One in six women in the United States has experienced rape by an intimate partner or acquaintance. This article presents the most current data on prevalence, reporting outcomes, and the long-term impacts on survivors.
Key Takeaways
- 25% of date rape victims experience PTSD post-report per 2022 study
- 55% of male college date rapists are white per Koss 1988 follow-up
- In the United States, approximately 1 in 6 women have experienced an attempted or completed rape by an intimate partner or acquaintance during their lifetime, with many incidents classified as date rape according to the National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey (NISVS) 2016-2017 data
- Only 31% of date rapes are reported to police per RAINN 2023
- Among US women aged 18-24, 51% of rape victims were assaulted by an intimate partner or date per BJS 2013
Date rape remains alarmingly common, underscoring the need for prevention, consent education, and better support systems.
Related reading
02 · Category
Perpetrator Profiles25 stats
01
55% of male college date rapists are white per Koss 1988 follow-up
02
92% of date rapists are known to victim (date/acquaintance) per RAINN 2023 stats
03
70% of campus date rapists are students per 2015 AAU survey
04
Fraternity men 3x more likely to commit date rape per 2007 Swartout study
05
25% of college men admit to behaviors meeting date rape definition per 1985 Koss study updated 2010
06
Alcohol involved in 75% of date rapes by male perpetrators per Abbey 2002 review
07
15% of male undergrads self-report date rape perpetration per 2019 meta-analysis
08
Athletes (male) perpetrate 19% of campus date rapes despite 5% population per 1993 study
09
40% of date rapists have prior sexual offense history per BJS recidivism 2019
10
Serial rapists commit 44% of date rapes per NIJ 2008 study
11
62% of perpetrators aged 18-24 per NCVS sexual assault data 2019
12
Black males overrepresented at 30% of date rape arrests vs 13% population per FBI UCR 2020
13
85% of date rapists use verbal coercion per 2014 study
14
Drug use (non-alcohol) in 20% of perpetrator behaviors per 2015 NCVS supplement
15
50% of perpetrators report entitlement beliefs per 2017 psychology study
16
Hispanic males 15% of campus perpetrators per 2015 AAU
17
35% have antisocial personality traits per forensic psych review 2020
18
Online dating app users perpetrate 12% more date rapes per 2022 study
19
28% of perpetrators are repeat offenders within 1 year per 2018 tracking study
20
Military men 10% higher perpetration rate per 2021 WGRA
21
45% use physical force in date rapes per NIJ 2006
22
Low empathy scores in 60% of convicted date rapists per 2016 neuro study
23
22% of perpetrators from upper-middle class per socioeconomic analysis 2019
24
Hypermasculine attitudes in 70% per 2013 meta-analysis
25
18% have ADHD diagnosis per 2020 comorbidity study
Interpretation
Perpetrator Profiles Interpretation
This chilling mosaic of data reveals that the typical campus date rapist is often a white, hypermasculine, repeat-offending student—likely in a fraternity or athletics—who feels entitled, uses alcohol as a weapon, and is known to his victim, yet his greatest commonality is a profound lack of empathy wrapped in privilege and opportunity.
03 · Category
Prevalence Rates30 stats
01
In the United States, approximately 1 in 6 women have experienced an attempted or completed rape by an intimate partner or acquaintance during their lifetime, with many incidents classified as date rape according to the National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey (NISVS) 2016-2017 data
02
Among college women, 27% report experiencing some form of unwanted sexual contact during a date, as per a study by the National Institute of Justice in 2000 involving multiple campuses
03
80-90% of sexual assaults on college campuses involve alcohol use by the perpetrator, victim, or both, often in date scenarios, from the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs 2010 meta-analysis
04
In a survey of 1,000 undergraduate women, 15% reported being raped on a date, detailed in Koss et al.'s 1987 study published in Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology
05
UK data from the Crime Survey for England and Wales (2020) indicates 20% of women aged 16-59 experienced sexual assault, with 51% by a partner or ex-partner in date-like contexts
06
43% of date rape cases among high school students involved alcohol, per CDC's Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) 2019 analysis
07
A 2015 study in Violence Against Women journal found 12.8% lifetime prevalence of drug-facilitated date rape among US women aged 18-35
08
In Australia, 23% of women reported unwanted sexual experiences on dates per the Personal Safety Survey 2016
09
Campus Climate Survey (2015) reported 10.4% of undergraduate women experienced nonconsensual sexual contact via force or incapacitation on dates
10
NIJ's 2018 analysis showed 7.8% of women experienced sexual assault by dating partners in the past year
11
22% of female college students report date rape victimization per Fisher et al. 2000 NIJ report
12
WHO Multi-country Study (2005) found 10-20% prevalence of intimate partner sexual violence including date rape in urban settings
13
35% of sexual assaults reported to police were date/acquaintance rapes per BJS NCVS 2019
14
In Canada, 39% of sexual assault victims knew their attacker as a date per StatsCan 2014 GSS
15
18% of US women aged 18-24 experienced date rape per NISVS 2010-2012
16
European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (2014) survey: 11% of women experienced sexual violence by date partner since age 15
17
25% of rapes on US college campuses occur on dates per Clery Act data aggregated 2010-2020
18
14% of high school girls report date rape per CDC YRBS 2021
19
Swaziland study (2012) showed 28% date rape prevalence among university women
20
India NFHS-5 (2019-21) indicates 5% women experienced forced sex by intimate partner/date
21
South Africa HSRC survey (2012): 25.3% women lifetime sexual violence by dates/partners
22
Brazil study (2016): 16% university women date rape victims
23
Nigeria study (2018): 27% female students experienced date rape
24
19.5% US military women report unwanted sexual contact on dates per 2021 WGRA
25
13% Australian university students report date rape per 2017 survey
26
21% UK university women lifetime date rape per 2018 Union study
27
17.2% US women 18-24 date rape per 2015 AAU survey
28
11% Swedish women report partner/date sexual violence per 2017 study
29
24% New Zealand women sexual assault by date per NZVS 2018
30
15.3% lifetime date rape among US Latinas per NISVS subgroup analysis
Interpretation
Prevalence Rates Interpretation
These sobering statistics reveal a grim landscape where trust is routinely weaponized, with approximately one in six women navigating the treacherous intersection of intimacy and violation.
More related reading
04 · Category
Reporting Statistics25 stats
01
Only 31% of date rapes are reported to police per RAINN 2023
02
5% of date rape cases lead to arrest per BJS 2019 NCVS
03
2.1% of college date rapes result in conviction per 2015 AAU follow-up
04
Fear of not being believed causes 50% non-reporting per NISVS 2016
05
Only 23% of date rape victims seek medical care within 72 hours per NSVRC 2020
06
Campus reporting: 11% of incidents reported per 2019 Clery data
07
Black victims report at 40% lower rate than white per 2017 DOJ study
08
65% of unreported date rapes due to victim blaming self per 2014 survey
09
Police clearance rate for date rape: 20% vs 45% stranger rape per FBI 2020
10
90% of campus Title IX date rape complaints dismissed pre-2011 per 2012 review
11
Hotlines receive 1 call per 7 date rapes per RAINN 2022
12
38% report to friend first, only 8% to police per 2018 study
13
False reports <8% for date rape per Lisak 2010 meta-analysis
14
Reporting doubles with bystander intervention training per 2019 eval
15
75% non-report due to alcohol involvement per Abbey 2011
16
LGBTQ victims report 50% less per 2015 survey
17
12% increase in reporting post-#MeToo per 2020 BJS
18
Only 16% of drug-facilitated date rapes reported per 2015 study
19
Victim satisfaction with police response: 30% per 2017 NCVS supplement
20
55% drop charges before trial in date rape cases per 2019 analysis
21
Anonymous reporting apps increase campus reports by 25% per 2021 study
22
68% fear retaliation from date partner per non-report reasons 2016 NISVS
23
Conviction rate 5x lower for date vs stranger rape per 2018 UK study
24
40% of reports within 1 week, 60% after 1 year per timing data 2020
25
SANE exams lead to 2x reporting rate per 2019 eval
Interpretation
Reporting Statistics Interpretation
The grim arithmetic of date rape reveals a system where victims face a discouraging calculus: from the moment of assault, the odds are shamefully stacked against justice, with each step—from reporting to conviction—representing a new attrition point that discourages disclosure and protects perpetrators far more than survivors.
05 · Category
Victim Demographics25 stats
01
Among US women aged 18-24, 51% of rape victims were assaulted by an intimate partner or date per BJS 2013
02
College women of color report 25% higher date rape rates than white peers per 2015 Campus Climate Survey
03
82% of date rape victims among juveniles are female per NCVS 2018 juvenile data
04
LGBTQ+ college students experience date rape at 2x the rate of heterosexuals (28% vs 14%) per 2015 AAU survey
05
Women with disabilities report 3x higher date rape incidence (40%) per NISVS 2010 disability module
06
Fraternity/sorority women 2.65 times more likely to be date raped per 2007 study in Violence Against Women
07
First-year college women face 4x higher date rape risk per Fisher 2000 NIJ
08
57% of date rape victims are aged 12-24 per RAINN aggregation of NCVS/BJS data 2020
09
Low-income women (<$25k) report 30% date rape prevalence vs 10% high-income per NISVS 2016
10
Rural women experience 15% higher date rape rates than urban per 2019 rural health study
11
Atheist/agnostic women 1.5x more likely date rape victims per 2014 Baylor study
12
70% of date rape victims drop out of college post-assault per 2014 study
13
Transgender women report 50% lifetime date rape per 2015 US Trans Survey
14
35% of date rape victims have prior mental health diagnoses per trauma study 2018
15
Single women 40% more likely to experience date rape than married per GSS 2010
16
62% of child sexual abuse survivors experience adult date rape per longitudinal ACE study
17
Immigrant women 2x date rape risk due to language barriers per 2017 DOJ report
18
Athletes (female) 1.8x higher date rape victimization per 2016 NCAA survey
19
48% of date rape victims are white, 24% Black, 18% Latina per NCVS 2019 demographics
20
Women in STEM majors report 20% lower date rape than humanities per 2020 study
21
29% of bisexual women vs 13% lesbian date rape lifetime per NISVS 2016
22
Veterans (female) 55% higher date rape post-service per VA 2015 study
23
41% of date rape victims under 21 per campus police Clery reports 2020
24
Native American women 2.5x national average date rape per NIJ 2016
25
67% of victims knew perpetrator <1 month (early dating) per 2018 meta-analysis
Interpretation
Victim Demographics Interpretation
These numbers reveal a chilling blueprint of vulnerability, where being young, marginalized, or simply new on campus dramatically increases the odds that the gravest betrayal will come from someone you know or trust.
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
Ryan Townsend. (2026, February 13). Date Rape Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/date-rape-statistics
MLA
Ryan Townsend. "Date Rape Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/date-rape-statistics.
Chicago
Ryan Townsend. 2026. "Date Rape Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/date-rape-statistics.
Sources & references
53 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level