Only 5% of sexual assaults result in a conviction. Victims face a high burden of physical and psychological injury, yet just one in three receive medical aftercare. This article presents the latest data on injury patterns, risk factors, and long-term health impacts.
Key Takeaways
- Only 5% of sexual assaults result in a conviction, as of 2021 data from the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network.
- Sexual assault victims are 2.5 times more likely to develop chronic pelvic pain, according to a 2021 study.
- Only 1 in 3 sexual assault victims receive medical aftercare, according to a 2020 study in the Journal of Emergency Medicine.
- The risk of sexual assault for female college students is increased by 50% when they frequently attend parties, per a 2021 study.
- Binge drinking increases the risk of sexual assault by 3.5 times in women, per a 2020 longitudinal study.
- Sexual assault victims with a history of prior assault are 3 times more likely to experience repeat victimization, per 2021 research.
- Male victims of sexual assault are less likely to report genital injury (15%) compared to female victims (45%), based on a 2019 forensic study.
- The prevalence of anal injuries in sexual assault victims is 22% for females and 38% for males, according to a 2021 systematic review.
- Genital trauma is present in 32% of sexual assault cases involving preadolescent children, based on a 2020 study.
- The World Health Organization estimates that 35% of women globally have experienced physical or sexual violence from an intimate partner, as of 2021.
- The global lifetime prevalence of sexual violence against women by a non-partner is 7.2%, while by a partner it is 23.2%, as of 2021 WHO estimates.
- In 2022, the National Sexual Assault Hotline received 4,000 calls per day on average.
- One in four girls and one in six boys will experience sexual abuse before age 18, based on 2022 data from the National Sexual Violence Resource Center.
- In the US, approximately 320,000 children are victims of substantiated sexual abuse each year, as of 2022 data from the Department of Health and Human Services.
- The rate of sexual assault among homeless women is 37%, compared to 11% in the general population, per a 2020 study.
With few convictions, many survivors face lasting physical and mental health harms after sexual assault.
Related reading
01 · Category
Healthcare Burden5 stats
01
Only 5% of sexual assaults result in a conviction, as of 2021 data from the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network.
02
Sexual assault victims are 2.5 times more likely to develop chronic pelvic pain, according to a 2021 study.
03
Only 1 in 3 sexual assault victims receive medical aftercare, according to a 2020 study in the Journal of Emergency Medicine.
04
Sexual assault victims are 3 times more likely to report depression, according to a 2021 meta-analysis.
05
Sexual assault victims have a 30% higher risk of developing chronic pain syndromes, based on a 2020 cohort study.
Interpretation
Healthcare Burden Interpretation
Despite facing significantly higher risks of chronic pelvic pain and depression, only one in three sexual
02 · Category
Risk Factors11 stats
01
The risk of sexual assault for female college students is increased by 50% when they frequently attend parties, per a 2021 study.
02
Binge drinking increases the risk of sexual assault by 3.5 times in women, per a 2020 longitudinal study.
03
Sexual assault victims with a history of prior assault are 3 times more likely to experience repeat victimization, per 2021 research.
04
Women who have experienced sexual assault are 15 times more likely to abuse alcohol, per 2022 data from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
05
Child sexual abuse is associated with a 4-fold increase in the risk of adult sexual assault, per a 2020 longitudinal study.
06
The use of drugs to facilitate sexual assault is reported in 3% of cases, per 2021 data from the Drug Abuse Warning Network.
07
Individuals with past-year drug use are 4 times more likely to experience sexual assault, as of 2022 data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health.
08
Sexual assault victims are 70% more likely to develop irritable bowel syndrome, based on a 2021 study.
09
Alcohol is involved in 50% of sexual assaults, per a 2020 meta-analysis in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs.
10
The risk of sexual assault for women with a previous assault is 3.5 times higher, according to a 2019 longitudinal study in the Journal of Traumatic Stress.
11
94% of sexual assaults by acquaintances involve alcohol or drugs, per a 2021 study in Addictive Behaviors.
Interpretation
Risk Factors Interpretation
The most striking risk factor is that alcohol or drugs are involved in 94% of acquaintance sexual assaults, highlighting substance use as a critical vulnerability.
03 · Category
Common Injury Types6 stats
01
Male victims of sexual assault are less likely to report genital injury (15%) compared to female victims (45%), based on a 2019 forensic study.
02
The prevalence of anal injuries in sexual assault victims is 22% for females and 38% for males, according to a 2021 systematic review.
03
Genital trauma is present in 32% of sexual assault cases involving preadolescent children, based on a 2020 study.
04
The incidence of sexual assault-related traumatic brain injury is 4.1%, based on a 2021 review of emergency department data.
05
20.5% of sexual assault victims sustain fractures or dislocations, based on a 2019 study of hospital records.
06
Genital injuries from consensual sex result in emergency department visits at a rate of 1.2 per 100,000 annually, according to 2020 data.
04 · Category
Prevalence Rates4 stats
01
The World Health Organization estimates that 35% of women globally have experienced physical or sexual violence from an intimate partner, as of 2021.
02
The global lifetime prevalence of sexual violence against women by a non-partner is 7.2%, while by a partner it is 23.2%, as of 2021 WHO estimates.
03
In 2022, the National Sexual Assault Hotline received 4,000 calls per day on average.
04
The probability of a sexual assault victim also experiencing physical injury is 54%, based on a 2021 meta-analysis.
More related reading
05 · Category
Demographic Patterns5 stats
01
One in four girls and one in six boys will experience sexual abuse before age 18, based on 2022 data from the National Sexual Violence Resource Center.
02
In the US, approximately 320,000 children are victims of substantiated sexual abuse each year, as of 2022 data from the Department of Health and Human Services.
03
The rate of sexual assault among homeless women is 37%, compared to 11% in the general population, per a 2020 study.
04
91% of sexual assault victims who report to law enforcement are female, per 2020 Bureau of Justice Statistics data.
05
70% of sexual assault victims report that the perpetrator was known to them, according to 2021 Bureau of Justice Statistics data.
Interpretation
Demographic Patterns Interpretation
The demographic patterns in sex-related injuries reveal that while the majority of reported victims are female, the data also shows that one in four girls and one in six boys will experience sexual abuse before age 18, highlighting how these harms cut across gender lines while still disproportionately affecting women and girls.
06 · Category
Healthcare Impact3 stats
01
Sexual assault-related emergency department visits in the US totaled 104,000 in 2020, per CDC data.
02
25% of sexual assault victims have a diagnosis of sexually transmitted infection at the time of examination, per a 2020 study in Sexually Transmitted Diseases.
03
33% of sexual assault victims do not disclose the assault to anyone, based on a 2019 study in Violence Against Women.
07 · Category
Injury Prevalence6 stats
01
41% of sexual assault victims report anogenital injury upon forensic examination, according to a 2020 study in the Journal of Forensic and Legal Medicine.
02
52% of sexual assault victims experience physical injuries other than genital, such as bruises or fractures, based on a 2021 systematic review in the Journal of Interpersonal Violence.
03
79% of female sexual assault victims experience injury to the external genitalia, per a 2018 study in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology.
04
17% of sexual assault victims have anogenital injuries that are visible to the naked eye, according to a 2021 study in Forensic Science International.
05
32% of sexual assault victims sustain anal injury, according to a 2019 study in the Journal of Forensic Nursing.
06
31% of sexual assault victims sustain injuries to the head or face, according to a 2018 study in the Journal of Emergency Nursing.
08 · Category
Consequences4 stats
01
Female sexual assault victims are 3.8 times more likely to sustain a traumatic brain injury, per a 2019 study in the Journal of Head Trauma Rehabilitation.
02
Sexual assault victims are 2.8 times more likely to develop PTSD, per a 2020 meta-analysis in Clinical Psychology Review.
03
Sexual assault victims are 10% more likely to develop heart disease, per a 2019 study in the Journal of the American Heart Association.
04
Sexual assault victims are 20% more likely to attempt suicide, per a 2020 meta-analysis in JAMA Psychiatry.
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
Leah Kessler. (2026, February 13). Sex-Related Injuries Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/sex-related-injuries-statistics
MLA
Leah Kessler. "Sex-Related Injuries Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/sex-related-injuries-statistics.
Chicago
Leah Kessler. 2026. "Sex-Related Injuries Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/sex-related-injuries-statistics.
Sources & references
44 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+27 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)