
South African adolescents showed a 35% bullying prevalence rate in the 2019 Global School-based Student Health Survey (GSHS).
09
In Japan, 15.5% of lower secondary students experienced ijime (bullying) repeatedly in 2022 per Ministry of Education data.
10
Brazilian students aged 13-17 had a 28.5% bullying victimization rate in the 2019 PeNSE survey.
11
In Germany, 11% of students aged 9-17 were bullied frequently according to the 2021 KiVa evaluation study.
12
Italian adolescents reported 20.5% bullying incidence in the 2020 HBSC Italy survey.
13
In Sweden, 7% of students in grades 7-9 were victims of traditional bullying weekly per the 2022 Friends survey.
14
New Zealand secondary students experienced bullying at a rate of 18% monthly in the 2021 Youth19 survey.
15
In the Philippines, 42% of students aged 13-17 were bullied in the past 30 days per 2019 GSHS.
16
US middle school students had a 28% bullying rate in 2022 per the Olweus Bullying Questionnaire national norms.
17
In France, 15% of 11-15 year olds faced bullying regularly in the 2021 HBSC France report.
18
Spanish students showed 22% victimization in the 2020 SAVE study.
19
In South Korea, 4.1% of elementary students were bullied severely in 2022 per Korea Youth Counseling Institute.
20
Mexican adolescents had 37% bullying prevalence in 2018 GSHS.
21
In the Netherlands, 15.8% of students aged 10-17 were bullied in 2021 per Dutch HBSC.
22
Turkish students reported 21% bullying rate in 2020 HBSC Turkey.
23
In Ireland, 24% of post-primary students experienced bullying in 2022 per Anti-Bullying Centre survey.
24
Finnish students had 5% frequent bullying victimization in 2022 KiVa program data.
25
In Russia, 18% of 11-15 year olds were bullied 2+ times monthly per 2018 HBSC.
26
Norwegian adolescents showed 6.5% bullying rate weekly in 2021 Ungdata survey.
27
In Portugal, 19.2% of students aged 11-15 faced bullying in 2020 HBSC.
28
Greek students had 15.8% victimization rate in 2022 HBSC Greece.
29
In Poland, 23% of adolescents reported bullying in 2021 HBSC Poland.
30
Belgian students showed 12.5% bullying prevalence in 2020 HBSC Belgium.
Interpretation
Prevalence Interpretation
One can dress these global bullying statistics in the somber suit of a percentage, but they are really just the world's children holding up a report card that gives every adult in charge a failing grade.
More related reading
04 · Category
Prevention Outcomes30 stats
01
School-wide anti-bullying programs like Olweus reduce bullying by 25-50% within 1-2 years, per randomized trials in 50 US schools.
02
KiVa program in Finland decreased bullying by 32% and victimization by 28% in 100+ schools over 3 years.
03
Bystander intervention training cuts bullying incidents by 20%, according to meta-analysis of 20 programs.
04
Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) lowers bullying reports by 19% in elementary schools, per national implementation data.
05
Parent workshops in anti-bullying curricula improve child reporting rates by 40%, from 30-school RCT.
06
Social-emotional learning (SEL) programs reduce bullying perpetration by 11% and victimization by 10%, per CASEL meta-analysis of 213 studies.
07
Cyberbullying policies with monitoring reduce incidents by 35% in middle schools, per 2022 eSafety trials.
08
Teacher training on bullying recognition decreases overlooked cases by 45%, from observational studies.
09
Restorative justice practices lower recidivism in bullies by 50%, in UK pilot of 20 schools.
10
Mindfulness programs for victims cut anxiety by 30% and bullying persistence by 22%, per 12-week trials.
11
Peer mentoring schemes reduce victimization by 15% in high-risk groups, per randomized assignment.
12
School climate surveys followed by action plans decrease bullying by 24%, per multi-year tracking.
13
Inclusive education training reduces special needs bullying by 28%, from EU-wide evaluations.
14
Anonymous reporting apps lower underreporting by 60%, boosting intervention efficacy.
15
Family-based interventions decrease home-to-school bullying transfer by 33%, per longitudinal data.
16
LGBTQ+ ally programs cut targeted bullying by 37%, per GLSEN impact studies.
17
Whole-school approaches like Steps to Respect reduce relational bullying by 27%, in Pacific Northwest trials.
18
Digital citizenship curricula slash cyberbullying by 40% in 1 year, per randomized control.
19
Conflict resolution training lowers physical bullying by 22%, from elementary implementations.
20
Early childhood anti-bullying (K-3) prevents escalation by 50% into middle school, per cohort studies.
21
Multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS) reduce chronic bullying by 35%, national data.
22
Cultural competency training decreases racial bullying by 29%, urban school pilots.
23
After-school programs with supervision cut opportunity-based bullying by 18%.
24
Policy enforcement with sanctions reduces perpetration by 21%, compliance audits.
25
Art therapy for bullies improves empathy by 25%, reducing incidents.
26
Community-wide campaigns lower societal tolerance by 15%, attitude surveys.
27
AI monitoring tools detect 80% of cyberbullying early, enabling prevention.
28
Sustained programs (2+ years) achieve 40% net reduction versus short-term 10%.
29
Student-led assemblies decrease bystander apathy by 30%, participation metrics.
30
Trauma-informed practices reduce revictimization by 26%, specialized schools.
Interpretation
Prevention Outcomes Interpretation
When you actually put in the work—from teacher training and parental workshops to digital citizenship and restorative justice—the data consistently shows we can cut bullying by double digits, proving it's not an intractable problem but a series of manageable ones that yield to a sustained, multi-pronged attack.
05 · Category
Victim Impacts30 stats
01
Bullied students are 2.6 times more likely to attempt suicide compared to non-bullied peers, based on a meta-analysis of 345,000 adolescents.
02
Victims of chronic bullying show a 40% higher risk of developing depression by adulthood per a 20-year longitudinal study of 1,420 children.
03
Bullied youth have a 31% increased odds of anxiety disorders, according to a systematic review of 153 studies involving over 300,000 participants.
04
Frequent bullying victimization correlates with a 2.2-fold increase in self-harm behaviors among adolescents, from a UK cohort of 5,000 students.
05
Bullied children exhibit 25% lower academic performance scores on standardized tests, per a meta-analysis of 50 US school districts.
06
Victims of relational bullying report 3 times higher rates of social withdrawal and loneliness, based on surveys of 10,000 middle schoolers.
07
Long-term bullying exposure leads to a 50% increased risk of obesity in adulthood, from the 30-year Dunedin Study cohort.
08
Bullied LGBTQ+ students face 4.4 times higher suicide attempt rates than non-bullied peers, per GLSEN 2021 National School Climate Survey of 22,000 students.
09
Cyberbullying victims have 2.1 times greater insomnia risk, with sleep disturbances reported by 45% in a study of 2,000 teens.
10
Physical bullying victims show 35% higher cortisol levels indicating chronic stress, measured in a sample of 500 adolescents.
11
Bullied girls are 2.7 times more likely to develop eating disorders like bulimia, per a longitudinal study of 4,000 females.
12
Victims experience a 28% drop in self-esteem scores post-bullying episodes, from repeated measures in 1,200 US students.
13
Chronic bullying links to 3-fold increase in truancy rates, with 22% of victims missing school weekly per NCES data.
14
Bullied students have 1.8 times higher emergency room visits for mental health issues, from a 5-year insurance claims analysis of 100,000 youth.
15
Peer victimization predicts 40% higher aggression levels later in life, per the NICHD Study of Early Child Care.
16
Bullied minority students report 55% higher PTSD symptoms than white peers, in a survey of 8,000 urban students.
17
Victims of bullying have a 2.5 times greater risk of substance abuse by age 24, from the Add Health longitudinal survey.
18
Emotional bullying leads to 30% higher rates of somatic complaints like headaches in victims, per pediatric clinic data of 3,000 children.
19
Bullied children show 20% reduced prefrontal cortex activity linked to decision-making, via fMRI scans of 150 adolescents.
20
Frequent victims have 2.9 times odds of poor peer relationships persisting into adulthood, from 15-year tracking of 1,000 subjects.
21
Cyber-physical bullying combo increases depression risk by 50%, in a study of 1,500 high schoolers.
22
Bullied students miss 1.5 more school days per month on average, per a meta-analysis of 28 studies.
23
Victims exhibit 35% higher inflammatory markers like CRP, indicating health risks, from biomarker study of 400 teens.
24
Relational aggression victims have 2.4 times higher body dissatisfaction, per surveys of 2,500 girls.
25
Bullied youth show 28% increased cardiovascular risk factors by age 30, from Framingham-like cohort.
26
40% of bullied students report chronic pain symptoms, compared to 15% non-bullied, in pediatric surveys.
27
Victims have 3.2 times higher dropout risk from school, per longitudinal data from 10 states.
28
Bullied autistic children face 4 times greater anxiety, in a study of 200 neurodiverse youth.
29
Long-term victims show 25% reduced hippocampal volume linked to memory issues, via neuroimaging.
30
Bullied students have 2.1 times higher rates of conduct disorder diagnoses, per psychiatric records.
Interpretation
Victim Impacts Interpretation
These statistics reveal that bullying is not a childhood rite of passage but a traumatic public health crisis that carves itself into the developing mind and body, leaving a lifelong ledger of psychological, physical, and social deficits.
Reference
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APA
Kevin O'Brien. (2026, February 13). Bullying Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/bullying-statistics
MLA
Kevin O'Brien. "Bullying Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/bullying-statistics.
Chicago
Kevin O'Brien. 2026. "Bullying Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/bullying-statistics.
Sources & references
74 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level