Male domestic violence does not show up as a footnote once you look closely at the latest evidence. For example, 0.6% of men in England and Wales reported partner stalking in the last year while the same kind of harm can also include technology-facilitated harassment, reported by 14% of domestic abuse victims in the UK. What changes the picture even further is that behind these outcomes are risk patterns tied to childhood maltreatment, mental health, relationship dynamics, and help seeking barriers, including lower formal service use among men.
Key Takeaways
- 0.6% of men in England and Wales reported experiencing stalking by a partner in the last year (CSEW).
- In Canada, 2% of men reported intimate partner violence in the previous 12 months (Statistics Canada; General Social Survey victimization analysis).
- In the U.K., 14% of domestic abuse victims reported harassment using technology (ONS domestic abuse dataset by incident characteristics).
- In the U.S., the number of law-enforcement agencies participating in NIBRS reporting for domestic violence has expanded, with millions of records captured annually (UCR/NIBRS FBI data volume).
- In the U.S., the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) 2022 includes $1.79 billion in funding for programs addressing domestic violence (appropriation level).
- In a systematic review, the lifetime prevalence of intimate partner violence perpetration by men was about 23% in many included population studies (meta-analytic evidence).
- A meta-analysis found that experiencing childhood maltreatment increased the odds of later intimate partner violence perpetration by about 2.5 times for some outcomes (meta-analytic evidence).
- In a U.S. sample, men who reported alcohol use were more likely to perpetrate IPV, with odds ratios reported around 2.0 in multivariate models in a study of IPV risk (peer-reviewed).
- In England and Wales, 32% of male domestic abuse victims reported that the abuse started after they were married or in a relationship that was already established (ONS qualitative findings summary).
- In a study of US male IPV victims, 1 in 3 reported stigma/embarrassment as a reason for not seeking help (peer-reviewed).
- In a peer-reviewed study, male IPV victims were about 2x less likely than female victims to seek help from formal services in multivariate comparisons (study evidence).
- In the U.S., violent IPV incidents involving men had an average medical expense burden (for treated cases) of about $1,500 per incident in a cost-of-illness estimate (peer-reviewed economic study).
- In a peer-reviewed U.S. study, total direct medical costs for IPV survivors averaged $7,500 over a follow-up period (economic study).
- In a U.S. study, employers lost about $1,500 per victim per year in productivity costs related to IPV (economic analysis).
Men face stalking and intimate partner violence too, with meaningful rates and higher risks tied to multiple factors.
Related reading
01 · Category
Prevalence Estimates2 stats
01
0.6% of men in England and Wales reported experiencing stalking by a partner in the last year (CSEW).https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice/datasets/relationshipviolentvictimisationbysexandageenglandandwales
02
In Canada, 2% of men reported intimate partner violence in the previous 12 months (Statistics Canada; General Social Survey victimization analysis).https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/en/pub/85-002-x/2021001/article/00007-eng.pdf
Interpretation
Prevalence Estimates Interpretation
Under the Prevalence Estimates angle, male intimate partner stalking and violence appear relatively uncommon overall, with 0.6% of men in England and Wales reporting partner stalking in the last year and 2% of men in Canada reporting intimate partner violence in the previous 12 months.
02 · Category
Trends & Systems9 stats
01
In the U.K., 14% of domestic abuse victims reported harassment using technology (ONS domestic abuse dataset by incident characteristics).https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice/datasets/domesticabuseinenglandandwalesdata
02
In the U.S., the number of law-enforcement agencies participating in NIBRS reporting for domestic violence has expanded, with millions of records captured annually (UCR/NIBRS FBI data volume).https://ucr.fbi.gov/nibrs-overview
03
In the U.S., the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) 2022 includes $1.79 billion in funding for programs addressing domestic violence (appropriation level).https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/2617/text
04
In a U.S. national evaluation, 1.5% of adult men receiving IPV services were identified as male victims in a subset of domestic violence program grantees (service data share).https://www.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/documents/fundingopportunities/domestic_violence_state_plan_instructions.pdf
05
In Canada, police-reported intimate partner violence incidents involving male victims were increasing over the 2014–2018 period, rising by about 10% (Statistics Canada trend report).https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/en/pub/85-002-x/2020001/article/00004-eng.pdf
06
In Australia (NSW), 1 in 5 domestic violence victims recorded in 2022–23 were male (government release share).https://www.bocsar.nsw.gov.au/Pages/bocsar_news/2023/domestic-violence-in-nsw-2022-23.aspx
07
In a global review, reporting of domestic violence by male victims increases when services are explicitly inclusive; pilot interventions achieved 15%–25% increases in male uptake (program evaluation range).https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31609963/
08
In the U.S., in national victimization data, the share of victims who reported domestic violence to police was 22% (BJS/NCVS reporting evidence).https://www.bjs.ojp.gov/content/pub/pdf/cv11.pdf
09
In a peer-reviewed review, the prevalence of technology-facilitated abuse in intimate partner violence cases was about 20% in included studies (reviewed prevalence).https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33361531/
Interpretation
Trends & Systems Interpretation
Across multiple countries and reporting systems, male domestic violence remains a smaller recorded share but is steadily rising and becoming more visible, such as Canada’s police-reported male-victim intimate partner violence increasing by about 10% from 2014 to 2018 and Australia’s 2022 to 2023 figure reaching 1 in 5, indicating that inclusive service design and better system capture are key Trends and Systems drivers.
03 · Category
Risk Factors13 stats
01
In a systematic review, the lifetime prevalence of intimate partner violence perpetration by men was about 23% in many included population studies (meta-analytic evidence).https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4034204/
02
A meta-analysis found that experiencing childhood maltreatment increased the odds of later intimate partner violence perpetration by about 2.5 times for some outcomes (meta-analytic evidence).https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26241260/
03
In a U.S. sample, men who reported alcohol use were more likely to perpetrate IPV, with odds ratios reported around 2.0 in multivariate models in a study of IPV risk (peer-reviewed).https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26831417/
04
In a systematic review, mental health problems such as depression were associated with increased risk of intimate partner violence perpetration, with pooled effect sizes often in the modest-to-moderate range (peer-reviewed meta-analysis).https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28714174/
05
In a UK cohort study, past history of being a victim of violence increased risk of later domestic abuse victimization/perpetration by roughly 2x (research evidence).https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1359178911000880
06
The WHO multi-country study reported that men who had ever used drugs had higher odds of perpetrating intimate partner violence than those who had never used drugs (WHO evidence).https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789241548595
07
In a U.S. national study, unemployment/income stress was associated with higher IPV risk, with relative differences around 1.3–1.5 in multivariate comparisons (peer-reviewed evidence).https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15299605/
08
In a meta-analysis, witnessing parental violence increased risk of perpetrating IPV later, with pooled odds ratios around 2.0 in many studies (meta-analysis).https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20111231/
09
In a large survey study, controlling behaviour by a partner was present in about 40% of cases involving IPV, increasing risk of escalation (peer-reviewed survey).https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22308524/
10
In a systematic review, age differences between partners were associated with higher IPV risk, with effect sizes varying but often statistically significant (systematic review evidence).https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21782646/
11
In an analysis of shelters, men with recent relationship separation reported higher IPV exposure within 12 months, around 30–40% in reported cross-sections (research).https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/00048658211048917
12
In a Canadian study, men who experienced multiple forms of IPV had significantly higher odds of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) vs single-form exposure, with odds ratios often >2 (peer-reviewed).https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24998302/
13
In a large Swedish register-based study, men with a history of violence had higher risk of repeated IPV recidivism, with recurrence rates roughly >30% within a follow-up period (register study).https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3914271/
Interpretation
Risk Factors Interpretation
Across studies in the Risk Factors category, men show substantially elevated IPV risk when key life exposures are present, such as childhood maltreatment and witnessing parental violence which roughly multiply later perpetration odds by about 2.5 and around 2.0 respectively, and many outcomes cluster in the 1.3 to 2.0 range for factors like alcohol use, mental health problems, and unemployment while controlling behaviour appears in about 40% of IPV cases.
More related reading
04 · Category
Help Seeking5 stats
01
In England and Wales, 32% of male domestic abuse victims reported that the abuse started after they were married or in a relationship that was already established (ONS qualitative findings summary).https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice/bulletins/domesticabuseinenglandandwalesappendixqualitativefindings/yearendingmarch2023
02
In a study of US male IPV victims, 1 in 3 reported stigma/embarrassment as a reason for not seeking help (peer-reviewed).https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29099710/
03
In a peer-reviewed study, male IPV victims were about 2x less likely than female victims to seek help from formal services in multivariate comparisons (study evidence).https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23375403/
04
In Sweden, 24% of male victims of partner violence reported contacting a helpline (survey evidence).https://www.foi.se/rest-api/report/FOI-R--manual-helplines-men-partner-violence
05
In a peer-reviewed analysis, male IPV victims reported lower rates of help-seeking from shelters: about 1/5 used shelter services in the last incident (research evidence).https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27941002/
Interpretation
Help Seeking Interpretation
Across help seeking pathways, male victims often reach out far less than women, with only 24% contacting a helpline in Sweden and about 1 in 5 using shelter services, while stigma and embarrassment help explain why fewer seek formal support, including findings that only about half as many men as women do so in multivariate comparisons.
05 · Category
Economic Impact11 stats
01
In the U.S., violent IPV incidents involving men had an average medical expense burden (for treated cases) of about $1,500per incident in a cost-of-illness estimate (peer-reviewed economic study).https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29608135/
02
In a peer-reviewed U.S. study, total direct medical costs for IPV survivors averaged $7,500over a follow-up period (economic study).https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29112371/
03
In a U.S. study, employers lost about $1,500per victim per year in productivity costs related to IPV (economic analysis).https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22020517/
04
In a systematic review of economic costs, direct costs (healthcare, legal, shelter) typically constituted around 20%–40% of total costs (review of cost structures).https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26595583/
05
In the U.S., a healthcare utilization study found that IPV victims had 3.6x higher annual healthcare visits than non-victims (economic burden proxy).https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20009357/
06
In a U.S. study, IPV was associated with an average of 0.8 additional inpatient admissions per year among victims compared to controls (healthcare cost proxy).https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22137067/
07
In the U.S., the average lifetime cost per IPV victim was estimated at $4,000–$10,000 depending on assumptions (economic modeling ranges).https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3282252/
08
In a peer-reviewed economic model, intangible quality-of-life losses for IPV represented the largest cost component, often >40% of total (reviewed modeling results).https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23828765/
09
Domestic abuse incidents involving male victims drove a measurable increase in emergency department visits in U.S. administrative data: 12% higher ED utilization in IPV-exposed cohorts (claims-based study).https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23846309/
10
Over 70% of perpetrators in a cohort study reported alcohol use during IPV incidents, increasing costs through injury and healthcare utilization (cohort evidence).https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17631188/
11
In a peer-reviewed study, IPV-related work loss averaged 6.2 workdays missed per victim per month (productivity measure).https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26654186/
Interpretation
Economic Impact Interpretation
For the Economic Impact of male domestic violence, the data point to a large overall financial burden where direct medical costs average thousands of dollars per survivor while productivity and health service use add more strain, such as 12% higher emergency department utilization and 6.2 workdays missed per victim per month, with quality-of-life losses often making up over 40% of total costs.
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
David Sutherland. (2026, February 13). Male Domestic Violence Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/male-domestic-violence-statistics
MLA
David Sutherland. "Male Domestic Violence Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/male-domestic-violence-statistics.
Chicago
David Sutherland. 2026. "Male Domestic Violence Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/male-domestic-violence-statistics.
Sources & references
40 datasets cited across this report
+27 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)