Men are often missing from sexual violence conversations, even though the evidence shows lasting harm. NISVS data indicates that 25.1% of men experience contact sexual violence, physical violence, and/or stalking by an intimate partner during their lifetime. The consequences span PTSD, depression, and disrupted work and relationships.
Key Takeaways
- Male PTSD from assault: 30-50% develop PTSD per NISVS
- The median age of male victims at first assault is 9 years old per 1in6.org 2023 update
- Only 23% of male sexual assault victims report to police per RAINN 2023
- 82% of male perpetrators of child sexual abuse are male per Darkness to Light
- According to the CDC's National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey (NISVS) 2016/2017, 1 in 4 men (25.1%) experienced contact sexual violence, physical violence, and/or stalking by an intimate partner during their lifetime
Men experience sexual assault, yet many cases go unreported, making awareness and support essential.
Related reading
01 · Category
Consequences and Impacts23 stats
01
Male PTSD from assault: 30-50% develop PTSD per NISVS
02
Suicide attempt rate 4x higher for male survivors per 1in6.org 2023
03
Depression lifetime: 55% male victims vs 20% non-victims per meta-analysis
04
Substance abuse: 50% male survivors alcoholic per VA MST study 2022
05
Erectile dysfunction: 40% linked to sexual trauma per 2020 study
06
HIV/STI risk 3x higher for male survivors per CDC 2021
07
Lost work days: Average 7 per assault for men per 2019 economic study
08
Homelessness risk: 2x for male survivors per HUD 2022
09
Relationship dissolution: 60% post-assault for male victims per NISVS
10
Chronic pain: 35% prevalence in male survivors per 2021 study
11
Anxiety disorders: 45% lifetime per RAINN/NSVRC 2022
12
Incarceration risk: 3x higher per 2018 longitudinal study
13
Medical costs lifetime: $4,500per male victim per CDC economic 2019
14
Fatherhood impacts: 25% less likely to have children per 2020 study
15
Sleep disorders: 60% in male PTSD survivors per VA 2022
16
Cardiovascular disease risk 2.5x per 2022 meta-analysis
17
Self-harm rates: 28% vs 4% general male pop per UK ONS
18
Unemployment: 15% rate post-trauma vs 7% per 2021 data
19
Dissociative disorders: 20% prevalence per 2019 psych study
20
Intimate partner violence perpetration: 2x risk for male survivors per NISVS
21
Life expectancy reduction: 12.5 years per 2023 longevity study
22
Social isolation: 70% report per 1in6.org survey
23
Therapy dropout: 50% for male survivors per SAMHSA 2021
Interpretation
Consequences and Impacts Interpretation
These statistics paint a devastatingly clear picture: for men who survive sexual assault, the trauma isn't just a memory but a brutal, life-altering sentence that extracts a heavy toll on their minds, bodies, and every facet of their existence.
02 · Category
Demographics of Victims24 stats
01
The median age of male victims at first assault is 9 years old per 1in6.org 2023 update
02
93% of male juvenile sex abuse victims know their perpetrator per Darkness to Light 2022
03
Black men have a 14.1% lifetime sexual violence rate vs 11.5% white men per NISVS 2016/17
04
Hispanic men: 9.2% contact sexual violence lifetime per NISVS
05
Men aged 18-24: 4.8% past year sexual assault per NCVS 2019
06
Men over 65: 1.2% annual victimization rate per NCVS elderly supplement 2017
07
Gay/bisexual men: 26% lifetime rape victimization per CDC 2010
08
Transgender men: 46.4% sexually assaulted lifetime per 2015 US Trans Survey
09
Low-income men (<$25k): 18% lifetime rate vs 8% high-income per NISVS
10
Urban men: 6.1% childhood abuse vs 4.9% rural per 2021 meta-analysis
11
Married men: 7.4% intimate partner sexual violence per NISVS
12
Single/never married men: 15.2% lifetime sexual violence per NISVS
13
Men with college degree: 9.8% victimization vs 14.3% no high school per NISVS
14
Indigenous men US: 23% lifetime sexual violence per Urban Indian Health 2018
15
Asian American men: 5.4% rate per 2019 study
16
Men in poverty: 21% childhood sexual abuse per 2020 CDC
17
Alcohol use disorder men: 25% history of sexual assault per SAMHSA 2021
18
HIV-positive men: 30-50% sexual trauma history per CDC HIV 2022
19
Incarcerated men: 10% sexual assault during incarceration per PREA 2021
20
Refugee men: 28% sexual violence exposure per UNHCR 2019
21
Athletes male college: 12% sexual abuse per 2018 NCAA study
22
Religious clergy abuse victims: 81% male per USCCB 2021
23
Foster care male youth: 20% sexual abuse rate lifetime per HHS 2020
24
Men with PTSD: 38% sexual trauma link per VA 2022
Interpretation
Demographics of Victims Interpretation
If we collectively picture male sexual assault as a rare monster in the shadows, these statistics scream that it’s actually a common parasite thriving in the vulnerable tissues of boyhood, poverty, identity, and trust.
03 · Category
Disclosure and Reporting24 stats
01
Only 23% of male sexual assault victims report to police per RAINN 2023
02
86% of male college victims do not report per 2015 Campus study
03
Men disclose to friends first: 33% vs 10% to police per 1in6.org survey
04
Lifetime disclosure rate for male child abuse: 16% per meta-analysis 2018
05
Military reporting: Only 20% of male assaults reported per WGRA 2021
06
Prison reporting: 3% of male inmate assaults officially reported per PREA 2021
07
Fear of not being believed: 65% reason men don't report per UK ONS 2020
08
Embarrassment: 42% of male non-reporters per NISVS 2016/17
09
Reporting leads to arrest in 31% male cases vs 40% female per BJS 2019
10
Male victims reporting rate increased 3% 2005-2019 per NCVS
11
Hotline calls by male victims: 10% of total per RAINN 2022
12
Disclosure to family: 25% for men vs 45% women per 2021 study
13
Anonymous reporting apps used by 15% male college students per 2023 survey
14
Barriers for LGBTQ men: 70% fear homophobia in reporting per 2019 Williams
15
Time to disclose: Average 20 years for male survivors per 1in6.org
16
Police disbelief reported by 38% of male reporters per UK Mankind 2020
17
Conviction rate for male victim cases: 5.7% per CPS UK 2021
18
VA services accessed by 12% male MST victims per VA 2022
19
Online disclosure: 22% men first share via social media per 2022 study
20
Reporting in schools: 7% of male student assaults reported per AAU 2019
21
Insurance claims for therapy post-assault: 8% male vs 25% female per 2021 data
22
Only 2.6% of male victims seek formal help per WHO 2021
23
Repeat victimization unreported: 55% second assaults not disclosed per NCVS
24
70% of male survivors never tell anyone per Australian PSS 2016
Interpretation
Disclosure and Reporting Interpretation
These statistics paint a grim portrait of a silent crisis, where men are statistically more likely to tell a friend, a stranger online, or no one at all than to navigate systems that often greet their trauma with disbelief, bureaucracy, or outright neglect.
More related reading
04 · Category
Perpetrator Profiles22 stats
01
82% of male perpetrators of child sexual abuse are male per Darkness to Light
02
90% of male child victims abused by males per CDC 2021
03
In adult male victimization, 52% perpetrators female per NISVS 2016/17
04
48% of male rape victims assaulted by female perpetrators per NISVS
05
Acquaintance perpetrators: 45% for male victims per NCVS 2019
06
Family member perpetrators: 30% of male child abuse cases per 1in6.org
07
Intimate partner: 41% of male sexual violence per NISVS
08
Stranger perpetrators: 19% for men vs 28% women per BJS 2019
09
Male authority figures (coaches/teachers): 20% of male youth abuse per 2022 study
10
Female intimate partners: 79% of "made to penetrate" cases per NISVS 2010
11
Perpetrator older than victim: 60% in male child cases per meta-analysis 2018
12
Perpetrator known <1 day: 15% adult male assaults per NCVS
13
Gang-related perpetrators: 8% of male prison assaults per PREA
14
Online groomers: 25% of male teen assaults per Thorn 2021
15
Clergy perpetrators: 6% of all child abuse but 80% male victims per John Jay 2011
16
Military superiors: 41% of male service member assaults per WGRA 2021
17
Coworkers: 12% of workplace sexual assaults on men per EEOC 2020
18
Repeat perpetrators: 40% offend against multiple male victims per 2019 study
19
Perpetrator alcohol use: 50% of male victim incidents per NISVS
20
Female perpetrators age 18-24: 30% of male college assaults per 2015 study
21
Male perpetrators in prison: 70% of male inmate victimizations per BJS PREA
22
Family friends: 25% of male child abuse per Darkness to Light
Interpretation
Perpetrator Profiles Interpretation
This startling data paints a devastating mosaic of male sexual assault, revealing that the threat is overwhelmingly not a stranger in the shadows but rather a complex tapestry of acquaintances, intimate partners, family members, and authority figures who betray trust in familiar settings.
05 · Category
Prevalence and Incidence30 stats
01
According to the CDC's National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey (NISVS) 2016/2017, 1 in 4 men (25.1%) experienced contact sexual violence, physical violence, and/or stalking by an intimate partner during their lifetime
02
NISVS data shows that 5.5% of men reported being made to penetrate someone else (a form of sexual violence) in the 12 months prior to the survey
03
Lifetime prevalence of rape among men is 1.4% (about 1 in 71 men) as per NISVS 2010-2012
04
1in6.org estimates that 1 in 6 American men have experienced some form of contact sexual abuse before age 18
05
A 2018 meta-analysis found that 7.2% of men worldwide report childhood sexual abuse
06
UK Office for National Statistics (ONS) 2020 Crime Survey reports 414,000 men sexually assaulted in the last year
07
Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) NCVS 2019 indicates 19% of male sexual assault victims were assaulted by strangers
08
Australian Bureau of Statistics Personal Safety Survey 2016: 1.1% of men experienced sexual assault in past 12 months
09
WHO World Report on Violence 2021: Globally, up to 10% of men report forced sex in adulthood
10
NSVRC 2022 fact sheet: Lifetime sexual violence victimization rate for men is 12.5%
11
NISVS 2016/17: 10.5% of men experienced sexual violence other than rape by an intimate partner
12
1in6.org cites 67% of male victims experienced contact abuse before 12 years old
13
RAINN reports 1 in 33 men experience attempted or completed rape in lifetime
14
Canadian General Social Survey 2019: 4% of men reported sexual assault since age 15
15
EU Fundamental Rights Agency 2014: 1.1% of men experienced sexual violence in past 12 months across EU
16
South African Medical Research Council 2017: 9.4% of men reported being sexually assaulted in lifetime
17
New Zealand Crime and Victims Survey 2018: 2.3% of men sexually victimized annually
18
Indian NFHS-5 2019-21: 2.2% of men aged 18-49 reported sexual violence
19
Brazilian study 2020: 15% of men experienced childhood sexual abuse
20
Japanese survey 2019: 3.7% of men reported sexual assault experiences
21
NISVS teen data: 7.0% of high school boys experienced sexual dating violence
22
Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) annual report 2021: 4.5% of male inmates reported sexual victimization
23
US Military 2021 WGRA: 6.2% of men experienced sexual assault in prior 12 months
24
College Sexual Assault study 2015: 5.2% of male undergrads assaulted since enrollment
25
Homeless men study 2020: 33% reported lifetime sexual assault
26
LGBTQ men: 40% lifetime sexual violence per Williams Institute 2019
27
Disability stats: Men with disabilities 2x more likely, 14% rate per 2022 CDC
28
Rural men: 8.4% annual rate vs urban 4.2% per Rural Health Info 2021
29
Immigrant men US: 11% lifetime per 2018 study
30
Veteran men: 12% sexual trauma per VA 2020
Interpretation
Prevalence and Incidence Interpretation
The silence surrounding these statistics screams a truth we must heed: men are not immune to the epidemic of sexual violence, and their suffering, often beginning in childhood, is a profound public health crisis hidden in plain sight.
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
Henrik Dahl. (2026, February 13). Men Sexual Assault Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/men-sexual-assault-statistics
MLA
Henrik Dahl. "Men Sexual Assault Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/men-sexual-assault-statistics.
Chicago
Henrik Dahl. 2026. "Men Sexual Assault Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/men-sexual-assault-statistics.
Sources & references
36 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level