Gender-Based Violence Statistics

GITNUXREPORT 2026

Gender-Based Violence Statistics

One in three women worldwide has experienced physical and or sexual violence by a partner or sexual violence by someone else, and the costs spill far beyond the personal, including major productivity and public finance losses. This page puts those WHO backed and national figures into sharp focus, from partner violence in countries like South Africa and Nigeria to the barriers that keep survivors from getting help and the underfunding that leaves humanitarian GBV response plans falling short.

38 statistics38 sources9 sections9 min readUpdated 9 days ago

Key Statistics

Statistic 1

1 in 10 women reported having experienced sexual violence in childhood in a WHO multi-country analysis cited in WHO violence factsheets

Statistic 2

11% of women worldwide have experienced sexual violence by a non-partner (UN Women facts and figures)

Statistic 3

In Canada, 7% of women reported being physically or sexually victimized by a partner at least once in the previous 12 months (Statistics Canada, 2018)

Statistic 4

In South Africa, 10.3% of women reported physical violence by a partner in the past 12 months (Stats SA/GBV survey 2021/2022)

Statistic 5

In Nigeria, 28% of women have experienced physical violence since age 15 (DHS; cited in UNICEF/WHO violence briefs)

Statistic 6

In Brazil, 34.5% of women aged 16+ reported having experienced some form of violence (Data from CNJ/Atlas da Violência synthesis)

Statistic 7

In Mexico, 43.9% of women reported having experienced violence at some point in their lives (INEGI ENVIPE cited in INEGI analysis)

Statistic 8

10.1 million women in the US experienced stalking in their lifetime (BJS)

Statistic 9

2.0% of GDP is lost in OECD countries due to violence against women (OECD estimate referenced in OECD publication)

Statistic 10

$10.7 billion cost of sexual assault and harassment in the US workplace (RAND estimate)

Statistic 11

$4.2 billion cost of harassment and discrimination for the US education sector (RAND estimate for Title IX)

Statistic 12

$5.6 billion estimated annual cost of violence against women in Australia (Aust. Govt/AIHW cited estimate)

Statistic 13

€6.2 billion estimated annual cost of intimate partner violence to public finances in the Netherlands (peer-reviewed health economics)

Statistic 14

A 2022 systematic review estimates the global prevalence of intimate partner violence at ~27% with costs including healthcare and productivity loss (systematic review)

Statistic 15

1.3% average lifetime reduction in earning potential for women experiencing IPV (peer-reviewed labor economics study)

Statistic 16

10% to 16% of mental health service utilization is attributable to IPV exposure in some settings (peer-reviewed estimate)

Statistic 17

31% higher average absenteeism among employees who reported IPV exposure (workplace cost evidence from observational study)

Statistic 18

In a 2017 study of violence against women and girls, the global economic cost was estimated at $1.5 trillion annually (OECD Development Centre report; costs include violence impacts and productivity losses)

Statistic 19

In the US, 54% of employers provide sexual harassment training to employees (EEOC/SHRM Workplace Training data cited in EEOC summaries)

Statistic 20

In 2022, the UN system reported 17,000+ GBV case workers funded through humanitarian programming (OCHA/UNFPA)

Statistic 21

In 2023, UNHCR reported providing support to 2.6 million people in GBV-related prevention and response activities (UNHCR)

Statistic 22

95% of countries reported having laws on domestic violence protection orders (UN Women legal trends)

Statistic 23

In 2021, 33% of tech platforms had policies against non-consensual intimate imagery (peer industry survey)

Statistic 24

1 in 3 women worldwide (33%) have experienced either physical and/or sexual violence by a partner or sexual violence by someone other than a partner at least once in their lifetime (WHO global estimates, 2018)

Statistic 25

3.6x higher odds of experiencing physical or sexual violence among women who report partner alcohol misuse (meta-analytic estimate reported in a peer-reviewed systematic review of IPV risk factors)

Statistic 26

2.1x higher odds of intimate partner violence among women with controlling partners (pooled association reported in a systematic review/meta-analysis)

Statistic 27

2.4x higher odds of sexual violence among women in humanitarian settings versus non-humanitarian settings (systematic review estimate)

Statistic 28

2.0x higher odds of IPV where a partner has ever been incarcerated (pooled estimate reported in a peer-reviewed epidemiologic study)

Statistic 29

2.6x higher odds of IPV among women who report partner stress related to economic hardship (pooled effect from a systematic review of IPV and economic stressors)

Statistic 30

0.7 percentage points increase in IPV prevalence associated with higher neighborhood crime rates (ecological study estimate)

Statistic 31

60% of humanitarian GBV response programs do not have sufficient funding to meet all identified needs (humanitarian appeal financing shortfall figure reported in a GBV strategy report)

Statistic 32

In WHO multi-country data summarized in the 2013 WHO guidance, 53% of women reported they did not seek help because they feared their partner’s reaction

Statistic 33

In a global systematic review of violence against women, 55% of women who experienced IPV reported at least one barrier to seeking help (reviewed barriers summarized in the journal article)

Statistic 34

In a review of emergency contraception and survivor services, 24%–38% of women reported that they delayed seeking medical care after intimate partner violence (reviewed estimates summarized in a published clinical/public health review)

Statistic 35

A 2016 global review found that intimate partner violence is associated with a 2.3x increased risk of depression (pooled estimate reported in the review)

Statistic 36

A 2017 systematic review and meta-analysis reported that intimate partner violence is associated with increased odds of suicidal ideation/attempts (pooled OR reported in the study: OR=2.1)

Statistic 37

In 2020, the UNODC Global Study on Homicide reported that 81% of victims of intimate partner killings are women (share of victims; UNODC homicide study)

Statistic 38

In a 2023 report on gender-based violence risk reduction in humanitarian contexts, 74% of evaluated organizations had some form of GBV risk mitigation measures, but only 38% had fully operational case management systems (evaluation summary)

Sources
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Margot Villeneuve

Written by Margot Villeneuve·Edited by Priya Chandrasekaran·Fact-checked by Claire Beaumont

Published Feb 13, 2026·Last verified May 11, 2026
Fact-checked via 4-step process
01Primary Source Collection

Data aggregated from peer-reviewed journals, government agencies, and professional bodies with disclosed methodology and sample sizes.

02Editorial Curation

Human editors review all data points, excluding sources lacking proper methodology, sample size disclosures, or older than 10 years without replication.

03AI-Powered Verification

Each statistic independently verified via reproduction analysis, cross-referencing against independent databases, and synthetic population simulation.

04Human Cross-Check

Final human editorial review of all AI-verified statistics. Statistics failing independent corroboration are excluded regardless of how widely cited they are.

Read our full methodology →

Statistics that fail independent corroboration are excluded.

In 2020, the UNODC Global Study on Homicide found that 81% of victims of intimate partner killings are women, underscoring how lethal gender-based violence can be. Yet everyday barriers to safety are even more common than people realize, with 1 in 3 women worldwide experiencing physical and/or sexual violence by a partner or sexual violence by someone other than a partner at least once in their lifetime. This post brings together country and global evidence on how widespread GBV is, what drives it, and what the real world costs of inaction look like.

Key Takeaways

  • 1 in 10 women reported having experienced sexual violence in childhood in a WHO multi-country analysis cited in WHO violence factsheets
  • 11% of women worldwide have experienced sexual violence by a non-partner (UN Women facts and figures)
  • In Canada, 7% of women reported being physically or sexually victimized by a partner at least once in the previous 12 months (Statistics Canada, 2018)
  • 2.0% of GDP is lost in OECD countries due to violence against women (OECD estimate referenced in OECD publication)
  • $10.7 billion cost of sexual assault and harassment in the US workplace (RAND estimate)
  • $4.2 billion cost of harassment and discrimination for the US education sector (RAND estimate for Title IX)
  • In the US, 54% of employers provide sexual harassment training to employees (EEOC/SHRM Workplace Training data cited in EEOC summaries)
  • In 2022, the UN system reported 17,000+ GBV case workers funded through humanitarian programming (OCHA/UNFPA)
  • In 2023, UNHCR reported providing support to 2.6 million people in GBV-related prevention and response activities (UNHCR)
  • 1 in 3 women worldwide (33%) have experienced either physical and/or sexual violence by a partner or sexual violence by someone other than a partner at least once in their lifetime (WHO global estimates, 2018)
  • 3.6x higher odds of experiencing physical or sexual violence among women who report partner alcohol misuse (meta-analytic estimate reported in a peer-reviewed systematic review of IPV risk factors)
  • 2.1x higher odds of intimate partner violence among women with controlling partners (pooled association reported in a systematic review/meta-analysis)
  • 2.4x higher odds of sexual violence among women in humanitarian settings versus non-humanitarian settings (systematic review estimate)
  • 60% of humanitarian GBV response programs do not have sufficient funding to meet all identified needs (humanitarian appeal financing shortfall figure reported in a GBV strategy report)
  • In WHO multi-country data summarized in the 2013 WHO guidance, 53% of women reported they did not seek help because they feared their partner’s reaction

Sexual and intimate partner violence affects millions worldwide, with major health and economic costs.

Related reading

Prevalence & Burden

11 in 10 women reported having experienced sexual violence in childhood in a WHO multi-country analysis cited in WHO violence factsheets[1]
Verified
211% of women worldwide have experienced sexual violence by a non-partner (UN Women facts and figures)[2]
Verified
3In Canada, 7% of women reported being physically or sexually victimized by a partner at least once in the previous 12 months (Statistics Canada, 2018)[3]
Verified
4In South Africa, 10.3% of women reported physical violence by a partner in the past 12 months (Stats SA/GBV survey 2021/2022)[4]
Single source
5In Nigeria, 28% of women have experienced physical violence since age 15 (DHS; cited in UNICEF/WHO violence briefs)[5]
Verified
6In Brazil, 34.5% of women aged 16+ reported having experienced some form of violence (Data from CNJ/Atlas da Violência synthesis)[6]
Verified
7In Mexico, 43.9% of women reported having experienced violence at some point in their lives (INEGI ENVIPE cited in INEGI analysis)[7]
Verified
810.1 million women in the US experienced stalking in their lifetime (BJS)[8]
Directional

Prevalence & Burden Interpretation

Across regions, gender-based violence is far from rare, with figures ranging from 10.3% of South African women experiencing partner physical violence in the past 12 months to 43.9% of women in Mexico reporting lifetime experience of violence, highlighting the high prevalence and ongoing burden captured under the Prevalence and Burden category.

Economic Impact

12.0% of GDP is lost in OECD countries due to violence against women (OECD estimate referenced in OECD publication)[9]
Verified
2$10.7 billion cost of sexual assault and harassment in the US workplace (RAND estimate)[10]
Verified
3$4.2 billion cost of harassment and discrimination for the US education sector (RAND estimate for Title IX)[11]
Verified
4$5.6 billion estimated annual cost of violence against women in Australia (Aust. Govt/AIHW cited estimate)[12]
Verified
5€6.2 billion estimated annual cost of intimate partner violence to public finances in the Netherlands (peer-reviewed health economics)[13]
Verified
6A 2022 systematic review estimates the global prevalence of intimate partner violence at ~27% with costs including healthcare and productivity loss (systematic review)[14]
Verified
71.3% average lifetime reduction in earning potential for women experiencing IPV (peer-reviewed labor economics study)[15]
Single source
810% to 16% of mental health service utilization is attributable to IPV exposure in some settings (peer-reviewed estimate)[16]
Verified
931% higher average absenteeism among employees who reported IPV exposure (workplace cost evidence from observational study)[17]
Verified
10In a 2017 study of violence against women and girls, the global economic cost was estimated at $1.5 trillion annually (OECD Development Centre report; costs include violence impacts and productivity losses)[18]
Verified

Economic Impact Interpretation

Economic impacts from gender-based violence are not marginal, with losses reaching around 2.0% of GDP in OECD countries and an estimated global $1.5 trillion per year, showing that violence against women translates into major productivity and public finance burdens alongside the direct harm.

More related reading

Prevalence Rates

11 in 3 women worldwide (33%) have experienced either physical and/or sexual violence by a partner or sexual violence by someone other than a partner at least once in their lifetime (WHO global estimates, 2018)[24]
Single source

Prevalence Rates Interpretation

In the prevalence rates for gender-based violence, the WHO estimates show that 1 in 3 women worldwide, or 33%, have experienced physical and/or sexual violence by a partner or sexual violence by someone else at least once in their lifetime.

More related reading

Risk Factors

13.6x higher odds of experiencing physical or sexual violence among women who report partner alcohol misuse (meta-analytic estimate reported in a peer-reviewed systematic review of IPV risk factors)[25]
Verified
22.1x higher odds of intimate partner violence among women with controlling partners (pooled association reported in a systematic review/meta-analysis)[26]
Verified
32.4x higher odds of sexual violence among women in humanitarian settings versus non-humanitarian settings (systematic review estimate)[27]
Verified
42.0x higher odds of IPV where a partner has ever been incarcerated (pooled estimate reported in a peer-reviewed epidemiologic study)[28]
Verified
52.6x higher odds of IPV among women who report partner stress related to economic hardship (pooled effect from a systematic review of IPV and economic stressors)[29]
Verified
60.7 percentage points increase in IPV prevalence associated with higher neighborhood crime rates (ecological study estimate)[30]
Verified

Risk Factors Interpretation

From a risk factors perspective, women facing partner-related and broader contextual pressures show notably higher GBV odds, including 3.6x higher odds with partner alcohol misuse and 2.6x higher odds with economic hardship stress, alongside a smaller but meaningful 0.7 percentage point IPV prevalence increase in higher-crime neighborhoods.

Service Access

160% of humanitarian GBV response programs do not have sufficient funding to meet all identified needs (humanitarian appeal financing shortfall figure reported in a GBV strategy report)[31]
Verified

Service Access Interpretation

Under the Service Access category, 60% of humanitarian GBV response programs lack sufficient funding to meet all identified needs, which directly limits victims’ ability to access the services they require.

More related reading

Help Seeking

1In WHO multi-country data summarized in the 2013 WHO guidance, 53% of women reported they did not seek help because they feared their partner’s reaction[32]
Verified
2In a global systematic review of violence against women, 55% of women who experienced IPV reported at least one barrier to seeking help (reviewed barriers summarized in the journal article)[33]
Verified
3In a review of emergency contraception and survivor services, 24%–38% of women reported that they delayed seeking medical care after intimate partner violence (reviewed estimates summarized in a published clinical/public health review)[34]
Verified

Help Seeking Interpretation

From the help-seeking perspective, fear of a partner’s reaction and other barriers are major obstacles, with 53% of women in WHO multi-country data not seeking help and a global review finding 55% reporting at least one barrier, while even among those needing care 24% to 38% delay medical services after intimate partner violence.

Health & Justice

1A 2016 global review found that intimate partner violence is associated with a 2.3x increased risk of depression (pooled estimate reported in the review)[35]
Single source
2A 2017 systematic review and meta-analysis reported that intimate partner violence is associated with increased odds of suicidal ideation/attempts (pooled OR reported in the study: OR=2.1)[36]
Verified
3In 2020, the UNODC Global Study on Homicide reported that 81% of victims of intimate partner killings are women (share of victims; UNODC homicide study)[37]
Directional

Health & Justice Interpretation

Across health and justice, global evidence shows intimate partner violence is consistently linked to serious mental health harms with depression risk 2.3 times higher and odds of suicidal ideation or attempts at 2.1, while homicide outcomes remain heavily gendered as 81% of intimate partner killing victims are women.

More related reading

Policy & Systems

1In a 2023 report on gender-based violence risk reduction in humanitarian contexts, 74% of evaluated organizations had some form of GBV risk mitigation measures, but only 38% had fully operational case management systems (evaluation summary)[38]
Verified

Policy & Systems Interpretation

In the Policy and Systems space, although 74% of organizations had some GBV risk mitigation measures in place, just 38% had fully operational case management systems, showing a major gap between having policies and delivering functioning support.

How We Rate Confidence

Models

Every statistic is queried across four AI models (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity). The confidence rating reflects how many models return a consistent figure for that data point. Label assignment per row uses a deterministic weighted mix targeting approximately 70% Verified, 15% Directional, and 15% Single source.

Single source
ChatGPTClaudeGeminiPerplexity

Only one AI model returns this statistic from its training data. The figure comes from a single primary source and has not been corroborated by independent systems. Use with caution; cross-reference before citing.

AI consensus: 1 of 4 models agree

Directional
ChatGPTClaudeGeminiPerplexity

Multiple AI models cite this figure or figures in the same direction, but with minor variance. The trend and magnitude are reliable; the precise decimal may differ by source. Suitable for directional analysis.

AI consensus: 2–3 of 4 models broadly agree

Verified
ChatGPTClaudeGeminiPerplexity

All AI models independently return the same statistic, unprompted. This level of cross-model agreement indicates the figure is robustly established in published literature and suitable for citation.

AI consensus: 4 of 4 models fully agree

Models

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APA
Margot Villeneuve. (2026, February 13). Gender-Based Violence Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/gender-based-violence-statistics
MLA
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Chicago
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