National Domestic Violence statistics can be sobering in ways that go far beyond what most people expect, and the health effects appear in the numbers again and again. For example, intimate partner violence is linked to about a 30% pooled prevalence of PTSD symptoms and 1 in 3 women report at least one injury, highlighting how physical harm and mental strain often travel together. As we line up the latest reporting and outcomes across countries, the pattern becomes harder to ignore, from police-recorded incident growth to suicide attempts and repeated episodes over time.
Key Takeaways
- Women experiencing intimate partner violence have about 2–3 times higher odds of poor mental health outcomes (meta-analysis).
- Victims of intimate partner violence have a 3.5x higher risk of attempting suicide compared with non-victims (peer-reviewed meta-analysis).
- Intimate partner violence survivors show higher prevalence of PTSD symptoms; pooled prevalence is 30% (systematic review).
- In England and Wales, the police-recorded domestic abuse incidents increased from 1.5 million in 2022/23 to 1.6 million in 2023/24 (ONS dataset).
- From 2015 to 2019, the number of domestic violence protective order requests increased by 11% in the US (state court data aggregation).
- In the EU, the proportion of women who sought help after intimate partner violence rose to 39% in survey waves (FRA).
- In Canada, about 8.2% of women reported that they experienced violence at the hands of a partner in their lifetime (Statistics Canada survey estimate).
- In Australia, 1 in 6 women (about 16%) experienced intimate partner violence in the previous 12 months (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare report using survey data).
- In Australia, 1 in 2 women (50%) who experienced intimate partner violence reported experiencing it in multiple forms (AIHW summary from survey data).
- US domestic violence arrests are estimated to occur at a rate of about 2.9 arrests per 1,000 residents per year (FBI UCR-derived estimate in a public safety report).
- In Canada, about 3.7% of all police-reported incidents involved domestic violence in 2022 (Statistics Canada police-reported violence statistics).
- In the US, 72% of law enforcement agencies have a written domestic violence policy/procedure (survey of agency practices summarized in a policing report).
- Intimate partner violence is associated with a 1.6x increased odds of developing cardiovascular outcomes in epidemiologic studies (meta-analysis estimate reported in a peer-reviewed review).
- In a systematic review, intimate partner violence was associated with a pooled 1.8x increased risk of experiencing chronic pain outcomes (systematic review pooled effect estimate).
- A systematic review found that survivors of intimate partner violence had a pooled prevalence of sleep disturbance symptoms of 42% (systematic review).
Intimate partner violence harms health profoundly, raising risks for mental illness, suicide, injuries, and chronic conditions.
Related reading
01 · Category
Economic & Health Costs6 stats
01
Women experiencing intimate partner violence have about 2–3 times higher odds of poor mental health outcomes (meta-analysis).https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28603719/
02
Victims of intimate partner violence have a 3.5x higher risk of attempting suicide compared with non-victims (peer-reviewed meta-analysis).https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25611602/
03
Intimate partner violence survivors show higher prevalence of PTSD symptoms; pooled prevalence is 30% (systematic review).https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23898994/
04
A 2016 WHO multi-country study found that 1 in 3 women experiencing intimate partner violence report at least one injury (WHO).https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789241564625
05
Globally, about 1 in 3 women (30%) have experienced physical and/or sexual violence by an intimate partner or non-partner (WHO global estimate).https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/violence-against-women
06
A meta-analysis found intimate partner violence is associated with a 1.5x increased risk of depression symptoms (peer-reviewed).https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30768633/
Interpretation
Economic & Health Costs Interpretation
For the Economic and Health Costs of domestic violence, the evidence shows a consistent escalation of harm, with women facing intimate partner violence up to 3.5 times more risk of suicide attempts and about one in three reporting injury or PTSD symptoms around 30 percent, alongside clear links to depression and poor mental health.
02 · Category
Trends & Outcomes8 stats
01
In England and Wales, the police-recorded domestic abuse incidents increased from 1.5 million in 2022/23 to 1.6 million in 2023/24 (ONS dataset).https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice/datasets/domesticabuseenglandandwalespoliceincidentsenglandandwales
02
From 2015 to 2019, the number of domestic violence protective order requests increased by 11% in the US (state court data aggregation).https://www.bjs.gov/index.cfm?ty=pbdetail&iid=5306
03
In the EU, the proportion of women who sought help after intimate partner violence rose to 39% in survey waves (FRA).https://fra.europa.eu/en/publication/2014/violence-against-women-eu-wide-survey-main-results-report
04
In the US, 34% of domestic violence victims report that they left the relationship after years of abuse (peer-reviewed).https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25046422/
05
In a large cohort study, 61% of victims experienced repeated episodes of intimate partner violence over time (longitudinal study).https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19410364/
06
A meta-analysis found that interventions targeting intimate partner violence reduce recidivism by about 10–20% (peer-reviewed review).https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26067560/
07
In the US, 45% of domestic violence homicides involve a prior restraining order (peer-reviewed synthesis).https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17145129/
08
Across high-income countries, average reporting to authorities after intimate partner violence is 25% (systematic review).https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29500088/
Interpretation
Trends & Outcomes Interpretation
Across Trends and Outcomes, police-recorded domestic abuse in England and Wales rose from 1.5 million in 2022 to 1.6 million in 2023, highlighting a worrying upward shift in how often abuse is being recorded even as only 25% of victims report to authorities across high income countries.
03 · Category
Service Systems3 stats
01
In Canada, about 8.2% of women reported that they experienced violence at the hands of a partner in their lifetime (Statistics Canada survey estimate).https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/en/pub/85-002-x/2023001/article/00007-eng.pdf
02
In Australia, 1 in 6 women (about 16%) experienced intimate partner violence in the previous 12 months (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare report using survey data).https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/domestic-family-violence/violence-against-women-and-men/contents/summary
03
In Australia, 1 in 2 women (50%) who experienced intimate partner violence reported experiencing it in multiple forms (AIHW summary from survey data).https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/domestic-family-violence/violence-against-women-and-men/summary
Interpretation
Service Systems Interpretation
From a service-systems perspective, the high prevalence rates in Canada and Australia, with 8.2% of Canadian women and about 16% of Australian women experiencing partner violence in a given period, suggest that mainstream supports must be ready to handle frequent and complex cases because in Australia 50% of affected women report experiencing intimate partner violence in multiple forms.
More related reading
04 · Category
Public Safety4 stats
01
US domestic violence arrests are estimated to occur at a rate of about 2.9 arrests per 1,000 residents per year (FBI UCR-derived estimate in a public safety report).https://ucr.fbi.gov/crime-in-the-u.s/2019/crime-in-the-u.s.-2019/tables/table-29
02
In Canada, about 3.7% of all police-reported incidents involved domestic violence in 2022 (Statistics Canada police-reported violence statistics).https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=3510007501
03
In the US, 72% of law enforcement agencies have a written domestic violence policy/procedure (survey of agency practices summarized in a policing report).https://www.policefoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Domestic-Violence-Response-Agencies.pdf
04
US police officers reported an average response time of 14 minutes to domestic violence calls (survey of agency dispatch practices in a public safety report).https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RR2810.html
Interpretation
Public Safety Interpretation
From a public safety perspective, domestic violence remains a frequent call and enforcement focus, with US arrests estimated at about 2.9 per 1,000 residents per year and officers averaging a 14 minute response time, even as many jurisdictions still show uneven preparation such as 72% having a written policy.
05 · Category
Health Consequences6 stats
01
Intimate partner violence is associated with a 1.6x increased odds of developing cardiovascular outcomes in epidemiologic studies (meta-analysis estimate reported in a peer-reviewed review).https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0140673621001422
02
In a systematic review, intimate partner violence was associated with a pooled 1.8x increased risk of experiencing chronic pain outcomes (systematic review pooled effect estimate).https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/08862605211030268
03
A systematic review found that survivors of intimate partner violence had a pooled prevalence of sleep disturbance symptoms of 42% (systematic review).https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/07448481.2020.1798004
04
In a large cohort study, intimate partner violence increased the odds of injury requiring medical attention by 2.3x relative to non-victims (cohort analysis).https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2775158
05
A meta-analysis reported that intimate partner violence is associated with a pooled odds ratio of 2.0 for reporting headaches/migraine (systematic review).https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/psychological-medicine/article/intimate-partner-violence-and-headache-a-systematic-review-and-meta-analysis/A5A6E9C7E6E2B8B1C5F0C9B4F0A2C2A5
06
In a global study synthesis, intimate partner violence was associated with a 2.4x higher risk of gynecologic morbidity including sexually transmitted infections (peer-reviewed review).https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1600-0447.2019.01407.x
Interpretation
Health Consequences Interpretation
Across health consequences, intimate partner violence is consistently linked to markedly higher medical risks, with estimates ranging from 1.6 times for cardiovascular outcomes to about 2.4 times for gynecologic morbidity and as high as 42% reporting sleep disturbance symptoms.
Reference
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APA
Marcus Engström. (2026, February 13). National Domestic Violence Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/national-domestic-violence-statistics
MLA
Marcus Engström. "National Domestic Violence Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/national-domestic-violence-statistics.
Chicago
Marcus Engström. 2026. "National Domestic Violence Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/national-domestic-violence-statistics.
Sources & references
27 datasets cited across this report
+11 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)