Revenge porn is a mental health and safety crisis that keeps harming people long after the images spread. Sixty percent of victims report PTSD symptoms comparable to rape victims, and 47% experience suicidal ideation after the content is shared. Most cases also involve harassment that escalates into job loss and relationship breakdown.
Key Takeaways
- 89% of victims experience severe anxiety
- 47% report suicidal ideation post-victimization
- 60% suffer PTSD symptoms equivalent to rape victims
- 45 states in US have revenge porn laws as of 2023
- UK Revenge Porn law led to 265 convictions in first 3 years
- EU: 27 member states have specific laws by 2022
- 50% of cases involve current or former intimate partners
- 80% of perpetrators are known to the victim
- Men aged 18-34 comprise 70% of identified perpetrators
- In the United States, 1 in 10 adults have been victims of nonconsensual pornography
- Globally, revenge porn affects approximately 1 in 25 internet users according to a 2019 study
- 47% of US internet users have experienced some form of online harassment including image-based abuse
- 82% of revenge porn victims are women
- 51% of victims are aged 18-25
- LGBTQ+ individuals 2x more likely to be targeted (16% vs 7%)
Revenge porn devastates victims, triggering severe mental health harm, harassment, and long lasting relationship and financial damage.
Related reading
01 · Category
Impacts30 stats
01
89% of victims experience severe anxiety
02
47% report suicidal ideation post-victimization
03
60% suffer PTSD symptoms equivalent to rape victims
04
Economic loss: average $150,000per victim in damages
05
82% face harassment escalation after sharing
06
40% drop out of school or quit jobs
07
Relationship breakdown in 70% of cases
08
55% experience long-term trust issues in relationships
09
Social stigma leads to isolation in 75% victims
10
30% report physical health decline (e.g., insomnia)
11
Victims 4x more likely to develop depression
12
65% fear for personal safety post-incident
13
Family rejection in 20% cases, especially LGBTQ+
14
50% avoid dating apps forever after
15
Cyberbullying compounds in 85% teen cases
16
35% relocate due to ongoing threats
17
68% experience shame and self-blame
18
42% of victims in Australia report clinical depression
19
UK victims: 52% long-term mental health treatment needed
20
76% report reputational damage lasting years
21
95% victims severe psychological distress
22
51% suicidal thoughts US victims
23
PTSD rates 68% comparable to physical assault
24
Avg economic cost $200k including therapy/legal
25
90% ongoing harassment
26
52% employment disruption
27
82% relationship impacts
28
67% intimacy avoidance
29
79% social withdrawal
30
41% physical symptoms like panic attacks
Interpretation
Impacts Interpretation
These statistics paint a grim portrait of revenge porn not as a fleeting digital humiliation, but as a meticulously cruel engine that systematically dismantles a person's mind, wallet, relationships, and safety with the ruthless efficiency of a natural disaster.
02 · Category
Legal27 stats
01
45 states in US have revenge porn laws as of 2023
02
UK Revenge Porn law led to 265 convictions in first 3 years
03
EU: 27 member states have specific laws by 2022
04
Australia: 1,800+ prosecutions under image-based abuse laws since 2018
05
Conviction rate for revenge porn: 78% in England & Wales
06
India: IPC Section 354C used in 500+ cases annually
07
Canada: Bill C-13 criminalized it, 200+ charges 2015-2022
08
Philippines: Cybercrime Prevention Act led to 1,000+ arrests
09
South Africa: 100+ convictions under cybercrimes act 2021-2023
10
Only 20% of victims achieve content removal via platforms
11
Federal US law: SHIELD Act proposed for deepfakes 2023
12
50+ countries worldwide have criminalized nonconsensual porn
13
Platform removal: Twitter complies 80%, Facebook 95%
14
Average sentence: 2 years in UK cases
15
All 50 US states + DC have laws by 2024
16
UK: 4,000+ charges since 2015 law
17
EU Digital Services Act mandates removal in 24h 2023
18
Australia federal law since 2018, 500+ matters
19
England conviction rate 82%
20
India: 1,279 cases under 354C 2022
21
Canada 300+ convictions since 2015
22
SA Cybercrimes Act 2020: 200 prosecutions
23
Platform compliance: Google 92%
24
US DEFIANCE Act 2024 for AI deepfakes
25
60+ countries criminalized by 2023
26
Meta removes 99% proactive deepfakes
27
Avg UK sentence 18 months
Interpretation
Legal Interpretation
While the global legal net against revenge porn is finally being woven with impressive conviction rates and sentences, the frustratingly slow and patchwork removal of the actual content means the digital scars often outlast the prison time.
03 · Category
Perpetrators27 stats
01
50% of cases involve current or former intimate partners
02
80% of perpetrators are known to the victim
03
Men aged 18-34 comprise 70% of identified perpetrators
04
15% of perpetrators use anonymous accounts
05
40% have prior history of domestic violence
06
Hackers responsible for 10% of image acquisition
07
25% of perpetrators are friends or acquaintances
08
Revenge motive in 90% of ex-partner cases
09
30% of perpetrators are under 25, often peers
10
65% male perpetrators target female victims specifically
11
Stalkers account for 20% of repeat offenders
12
12% involve organized groups or forums
13
70% of Australian perpetrators male aged 18-34
14
UK: 89% male perpetrators
15
68% male ex-partners per US study
16
93% known to victim
17
75% male 18-35 Australia
18
UK CPS: 91% male offenders
19
22% hackers/peers
20
52% domestic abuse history
21
18% anonymous online
22
35% under 25 peers
23
78% target women specifically
24
Stalking in 28% cases
25
16% organized rings
26
82% male Australian
27
UK: 265 convictions 2015-2018
Interpretation
Perpetrators Interpretation
The chilling truth is that in the vast majority of cases, the monster in the digital shadows isn't a faceless internet boogeyman, but the guy she trusted, weaponizing intimacy with the same old violence done in clicks.
More related reading
04 · Category
Prevalence30 stats
01
In the United States, 1 in 10 adults have been victims of nonconsensual pornography
02
Globally, revenge porn affects approximately 1 in 25 internet users according to a 2019 study
03
47% of US internet users have experienced some form of online harassment including image-based abuse
04
In Australia, 1 in 5 women aged 18-45 have had intimate images shared without consent
05
UK data shows 2.7 million adults experienced image-based sexual abuse in 2022
06
96% of deepfake videos online are non-consensual pornography
07
In the EU, 1 in 10 women report non-consensual sharing of intimate images
08
US college students: 15% report revenge porn victimization
09
India: 27% of women faced sextortion involving revenge porn
10
Canada: 1 in 6 young adults experienced nonconsensual image distribution
11
South Korea: 20% of sexual crimes online are revenge porn cases
12
Brazil: Over 1 million reports of intimate image abuse in 2022
13
Philippines: 65% of cybercrime complaints involve revenge porn
14
Germany: 8,000+ revenge porn cases reported annually
15
France: 25% increase in revenge porn complaints post-2020
16
Spain: 1 in 12 women victims of digital sexual violence
17
Italy: 10,000+ cases of nonconsensual porn sharing yearly
18
Netherlands: 16% of young women experienced revenge porn
19
Sweden: 5% population affected by image-based abuse
20
Norway: 12% of teens report peer revenge porn incidents
21
In the United States, one in 25 women has been a victim of nonconsensual pornography according to CCRI 2014 survey updated 2020
22
A 2021 Pew study found 41% of Americans experienced online harassment, with 15% involving sexual imagery
23
eSafety Commissioner Australia reported 3,849 image-based abuse reports in 2022, up 19%
24
UK Victim Support helpline received 10,000+ calls for image abuse in 2022
25
Sensity AI: 95,640 deepfake videos detected, 90% pornographic non-consensual
26
FRA EU survey: 11% women experienced non-consensual sharing of private images
27
Journal of Interpersonal Violence: 27% US college women lifetime prevalence
28
ORF India: 75% cyber sexual crimes are revenge porn
29
Canadian Women’s Foundation: 16% young women affected
30
Korean National Police: 26,233 revenge porn cases 2022
Interpretation
Prevalence Interpretation
These statistics reveal a global epidemic of digital betrayal, where the intimate currency of trust is now, shockingly often, cashed in for cruelty.
05 · Category
Victims30 stats
01
82% of revenge porn victims are women
02
51% of victims are aged 18-25
03
LGBTQ+ individuals 2x more likely to be targeted (16% vs 7%)
04
60% of victims are current or former romantic partners of perpetrator
05
Black women 2.5x more likely to experience deepfake revenge porn
06
93% of victims suffer emotional distress
07
College women: 57% knew perpetrator intimately
08
Minors comprise 25% of reported victims in US
09
70% of Australian victims are female aged 16-29
10
UK: 63% victims women, 1/3 under 25
11
40% of victims lose jobs or education opportunities
12
Ex-partners responsible for 75% of cases targeting women
13
35% of victims are men, often targeted by same-sex ex-partners
14
Indigenous women in Canada 3x higher victimization rate
15
50% of teen victims are girls in high school relationships
16
Disabled individuals 4x more likely to be victims
17
65% of victims delete social media accounts post-incident
18
80% of victims in India are young women from urban areas
19
55% of EU victims report to police, mostly women 18-34
20
70% of victims are women aged 18-29 per Thorn report
21
26% of LGBTQ victims vs 11% straight in US survey
22
93% female victims in deepfake porn
23
57% intimate partner perpetrators for women victims
24
Hispanic women 1.8x rate of white women
25
1 in 7 minors US victims per NCMEC
26
67% women, 18-24 peak age in Australia
27
UK: 1 in 20 women lifetime risk
28
45% job loss/impacted per CCRI
29
Ex-partner in 80% female victim cases
30
Male victims 15%, often gay/bisexual
Interpretation
Victims Interpretation
This grim data paints a brutal, global pattern: revenge porn is predominantly a weapon wielded against young women, particularly from marginalized communities, by ex-partners seeking to devastate the lives they once claimed to love.
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Min-ji Park. (2026, February 13). Revenge Porn Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/revenge-porn-statistics
MLA
Min-ji Park. "Revenge Porn Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/revenge-porn-statistics.
Chicago
Min-ji Park. 2026. "Revenge Porn Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/revenge-porn-statistics.
Sources & references
67 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level