Online harassment shows up in spikes tied to real events. During major UK election periods, reports surged by 1,000% through the national reporting process. In the same period, 80% of respondents in a Council of Europe survey said online hate speech made them feel unsafe.
Key Takeaways
- 14% of men surveyed reported being harassed or threatened online at some point
- 35% of surveyed journalists in a UNESCO report said they had experienced harassment online
- 80% of respondents in a Council of Europe survey reported that online hate speech made them feel unsafe
- $1.1 billion is estimated annual spending by platforms on content moderation to address toxic and harassing content (2021 estimate)
- 72% of organizations reported costs from content moderation labor and tooling (2022 vendor report)
- 27% of breaches involve stolen credentials (IBM/Ponemon 2023)
- 17% of U.S. adults who experienced harassment online say it caused them to take a break from online activity (2022)
- In 2023, the UK National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) reported that officers received 3,500+ online abuse referrals through the national reporting process
- 4.6% of internet users in the EU reported experiencing harassment online in Eurobarometer 2017
- 3.5% of EU respondents in Eurobarometer 2020 reported having been victims of threats online in the previous 12 months
- 3.2x increase in reports of online harassment during elections in India between 2019 and 2021 (as measured by platform trust/safety reports aggregated in a 2022 study)
- 5.7x growth in harassment/misconduct reports moderated by major platforms from 2018 to 2022 in a dataset analyzed by a 2023 academic study
- 78% of surveyed organizations in a 2023 survey said they use a combination of automated detection and human review to handle harassment reports
Surveys worldwide show online harassment and hate speech are rising, costing platforms and organizations billions to manage.
Related reading
01 · Category
Prevalence & Victimization5 stats
01
14% of men surveyed reported being harassed or threatened online at some point
02
35% of surveyed journalists in a UNESCO report said they had experienced harassment online
03
80% of respondents in a Council of Europe survey reported that online hate speech made them feel unsafe
04
8% of teens (13–17) said they were stalked or received repeated unwanted contact online
05
1,000+% increase in reports of online harassment during major election periods (as reported by UK regulator Ofcom)
Interpretation
Prevalence & Victimization Interpretation
Across the Prevalence and Victimization landscape, online harassment is widespread and escalating, with 35% of journalists reporting it and teens showing vulnerability too at 8%, while Council of Europe findings indicate 80% feel unsafe from online hate speech and Ofcom reports a dramatic surge of 1,000% or more during major elections.
02 · Category
Economic & Cost Analysis8 stats
01
$1.1 billion is estimated annual spending by platforms on content moderation to address toxic and harassing content (2021 estimate)
02
72% of organizations reported costs from content moderation labor and tooling (2022 vendor report)
03
27% of breaches involve stolen credentials (IBM/Ponemon 2023)
04
$0.93 million average cost attributed to costs of customer churn and loss of business (IBM/Ponemon 2023)
05
27% of UK organizations reported spending more than £250,000 per year on tackling online abuse (2020 Ofcom survey)
06
£8 million total UK spending on trust and safety per year estimated for major platforms (Ofcom analysis)
07
35% CAGR projected for trust & safety software 2022–2027 (MarketsandMarkets estimate)
08
$5.7 billion global content moderation market projected by 2030 (ResearchAndMarkets estimate)
Interpretation
Economic & Cost Analysis Interpretation
Economic costs tied to online harassment are substantial, with major platforms spending an estimated £8 million a year on trust and safety and many organizations reporting high moderation expenses where 72% cite costs for labor and tooling.
03 · Category
Attitudes And Awareness1 stats
01
17% of U.S. adults who experienced harassment online say it caused them to take a break from online activity (2022)
Interpretation
Attitudes And Awareness Interpretation
Among those who experienced online harassment, 17% of U.S. adults reported in 2022 that it led them to take a break from online activity, showing that these incidents directly shape people’s attitudes and awareness of how online spaces affect them.
More related reading
04 · Category
Reporting And Enforcement3 stats
01
In 2023, the UK National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) reported that officers received 3,500+ online abuse referrals through the national reporting process
02
4.6% of internet users in the EU reported experiencing harassment online in Eurobarometer 2017
03
3.5% of EU respondents in Eurobarometer 2020 reported having been victims of threats online in the previous 12 months
Interpretation
Reporting And Enforcement Interpretation
In reporting and enforcement, the UK logged 3,500+ online abuse referrals to police in 2023, while EU survey data shows persistent harassment and threats with 4.6% reporting online harassment in 2017 and 3.5% reporting online threats in the prior 12 months in 2020, indicating that enforcement systems are responding to a steady, sizable burden.
05 · Category
Industry Trends3 stats
01
3.2x increase in reports of online harassment during elections in India between 2019 and 2021 (as measured by platform trust/safety reports aggregated in a 2022 study)
02
5.7x growth in harassment/misconduct reports moderated by major platforms from 2018 to 2022 in a dataset analyzed by a 2023 academic study
03
78% of surveyed organizations in a 2023 survey said they use a combination of automated detection and human review to handle harassment reports
Interpretation
Industry Trends Interpretation
Industry trends show a steep rise in online harassment as platform reports reveal a 3.2x increase in India during elections from 2019 to 2021 and a 5.7x growth in major platform harassment and misconduct reports from 2018 to 2022, with 78% of surveyed organizations in 2023 relying on automated detection plus human review to keep up.
report visual · Key figures
Online harassment prevalence varies by group and context
Across surveys, the share of people reporting online harassment or threats ranges widely—from single digits among general internet users to much higher levels among specific groups like journalists and people exposed to hate speech.
14%
14% of men surveyed reported being harassed or threatened online at some point
35%
35% of surveyed journalists in a UNESCO report said they had experienced harassment online
80%
80% of respondents in a Council of Europe survey reported that online hate speech made them feel unsafe
4.6%
4.6% of internet users in the EU reported experiencing harassment online in Eurobarometer 2017
3.5%
3.5% of EU respondents in Eurobarometer 2020 reported having been victims of threats online in the previous 12 months
source-verifiedpewresearch.org · unesdoc.unesco.org · rm.coe.int · europa.eu2020
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
Elena Vasquez. (2026, February 13). Online Harassment Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/online-harassment-statistics
MLA
Elena Vasquez. "Online Harassment Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/online-harassment-statistics.
Chicago
Elena Vasquez. 2026. "Online Harassment Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/online-harassment-statistics.
Sources & references
20 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+6 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)