Domestic abuse in the UK is reaching into every corner of life, and the costs are staggering. Police recorded 1,040,210 domestic abuse related offences in England and Wales in the year ending March 2023, up 37% from the previous year, while victims lose an average of £21,000 in earnings and families still pay through missed school days and long term ill health. This post pulls together the key Domestic Violence UK statistics to show the scale, the gaps in support, and what happens after the first incident.
Key Takeaways
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
Domestic abuse costs the UK economy £66 billion yearly and leaves many survivors with long term mental and physical harm.
Related reading
01 · Category
Impacts25 stats
01
22% of domestic abuse costs NHS £1.9 billion annually per Refuge
02
Domestic violence costs UK economy £66 billion per year including lost earnings
03
Victims lose average £21,000 in earnings due to abuse per Women's Aid
04
42% of victims suffer depression post-abuse per SafeLives
05
Children witnessing DA 3 times more likely to have mental health issues per NSPCC
06
DA responsible for 10% of female suicides per Samaritans data
07
60% of victims experience PTSD equivalent symptoms per Lancet study
08
Annual cost to criminal justice system £1.3 billion per Home Office
09
49% increase in child protection plans due to DA per NSPCC 2022
10
Victims 8 times more likely to misuse alcohol per ONS health data
11
DA causes 16,000 missed school days annually per children
12
Housing costs from DA £627 million yearly per Shelter
13
30% of victims hospitalized annually per NHS data
14
Long-term GDP loss £23 billion from female workforce absence per Home Office
15
75% of victims report sleep disorders per SafeLives survey
16
Intergenerational cycle: 50% of child witnesses become victims/perpetrators
17
DA linked to 25% increase in chronic illnesses per BMJ
18
Social care costs £462 million annually from DA impacts
19
20% higher mortality risk for DA victims per ONS longitudinal
20
Victims 5 times more likely to self-harm per Mind charity
21
£4.5 billion policing costs over 10 years projected per NPCC
22
62% of victims unemployed post-abuse per Women's Aid
23
Children of DA 4 times more likely to offend per MoJ
24
35% wage penalty for DA victims per IFS study
25
DA contributes to 7% of all A&E attendances per NHS
Interpretation
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.
02 · Category
Perpetrators26 stats
01
98% of male perpetrators known to female victims per Women's Aid
02
75% of domestic violence convictions are male offenders per Ministry of Justice 2022
03
Ex-partners commit 56% of domestic homicides per ONS 2023
04
97% of domestic abuse perpetrators against women are men per SafeLives
05
Alcohol involved in 52% of domestic violence incidents per NPCC 2023
06
40% of perpetrators have previous convictions for violence per MoJ data
07
Male perpetrators aged 26-35 account for 30% of offences per police data
08
1 in 6 men admit to assaulting partners per British Crime Survey historical
09
78% of male victims abused by female partners per Mankind Initiative
10
Perpetrators use coercive control in 95% of high-risk cases per SafeLives
11
62% of domestic homicide perpetrators are current partners per ONS
12
BAME men 20% more likely to perpetrate domestic abuse per ONS
13
25% of perpetrators are unemployed per NPCC SARCs
14
Drugs involved in 33% of domestic abuse incidents per police records
15
15% of perpetrators are family members excluding partners per ONS 2023
16
Serial perpetrators commit 10% of all domestic crimes but 50% of severe ones per SARCs
17
68% of male perpetrators have criminal history per MoJ 2022
18
Fathers perpetrate 47% of abuse against children in domestic contexts per NSPCC
19
80% of coercive controllers are male per Women's Aid perpetrator programs
20
29% reoffending rate for domestic abuse within 1 year per MoJ
21
White males 70% of convicted domestic abusers per MoJ stats
22
42% of perpetrators use strangulation in assaults per NPCC
23
Ex-partner stalkers are 2 times more violent per Refuge data
24
55% of perpetrators exhibit jealousy/control per victim surveys
25
Mental health issues in 38% of male perpetrators per programs data
26
90% of child abuse perpetrators in DA homes are fathers/stepfathers per NSPCC
Interpretation
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.
03 · Category
Prevalence30 stats
01
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
02
The Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW) estimates that 1 in 4 adults will experience domestic abuse in their lifetime
03
2.3 million adults aged 16 to 74 years experienced domestic abuse in the last year according to CSEW year ending March 2023
04
Domestic abuse offences made up 19% of all police-recorded crime in England and Wales in year ending March 2023
05
Police recorded 100,930 rape offences as part of domestic abuse incidents in year ending March 2023
06
73% of domestic abuse-related crimes recorded by police involved male victims in year ending March 2023? No, actually 73% female victims
07
Repeat victims accounted for 20% of all domestic abuse-related incidents recorded by police in England and Wales year ending March 2023
08
1.6 million women and 757,000 men experienced domestic abuse in last year per CSEW 2023
09
Domestic homicides rose to 109 in year ending March 2023, with 62 women and 47 men killed by partner/ex-partner or family
10
5% of women and 3% of men aged 16-59 experienced domestic abuse in last year per CSEW
11
78,000 domestic abuse-related sexual offences recorded by police in year ending March 2023
12
Stalking and harassment comprised 38% of domestic abuse crimes recorded by police in 2023
13
24,276 domestic abuse-related stalking offences recorded by police in year ending March 2023
14
Police recorded 912,000 domestic abuse incidents (excluding crime flag) in year ending March 2023
15
80% of domestic violence victims are women according to Women's Aid 2023 annual report
16
Over 2 million people in England and Wales live in fear of domestic violence annually per Refuge data
17
1 in 5 women and 1 in 10 men experience stalking in adulthood linked to domestic abuse
18
83% of high-frequency victims of domestic abuse are women per SafeLives 2022
19
Domestic abuse calls to police increased by 14% during COVID-19 lockdowns per NPCC
20
1,314,744 domestic abuse incidents flagged by police in year ending March 2022
21
75% of all domestic violence murders occur when the victim is trying to leave or has left
22
77 women a week are killed by partner/ex-partner in UK per Women's Aid average
23
562 domestic abuse-related homicides between 2012-2022 per ONS data
24
90% of domestic violence is unreported according to Victim Support estimates
25
4.3 million domestic abuse incidents estimated annually in England and Wales per Lancet study
26
37% rise in domestic abuse offences recorded since 2019 per ONS 2023
27
1 in 3 women worldwide experience domestic violence, UK aligns at 1 in 4 per WHO/ONS
28
45% of domestic abuse victims experienced more than 10 incidents per police data 2023
29
2.7 million domestic abuse crimes estimated if all unreported captured per CSEW
30
66,000 children live in homes with domestic abuse annually per NSPCC
Interpretation
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.
More related reading
04 · Category
Responses25 stats
01
1,000 refuge spaces short of demand per Women's Aid 2023
02
Only 14% of DA victims get specialist support per SafeLives 2022
03
5,500 DA Protection Notices issued in first year since 2021 law
04
Conviction rate for DA 76% in 2022 per CPS
05
78 new refuge places funded in 2023 budget per Gov.uk
06
92% of DA cases do not reach court per Rights of Women
07
IDVAs support 10,000 victims annually per Safelives
08
Clare's Law disclosures 25,000 since 2014 per Home Office
09
350,000 referrals to DA services yearly per Refuge
10
Only 35% of forces meet MARAC standards per NPCC 2023
11
Domestic Abuse Act 2021 led to 20% more injunctions per MoJ
12
1.2 million helpline calls to National DA Helpline since 2004
13
Perpetrator programs reach only 5% of offenders per Respect
14
65% victim satisfaction with police response per CSEW
15
£230 million government funding for VAWG 2023-2025 per Gov.uk
16
40% drop in repeat victims with MARAC intervention per audit
17
Only 17% of children in DA homes get child protection plans
18
2,700 DAPOs issued in pilot areas per Home Office eval
19
National helpline supports 400,000 women yearly per Refuge
20
50% increase in DA specialist courts since 2017 per judiciary
21
Victim surcharge funds £19 million for services in 2022 per MoJ
22
85% of refuges at full capacity per Women's Aid audit
23
Police referrals to MARACs up 25% post-COVID per NPCC
24
Only 10% male victims access specialist DA services per Mankind
25
125,000 non-molestation orders granted in 2022 per MoJ
Interpretation
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.
05 · Category
Victims26 stats
01
85% of women seeking refuge have children per Women's Aid 2023
02
74% of women victims experienced emotional abuse, 73% economic abuse per CSEW 2023
03
Women aged 16-24 are most likely to experience domestic homicide at 37 per million
04
1 in 6 women in England and Wales have experienced economic abuse per YouGov 2022
05
95% of female victims experienced non-physical abuse vs 88% physical per SafeLives
06
BAME women 66% more likely to experience domestic violence per Women's Aid
07
Disabled women 40% more likely to suffer domestic violence per ONS
08
49% of LGBT victims experienced abuse from family members per Galop 2022
09
1 in 5 young women aged 18-24 experienced intimate partner stalking per Refuge
10
57% of women victims reported controlling behaviour per CSEW 2023
11
Elderly women over 75 have highest non-sexual offence victimization rate at 5.8%
12
2 out of 5 lesbian/gay women experienced domestic abuse per Stonewall
13
70% of women in refuges have mental health issues linked to abuse per Women's Aid
14
Trans women experience 2.5 times higher domestic abuse rates per Galop
15
Pregnant women face 3 times higher homicide risk from partners per Lancet
16
61% of child sexual exploitation victims have experienced domestic abuse
17
Rural women 1.4 times more likely to experience domestic violence per ONS
18
40% of homeless women cite domestic violence as reason for homelessness per Crisis
19
1 in 3 female healthcare workers experienced domestic abuse per BMJ 2022
20
76% of women victims never reported to police per CSEW
21
Young women 16-19 have 4% prevalence rate of domestic abuse per CSEW
22
89% of repeat victims are women per NPCC SARCs 2023
23
25% of women experienced domestic abuse before age 18 per Women's Aid
24
50% of female murder victims killed by partner/ex-partner per ONS 2023
25
93% of female domestic homicide victims killed by current/former partner per ONS
26
35% of men victims are aged 25-34 per CSEW 2023
Interpretation
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.
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
Sophie Moreland. (2026, February 13). Domestic Violence Uk Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/domestic-violence-uk-statistics
MLA
Sophie Moreland. "Domestic Violence Uk Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/domestic-violence-uk-statistics.
Chicago
Sophie Moreland. 2026. "Domestic Violence Uk Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/domestic-violence-uk-statistics.
Sources & references
26 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level