In 2021, an estimated 736 million women nearly one in three have experienced physical and or sexual intimate partner violence, non partner sexual violence, or both in their lifetime, yet these experiences remain shockingly undercounted. Murder is only one endpoint of abuse, since 38% of murders of women are committed by intimate partners, and GBV is linked to major health and economic harm. This post gathers the widest set of gender violence statistics available so you can see patterns that are easy to miss when each figure stands alone.
Key Takeaways
- Globally, about 1 in 3 women (30%) worldwide have experienced physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence or non-partner sexual violence in their lifetime
- In 2021, an estimated 736 million women - almost one in three (30 per cent) - have experienced physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence, non-partner sexual violence, or both at least once in their life
- Approximately 38% of all murders of women are committed by intimate partners
- GBV causes 42% of female homicides
- IPV leads to 1.5 million disability-adjusted life years lost annually for women 15-44
- Child witnesses to IPV: 15-30 million children exposed yearly
- 90% of perpetrators of violence against women are known to the victim
- 58% of femicide perpetrators are current or former partners
- Men who witnessed father-to-mother violence as children are 3.5 times more likely to perpetrate violence
- In the United States, 1 in 4 women and 1 in 9 men experience severe intimate partner physical violence
- In Europe, 1 in 3 women has experienced physical and/or sexual violence since the age of 15
- In India, 31% of married women aged 15-49 have experienced physical violence
- Only 10% of GBV cases reported to police
- Conviction rates for sexual assault: 5-10% globally
- 1 in 5 countries have no laws on marital rape
Globally, 30% of women experience intimate partner or non partner sexual and physical violence.
Related reading
01 · Category
Global Prevalence10 stats
01
Globally, about 1 in 3 women (30%) worldwide have experienced physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence or non-partner sexual violence in their lifetime
02
In 2021, an estimated 736 million women - almost one in three (30 per cent) - have experienced physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence, non-partner sexual violence, or both at least once in their life
03
Approximately 38% of all murders of women are committed by intimate partners
04
Globally, 6% of women report being sexually assaulted by someone other than their husband or partner
05
Up to 85,000 women are raped in war time every month
06
12 million girls are married before age 18 every year
07
650 million women alive today were married as children
08
Worldwide, nearly 50,000 women were murdered by intimate partners or family members in 2022
09
An estimated 91% of femicide victims around the world are killed by a partner or relative
10
Globally, 35% of women have experienced physical and/or sexual violence
Interpretation
Global Prevalence Interpretation
The cold arithmetic of gender violence adds up to a global emergency, where a woman's greatest risk of harm still lies within the circle of those meant to love her.
02 · Category
Impacts and Consequences14 stats
01
GBV causes 42% of female homicides
02
IPV leads to 1.5 million disability-adjusted life years lost annually for women 15-44
03
Child witnesses to IPV: 15-30 million children exposed yearly
04
Sexual violence increases HIV risk by 1.5-2 times
05
50% of women who experience IPV attempt suicide
06
GBV costs global economy 1.5 trillion USD yearly
07
Victims 3 times more likely to develop depression
08
20% of female trauma visits due to IPV
09
Child marriage leads to 2x poverty risk
10
FGM affects 200 million women/girls, causing lifelong health issues
11
IPV during pregnancy: 10-20% miscarriage risk increase
12
70% of trafficked women trafficked for sexual exploitation
13
GBV reduces women's earnings by 20-40%
14
PTSD in 30-50% of rape survivors
Interpretation
Impacts and Consequences Interpretation
The sheer magnitude of these statistics paints a global atrocity where violence against women and girls is not just a profound human tragedy but a meticulously efficient engine for shredding lives, health, futures, and economies.
03 · Category
Perpetrator Characteristics22 stats
01
90% of perpetrators of violence against women are known to the victim
02
58% of femicide perpetrators are current or former partners
03
Men who witnessed father-to-mother violence as children are 3.5 times more likely to perpetrate violence
04
Perpetrators often have controlling behaviors: 70% of victims report jealousy/control
05
Alcohol involved in 55% of IPV incidents
06
80% of child sexual abusers are male family members or acquaintances
07
In the US, 85% of domestic violence perpetrators are male
08
Perpetrators with unemployment rates 2 times higher than average
09
Young men aged 18-24 most likely to perpetrate IPV
10
Perpetrators with mental health issues: 31% have PTSD
11
40% of perpetrators have criminal history
12
In war zones, 90% of GBV perpetrators are armed actors
13
Online harassers: 75% male
14
Family members perpetrate 60% of honor killings
15
Perpetrators using economic abuse: 99% of cases
16
Stalking perpetrators: 87% male
17
In schools, 90% of student-perpetrated sexual violence by males
18
Perpetrators with low education: 2x likelihood
19
Repeat offenders: 60% reoffend within 2 years
20
In US, 48% of male perpetrators have used threats
21
Perpetrators in military: 2x rate of civilian men
22
Cyberstalkers: 80% known to victim
Interpretation
Perpetrator Characteristics Interpretation
The violence against women is not a random, shadowy monster but a familiar beast, nurtured in the private rooms of our homes and the public failures of our systems, where jealousy wears a known face, trauma echoes through generations, and the most common weapon is not a stranger's hand but a trusted one.
More related reading
04 · Category
Regional Prevalence20 stats
01
In the United States, 1 in 4 women and 1 in 9 men experience severe intimate partner physical violence
02
In Europe, 1 in 3 women has experienced physical and/or sexual violence since the age of 15
03
In India, 31% of married women aged 15-49 have experienced physical violence
04
In Australia, 1 in 6 women have experienced physical or sexual violence from a current or previous partner
05
In South Africa, 51% of female homicide victims are killed by an intimate partner
06
In Brazil, 1 in 4 women has been beaten by an intimate partner
07
In the UK, 2 women a week are killed by a partner or ex-partner
08
In Mexico, 10 women are murdered every day
09
In Egypt, 86% of women have experienced some form of sexual harassment
10
In Kenya, 45% of women have experienced physical violence since age 15
11
In Canada, 44% of women and 33% of men have experienced some form of IPV
12
In Japan, 23.4% of women have experienced intimate partner violence
13
In Russia, every 40 minutes a woman is beaten by her husband or partner
14
In Nigeria, 30% of women aged 15-49 have experienced physical violence
15
In France, 220,000 women are raped each year
16
In Germany, 1 in 8 women has experienced sexual violence
17
In the Philippines, 18.8% of ever-married women have experienced physical, sexual, or emotional violence
18
In Turkey, 38% of women have experienced partner violence
19
In Argentina, 1 in 5 women has been raped or sexually assaulted
20
In the US, more than 12 million people over the age of 18 experience IPV annually
Interpretation
Regional Prevalence Interpretation
It’s a global epidemic, and these aren’t isolated statistics—they are the overwhelming proof that for women everywhere, the world’s most dangerous place is often the one that should be the safest.
05 · Category
Responses and Interventions10 stats
01
Only 10% of GBV cases reported to police
02
Conviction rates for sexual assault: 5-10% globally
03
1 in 5 countries have no laws on marital rape
04
Hotline calls in US: 250,000+ per year to domestic violence hotlines
05
Only 40% of countries have comprehensive GBV laws
06
Shelters available for 1% of women in need globally
07
Prevention programs reduce IPV by 50% in high-risk groups
08
Legal aid reaches only 20% of GBV survivors
09
Education campaigns reduce acceptance of violence by 10%
10
Bystander intervention training cuts assaults by 17%
Interpretation
Responses and Interventions Interpretation
These statistics paint a grim, systemic portrait of a world that criminalizes survivors with silence and inaction, yet offers a powerful blueprint for change by proving that the very interventions we chronically underfund—like prevention, education, and support—are exactly what dramatically reduce the violence.
06 · Category
Victim Demographics20 stats
01
Women aged 18-24 are 2.3 times more likely to experience IPV than those aged 45+
02
Globally, adolescent girls aged 15-19 are particularly vulnerable to sexual violence, with 120 million girls under 20 subjected to forced sex
03
Indigenous women in the US are 2.2 times more likely to experience violence than white women
04
In the EU, women with lower education levels are more likely to experience violence: 42% vs 24% for higher educated
05
Lesbian, bisexual, and queer women face 2-3 times higher rates of IPV
06
Women with disabilities are 40% more likely to experience domestic violence
07
In India, women from scheduled castes experience 35% higher violence rates
08
Rural women globally are 1.5 times more likely to justify wife-beating than urban women
09
Pregnant women face increased risk: 4-8 per 100 experience IPV during pregnancy
10
Elderly women over 60 experience 10% prevalence of IPV
11
Transgender women face 86 times higher homicide risk
12
Women in polygamous unions experience 15% higher violence rates
13
Single mothers are 3 times more likely to experience violence
14
Migrant women face 1.5 times higher GBV rates
15
Women with children under 15 report 25% higher IPV
16
Black women in US experience IPV at 1.5 times rate of white women
17
Hispanic women in US: 11.8% lifetime rape victimization
18
Asian/Pacific Islander women: 16.2% lifetime physical violence by partner
19
In Australia, Aboriginal women 32 times more likely to be hospitalized from family violence
20
Refugee women 5 times more at risk of GBV
Interpretation
Victim Demographics Interpretation
The data paints a grim mosaic where every piece—age, race, class, ability, and identity—is a different facet of the same systemic failure, proving that while vulnerability is distributed unevenly, the root cause of gender violence is a universal and unrelenting plague.
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
Marcus Afolabi. (2026, February 13). Gender Violence Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/gender-violence-statistics
MLA
Marcus Afolabi. "Gender Violence Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/gender-violence-statistics.
Chicago
Marcus Afolabi. 2026. "Gender Violence Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/gender-violence-statistics.
Sources & references
41 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level