One in seven men in the United States experiences severe physical violence from an intimate partner. One in five boys worldwide suffers physical abuse before age eighteen. National surveys record comparable rates for sexual violence and emotional abuse across multiple countries.
Key Takeaways
- In the US, 1 in 10 boys experience emotional neglect, leading to abuse cycles, CDC ACE Study 2020 update.
- In the United States, 1 in 7 men has experienced severe physical violence by an intimate partner in their lifetime, according to the CDC's National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey (NISVS) 2010-2012 data.
- Lifetime prevalence of non-partner physical and sexual violence among US men is 30.1%, CDC NISVS 2016/2017.
- 50% of male suicides linked to abuse history, including psychological trauma, per CDC 2021 data analysis.
- 1 in 6 US men experienced contact sexual violence in childhood or adulthood, per CDC NISVS 2016/2017.
Male abuse remains widespread, yet many victims never report it, so awareness and support are crucial.
Related reading
01 · Category
Child Abuse15 stats
01
In the US, 1 in 10 boys experience emotional neglect, leading to abuse cycles, CDC ACE Study 2020 update.
02
Globally, 1 in 5 boys suffer physical abuse before 18, UNICEF 2023.
03
UK: Boys 51% of child physical abuse victims, NSPCC 2022.
04
US male children: 18.4% experience physical abuse, Child Maltreatment Report 2021.
05
In Australia, 1 in 6 boys abused before 15, Australian Child Maltreatment Study 2023.
06
Canada: Boys 48% of substantiated physical abuse cases, Public Safety Canada 2022.
07
Sweden: 9% of boys experience repeated physical punishment, BRIS 2021.
08
New Zealand: Māori boys 2x more likely physically abused, Oranga Tamariki 2023.
09
In Brazil, 60% of street boys experience physical violence, UNICEF Brazil 2022.
10
South Africa: 34% of boys physically abused by caregivers, CSA Study 2019.
11
US foster care boys: 28% experience physical abuse, HHS 2022.
12
India: 30% of boys under 5 beaten severely, NFHS-5 2021.
13
Scotland: Boys 50% of child protection physical abuse registrations, 2022/23.
14
Netherlands: 15% of boys report physical maltreatment, VeiligheidNL 2022.
15
In the EU, 19% of boys experience physical abuse, Eurostat 2021.
Interpretation
Child Abuse Interpretation
These stark numbers reveal a universal, quiet tragedy: across continents and cultures, boys are absorbing violence and neglect at a scale that should dismantle the myth of childhood as a universally safe haven, especially for them.
02 · Category
Domestic Violence10 stats
01
In the United States, 1 in 7 men has experienced severe physical violence by an intimate partner in their lifetime, according to the CDC's National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey (NISVS) 2010-2012 data.
02
Approximately 10% of men report being victims of intimate partner violence annually in the US, per the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NCADV).
03
In the UK, 757,000 men experience domestic abuse each year, as reported by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) Crime Survey for England and Wales 2023.
04
23.1% of men in the EU have experienced physical and/or sexual violence from a partner, according to the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) 2014 survey.
05
Australian men are 3 times more likely to experience physical violence from a partner than reported, per the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) 2022.
06
In Canada, 14% of men aged 15+ have experienced spousal violence since age 15, from Statistics Canada 2014 General Social Survey.
07
40% of domestic violence victims are male, according to US National Domestic Violence Hotline data aggregated from 2021 calls.
08
In India, 5.3% of ever-married men aged 15-49 reported experiencing spousal violence in NFHS-5 (2019-21).
09
Scottish men represent 27% of domestic abuse victims, per Scottish Government 2022/23 statistics.
10
In South Africa, 12.7% of men reported partner physical violence lifetime prevalence in the SANHANES-1 survey 2019.
Interpretation
Domestic Violence Interpretation
It’s a grim global chorus of data that shatters the silence, reminding us that abuse is a human tragedy, not a gendered stereotype.
03 · Category
Physical Assault18 stats
01
Lifetime prevalence of non-partner physical and sexual violence among US men is 30.1%, CDC NISVS 2016/2017.
02
In the UK, 1.4 million men experience male-on-male physical assaults annually, ONS 2023.
03
49% of male homicide victims killed by intimate partners, US Bureau of Justice Statistics Homicide Trends 1980-2008.
04
Australian men: 1 in 9 physically assaulted by stranger past year, ABS Crime Victimisation Survey 2022.
05
In Canada, 28% of male assault victims do not report to police, StatsCan 2019 GSS.
06
US men aged 18-24: 5.8% seriously assaulted past year, National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) 2022.
07
In Sweden, 12% of men experienced physical assault lifetime, NTU Survey 2021.
08
Globally, 23% of men report physical violence exposure before 18, WHO Global Status Report on Violence Prevention 2014.
09
UK male prison population: 25% assaulted by inmates, Ministry of Justice 2023.
10
In New Zealand, 22% of men physically abused in childhood, NZ Crime Victims Survey 2018.
11
US workplace: 10% of men experience physical violence, OSHA/NIOSH 2020.
12
In Brazil, 42% of men report physical fights past year, WHO STEPS Survey 2019.
13
Scottish men: 8.5% victim of assault with injury, Scottish Crime and Justice Survey 2019-20.
14
In South Africa, 30% of men experienced physical violence from non-partners lifetime, HSRC 2021.
15
US elderly men: 1 in 10 experience physical abuse annually, National Center on Elder Abuse 2022.
16
In India, 28% of men aged 15-49 in physical fights past 12 months, NFHS-5 2021.
17
Australian Indigenous men: 35% physically assaulted past year, ABS 2022.
18
In the Netherlands, 4.2% of men assaulted seriously past year, CBS 2023.
Interpretation
Physical Assault Interpretation
The sobering truth is that male abuse, from playgrounds to prisons and partners to strangers, paints a global portrait of normalized violence where a staggering number of men live with the quiet reality of being a statistic.
More related reading
04 · Category
Psychological Abuse19 stats
01
50% of male suicides linked to abuse history, including psychological trauma, per CDC 2021 data analysis.
02
70% of male domestic violence victims experience PTSD, National Domestic Violence Hotline 2022.
03
In the UK, 40% of male abuse victims report severe depression, ManKind Initiative 2023 survey.
04
US men: 62% of stalking victims are male, per CDC NISVS 2016/2017.
05
Globally, emotional abuse affects 80% of male IPV victims, WHO 2021.
06
Australian men: 1 in 5 experience coercive control in relationships, ABS 2021.
07
In Canada, 43% of male spousal violence victims experience emotional abuse only, StatsCan 2014.
08
81% of male victims in US report emotional abuse from partners, Partnership for Public Service 2020.
09
UK men: 1 in 5 experience emotional abuse annually, Refuge/MANkind 2022.
10
In Sweden, 25% of men report psychological violence from partners, Public Health Agency 2021.
11
US male children: 60% of emotional abuse cases involve boys, Child Welfare Information Gateway 2023.
12
In New Zealand, 33% of male IPV victims report controlling behaviors, NZFVRC 2022.
13
Brazilian men: 52% experience verbal/emotional IPV, Lancet 2017 study.
14
In South Africa, 68% of men report emotional abuse in relationships, MRC 2020.
15
US veterans: 37% of homeless vets male victims of psychological trauma/abuse, VA 2022.
16
In India, 15% of men report emotional spousal violence, NFHS-5 2021.
17
Scottish men: 22% experience non-physical domestic abuse, ScotGov 2023.
18
In the EU, 55% of male IPV victims experience psychological violence, FRA 2014.
19
90% of male child abuse victims suffer long-term psychological effects, NSPCC UK 2022.
Interpretation
Psychological Abuse Interpretation
The sheer weight of the numbers reveals a silent epidemic: the psychological battlefield of abuse is devastatingly crowded with men, yet their suffering continues to be tragically overlooked.
05 · Category
Sexual Violence20 stats
01
1 in 6 US men experienced contact sexual violence in childhood or adulthood, per CDC NISVS 2016/2017.
02
Globally, 7.2% of men aged 18-65 reported experiencing sexual violence in the WHO Multi-country Study on Men's Health 2010.
03
In the US, 2.2% of men reported being sexually assaulted in the past 12 months, CDC NISVS 2010-2012.
04
UK men: 3.7% lifetime prevalence of sexual assault since age 16, Crime Survey England & Wales 2022.
05
Australian men: 1 in 17 experienced sexual violence since age 15, Australian Bureau of Statistics Personal Safety Survey 2016.
06
In Sweden, 4.7% of men reported non-consensual sex lifetime, Swedish National Public Health Survey 2021.
07
US male college students: 6.6% experienced sexual assault, per Association of American Universities Campus Climate Survey 2015.
08
In New Zealand, 2.4% of men aged 15+ experienced sexual abuse in childhood, New Zealand Crime and Victims Survey 2018/19.
09
Brazilian men: 14% reported sexual violence by intimate partner, WHO Violence Against Women Study Brazil 2017.
10
In the US, 25% of male rape victims were raped by an intimate partner, RAINN compilation from NISVS 2023.
11
1 in 71 US men raped in lifetime, extrapolated from CDC NISVS 2011 data on male victims.
12
In England, 20,000 male victims of sexual offenses reported annually, Ministry of Justice 2022.
13
Globally, 3-8% of men experience child sexual abuse, meta-analysis by WHO 2020.
14
US military men: 15,000 sexually assaulted annually, DoD Annual Report on Sexual Assault 2022.
15
In Canada, 8% of men experienced childhood sexual abuse, Statistics Canada 2019.
16
50.4% of transgender men in US experienced sexual assault, National Transgender Discrimination Survey 2015.
17
In Australia, Indigenous men 4x more likely to experience sexual violence, AIHW 2021.
18
14.1% of US men aged 11-20 experienced sexual violence, CDC Youth Risk Behavior Survey 2021.
19
In the Netherlands, 9% of men reported sexual victimization lifetime, CBS Victimization Survey 2022.
20
US prison men: 4.4% sexually assaulted by staff, Bureau of Justice Statistics 2018.
Interpretation
Sexual Violence Interpretation
Any sane society should be horrified that men, from the cradle to the cell, are being silently wounded at rates that would constitute a public health crisis for any other demographic.
Reference
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APA
Thomas Lindqvist. (2026, February 13). Male Abuse Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/male-abuse-statistics
MLA
Thomas Lindqvist. "Male Abuse Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/male-abuse-statistics.
Chicago
Thomas Lindqvist. 2026. "Male Abuse Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/male-abuse-statistics.
Sources & references
43 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level