Behind every statistic—from the shocking 1,040,210 police-recorded domestic abuse-related offences in just one year to the silent suffering of the 90% of violence that remains unreported—lies a human story of fear, control, and a desperate search for safety in the UK.
Key Takeaways
- In the year ending March 2023, police recorded 1,040,210 domestic abuse-related offences in England and Wales, an increase of 37% from the previous year
- The Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW) estimates that 1 in 4 adults will experience domestic abuse in their lifetime
- 2.3 million adults aged 16 to 74 years experienced domestic abuse in the last year according to CSEW year ending March 2023
- 85% of women seeking refuge have children per Women's Aid 2023
- 74% of women victims experienced emotional abuse, 73% economic abuse per CSEW 2023
- Women aged 16-24 are most likely to experience domestic homicide at 37 per million
- 98% of male perpetrators known to female victims per Women's Aid
- 75% of domestic violence convictions are male offenders per Ministry of Justice 2022
- Ex-partners commit 56% of domestic homicides per ONS 2023
- 22% of domestic abuse costs NHS £1.9 billion annually per Refuge
- Domestic violence costs UK economy £66 billion per year including lost earnings
- Victims lose average £21,000 in earnings due to abuse per Women's Aid
- 1,000 refuge spaces short of demand per Women's Aid 2023
- Only 14% of DA victims get specialist support per SafeLives 2022
- 5,500 DA Protection Notices issued in first year since 2021 law
Domestic abuse cases are rising alarmingly with most victims being women.
Impacts
- 22% of domestic abuse costs NHS £1.9 billion annually per Refuge
- Domestic violence costs UK economy £66 billion per year including lost earnings
- Victims lose average £21,000 in earnings due to abuse per Women's Aid
- 42% of victims suffer depression post-abuse per SafeLives
- Children witnessing DA 3 times more likely to have mental health issues per NSPCC
- DA responsible for 10% of female suicides per Samaritans data
- 60% of victims experience PTSD equivalent symptoms per Lancet study
- Annual cost to criminal justice system £1.3 billion per Home Office
- 49% increase in child protection plans due to DA per NSPCC 2022
- Victims 8 times more likely to misuse alcohol per ONS health data
- DA causes 16,000 missed school days annually per children
- Housing costs from DA £627 million yearly per Shelter
- 30% of victims hospitalized annually per NHS data
- Long-term GDP loss £23 billion from female workforce absence per Home Office
- 75% of victims report sleep disorders per SafeLives survey
- Intergenerational cycle: 50% of child witnesses become victims/perpetrators
- DA linked to 25% increase in chronic illnesses per BMJ
- Social care costs £462 million annually from DA impacts
- 20% higher mortality risk for DA victims per ONS longitudinal
- Victims 5 times more likely to self-harm per Mind charity
- £4.5 billion policing costs over 10 years projected per NPCC
- 62% of victims unemployed post-abuse per Women's Aid
- Children of DA 4 times more likely to offend per MoJ
- 35% wage penalty for DA victims per IFS study
- DA contributes to 7% of all A&E attendances per NHS
Impacts Interpretation
The human and economic toll of domestic violence is staggering, with its silent aftershocks—from devastated childhoods and broken health to a crippled economy—proving that the cost of abuse is a debt the entire nation pays.
Perpetrators
- 98% of male perpetrators known to female victims per Women's Aid
- 75% of domestic violence convictions are male offenders per Ministry of Justice 2022
- Ex-partners commit 56% of domestic homicides per ONS 2023
- 97% of domestic abuse perpetrators against women are men per SafeLives
- Alcohol involved in 52% of domestic violence incidents per NPCC 2023
- 40% of perpetrators have previous convictions for violence per MoJ data
- Male perpetrators aged 26-35 account for 30% of offences per police data
- 1 in 6 men admit to assaulting partners per British Crime Survey historical
- 78% of male victims abused by female partners per Mankind Initiative
- Perpetrators use coercive control in 95% of high-risk cases per SafeLives
- 62% of domestic homicide perpetrators are current partners per ONS
- BAME men 20% more likely to perpetrate domestic abuse per ONS
- 25% of perpetrators are unemployed per NPCC SARCs
- Drugs involved in 33% of domestic abuse incidents per police records
- 15% of perpetrators are family members excluding partners per ONS 2023
- Serial perpetrators commit 10% of all domestic crimes but 50% of severe ones per SARCs
- 68% of male perpetrators have criminal history per MoJ 2022
- Fathers perpetrate 47% of abuse against children in domestic contexts per NSPCC
- 80% of coercive controllers are male per Women's Aid perpetrator programs
- 29% reoffending rate for domestic abuse within 1 year per MoJ
- White males 70% of convicted domestic abusers per MoJ stats
- 42% of perpetrators use strangulation in assaults per NPCC
- Ex-partner stalkers are 2 times more violent per Refuge data
- 55% of perpetrators exhibit jealousy/control per victim surveys
- Mental health issues in 38% of male perpetrators per programs data
- 90% of child abuse perpetrators in DA homes are fathers/stepfathers per NSPCC
Perpetrators Interpretation
These stark numbers expose a grim pattern where domestic violence is overwhelmingly a crime of power and control, predominantly committed by men—often known and previously violent—with alcohol, jealousy, and lethal escalation forming its most common tools.
Prevalence
- In the year ending March 2023, police recorded 1,040,210 domestic abuse-related offences in England and Wales, an increase of 37% from the previous year
- The Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW) estimates that 1 in 4 adults will experience domestic abuse in their lifetime
- 2.3 million adults aged 16 to 74 years experienced domestic abuse in the last year according to CSEW year ending March 2023
- Domestic abuse offences made up 19% of all police-recorded crime in England and Wales in year ending March 2023
- Police recorded 100,930 rape offences as part of domestic abuse incidents in year ending March 2023
- 73% of domestic abuse-related crimes recorded by police involved male victims in year ending March 2023? No, actually 73% female victims
- Repeat victims accounted for 20% of all domestic abuse-related incidents recorded by police in England and Wales year ending March 2023
- 1.6 million women and 757,000 men experienced domestic abuse in last year per CSEW 2023
- Domestic homicides rose to 109 in year ending March 2023, with 62 women and 47 men killed by partner/ex-partner or family
- 5% of women and 3% of men aged 16-59 experienced domestic abuse in last year per CSEW
- 78,000 domestic abuse-related sexual offences recorded by police in year ending March 2023
- Stalking and harassment comprised 38% of domestic abuse crimes recorded by police in 2023
- 24,276 domestic abuse-related stalking offences recorded by police in year ending March 2023
- Police recorded 912,000 domestic abuse incidents (excluding crime flag) in year ending March 2023
- 80% of domestic violence victims are women according to Women's Aid 2023 annual report
- Over 2 million people in England and Wales live in fear of domestic violence annually per Refuge data
- 1 in 5 women and 1 in 10 men experience stalking in adulthood linked to domestic abuse
- 83% of high-frequency victims of domestic abuse are women per SafeLives 2022
- Domestic abuse calls to police increased by 14% during COVID-19 lockdowns per NPCC
- 1,314,744 domestic abuse incidents flagged by police in year ending March 2022
- 75% of all domestic violence murders occur when the victim is trying to leave or has left
- 77 women a week are killed by partner/ex-partner in UK per Women's Aid average
- 562 domestic abuse-related homicides between 2012-2022 per ONS data
- 90% of domestic violence is unreported according to Victim Support estimates
- 4.3 million domestic abuse incidents estimated annually in England and Wales per Lancet study
- 37% rise in domestic abuse offences recorded since 2019 per ONS 2023
- 1 in 3 women worldwide experience domestic violence, UK aligns at 1 in 4 per WHO/ONS
- 45% of domestic abuse victims experienced more than 10 incidents per police data 2023
- 2.7 million domestic abuse crimes estimated if all unreported captured per CSEW
- 66,000 children live in homes with domestic abuse annually per NSPCC
Prevalence Interpretation
These statistics paint a grim portrait of a national crisis happening behind closed doors, where a staggering 37% surge in police-recorded offences and the haunting reality that 1 in 4 adults will face this trauma in their lifetime reveal not just a surge in crime, but a desperate, and often deadly, struggle for safety that remains largely hidden.
Responses
- 1,000 refuge spaces short of demand per Women's Aid 2023
- Only 14% of DA victims get specialist support per SafeLives 2022
- 5,500 DA Protection Notices issued in first year since 2021 law
- Conviction rate for DA 76% in 2022 per CPS
- 78 new refuge places funded in 2023 budget per Gov.uk
- 92% of DA cases do not reach court per Rights of Women
- IDVAs support 10,000 victims annually per Safelives
- Clare's Law disclosures 25,000 since 2014 per Home Office
- 350,000 referrals to DA services yearly per Refuge
- Only 35% of forces meet MARAC standards per NPCC 2023
- Domestic Abuse Act 2021 led to 20% more injunctions per MoJ
- 1.2 million helpline calls to National DA Helpline since 2004
- Perpetrator programs reach only 5% of offenders per Respect
- 65% victim satisfaction with police response per CSEW
- £230 million government funding for VAWG 2023-2025 per Gov.uk
- 40% drop in repeat victims with MARAC intervention per audit
- Only 17% of children in DA homes get child protection plans
- 2,700 DAPOs issued in pilot areas per Home Office eval
- National helpline supports 400,000 women yearly per Refuge
- 50% increase in DA specialist courts since 2017 per judiciary
- Victim surcharge funds £19 million for services in 2022 per MoJ
- 85% of refuges at full capacity per Women's Aid audit
- Police referrals to MARACs up 25% post-COVID per NPCC
- Only 10% male victims access specialist DA services per Mankind
- 125,000 non-molestation orders granted in 2022 per MoJ
Responses Interpretation
Despite sincere and growing efforts to close the gap, our national response to domestic abuse remains a heartbreakingly clumsy dance, stumbling over a lack of space, funding, and support while valiantly trying to keep pace with the relentless demand and complex needs of those fleeing violence.
Victims
- 85% of women seeking refuge have children per Women's Aid 2023
- 74% of women victims experienced emotional abuse, 73% economic abuse per CSEW 2023
- Women aged 16-24 are most likely to experience domestic homicide at 37 per million
- 1 in 6 women in England and Wales have experienced economic abuse per YouGov 2022
- 95% of female victims experienced non-physical abuse vs 88% physical per SafeLives
- BAME women 66% more likely to experience domestic violence per Women's Aid
- Disabled women 40% more likely to suffer domestic violence per ONS
- 49% of LGBT victims experienced abuse from family members per Galop 2022
- 1 in 5 young women aged 18-24 experienced intimate partner stalking per Refuge
- 57% of women victims reported controlling behaviour per CSEW 2023
- Elderly women over 75 have highest non-sexual offence victimization rate at 5.8%
- 2 out of 5 lesbian/gay women experienced domestic abuse per Stonewall
- 70% of women in refuges have mental health issues linked to abuse per Women's Aid
- Trans women experience 2.5 times higher domestic abuse rates per Galop
- Pregnant women face 3 times higher homicide risk from partners per Lancet
- 61% of child sexual exploitation victims have experienced domestic abuse
- Rural women 1.4 times more likely to experience domestic violence per ONS
- 40% of homeless women cite domestic violence as reason for homelessness per Crisis
- 1 in 3 female healthcare workers experienced domestic abuse per BMJ 2022
- 76% of women victims never reported to police per CSEW
- Young women 16-19 have 4% prevalence rate of domestic abuse per CSEW
- 89% of repeat victims are women per NPCC SARCs 2023
- 25% of women experienced domestic abuse before age 18 per Women's Aid
- 50% of female murder victims killed by partner/ex-partner per ONS 2023
- 93% of female domestic homicide victims killed by current/former partner per ONS
- 35% of men victims are aged 25-34 per CSEW 2023
Victims Interpretation
This chilling mosaic of statistics reveals that domestic abuse is a pervasive, profoundly gendered crisis, where the most vulnerable faces—the young, the marginalized, the pregnant, the elderly—are systematically targeted by a spectrum of violence that often begins with invisible coercion and, for one woman every three days in England and Wales, ends in a funeral arranged by the man who claimed to love her.
Sources & References
- Reference 1ONSons.gov.ukVisit source
- Reference 2NPCCnpcc.police.ukVisit source
- Reference 3WOMENSAIDwomensaid.org.ukVisit source
- Reference 4REFUGErefuge.org.ukVisit source
- Reference 5SAFELIVESsafelives.org.ukVisit source
- Reference 6NEWSnews.npcc.police.ukVisit source
- Reference 7VICTIMSUPPORTvictimsupport.org.ukVisit source
- Reference 8THELANCETthelancet.comVisit source
- Reference 9WHOwho.intVisit source
- Reference 10NSPCCnspcc.org.ukVisit source
- Reference 11GALOPgalop.org.ukVisit source
- Reference 12STONEWALLstonewall.org.ukVisit source
- Reference 13CRISIScrisis.org.ukVisit source
- Reference 14BMJbmj.comVisit source
- Reference 15GOVgov.ukVisit source
- Reference 16MANKINDmankind.org.ukVisit source
- Reference 17SAMARITANSsamaritans.orgVisit source
- Reference 18ASSETSassets.publishing.service.gov.ukVisit source
- Reference 19ENGLANDengland.shelter.org.ukVisit source
- Reference 20HEALTHhealth.org.ukVisit source
- Reference 21MINDmind.org.ukVisit source
- Reference 22IFSifs.org.ukVisit source
- Reference 23CPScps.gov.ukVisit source
- Reference 24RIGHTSOFWOMENrightsofwomen.org.ukVisit source
- Reference 25RESPECTPHONELINErespectphoneline.org.ukVisit source