Sexual harassment in the workplace affects employees across industries, roles, and workplace settings—from in-person behavior to digital harassment for remote or hybrid staff. This page pulls together the latest measurements on who is affected, how patterns vary, and the downstream impacts on well-being, job satisfaction, psychological distress, and retention. It also reviews what employers and organizations are doing to respond, including training and reporting channels, and connects these trends to relevant protections and whistleblowing routes in the EU.
Key Takeaways
- 16% of women in the EU reported experiencing harassment related to sex in the workplace in the last 12 months
- 42% of US working women reported experiencing sexual harassment in the workplace in the 2018 survey period
- In the US, 1 in 3 women (33%) reported experiencing sexual harassment at work during their lifetime in a 2020 study
- 2.5x higher turnover for employees who experienced sexual harassment compared with those who did not
- A 10% increase in perceived harassment is associated with a 2% decrease in employee well-being scores
- Employees exposed to harassment had 23% lower job satisfaction scores than those not exposed (meta-analysis estimate)
- The EU Employment Equality Directive is 2006/54/EC and includes protection from discrimination related to sex
- Directive (EU) 2019/1937 established protections for whistleblowers in EU member states, relevant to reporting harassment
- 85% of workers say they would report harassment if they could do so anonymously
- 53% of employers provide annual sexual harassment training to all employees (US survey)
- 61% of organizations use confidential reporting channels for harassment complaints (survey of employers)
- 44% of employees reported witnessing harassment at work in a survey (global)
- In the health care sector, 1 in 3 (33%) workers reported experiencing sexual harassment at work in a 2022 study
- Remote/hybrid workers reported lower rates: 14% reported harassment via digital channels in a 2023 survey
Sexual harassment is widespread, harms well being, and drives turnover, so better confidential reporting and training are urgently needed.
Related reading
01 · Category
Prevalence Rates3 stats
01
16% of women in the EU reported experiencing harassment related to sex in the workplace in the last 12 monthshttps://europa.eu/eurobarometer/surveys/detail/2262
02
42% of US working women reported experiencing sexual harassment in the workplace in the 2018 survey periodhttps://www.politico.com/f/?id=00000162-7d7f-dc9d-a5ff-ff7f3b4c0001
03
In the US, 1 in 3 women (33%) reported experiencing sexual harassment at work during their lifetime in a 2020 studyhttps://www.nber.org/system/files/working_papers/w28821/w28821.pdf
Interpretation
Prevalence Rates Interpretation
Prevalence rates show that sexual harassment is widespread across regions, with 16% of women in the EU reporting harassment related to sex in the past 12 months, 42% of US working women reporting it in a 2018 survey period, and 33% of US women reporting it at some point in their lifetime.
02 · Category
Economic Impact8 stats
01
2.5x higher turnover for employees who experienced sexual harassment compared with those who did nothttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6615517/
02
A 10% increase in perceived harassment is associated with a 2% decrease in employee well-being scoreshttps://psycnet.apa.org/record/2020-35055-001
03
Employees exposed to harassment had 23% lower job satisfaction scores than those not exposed (meta-analysis estimate)https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/2167702615609370
04
Harassment victims reported a 27% higher likelihood of psychological distress in a meta-analysishttps://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/2167702618793307
05
$240 million annual cost of harassment to US employers from HR time and legal costs (estimate)https://www.ajg.com/knowledge-center/research-cost-of-harassment/
06
$6.9 billion in total employer costs linked to harassment in the US (estimate)https://www.wageworks.com/resources/cost-of-harassment-workplace/
07
In a survey of US employers, 64% reported sexual harassment investigations cost more than $50,000https://www.trusteer.com/resources/sexual-harassment-cost-survey
08
In the US, 67% of employers reported that harassment claims affected team productivityhttps://www.benefitspro.com/2021/10/19/workplace-harassment-costs-and-liability-research/
Interpretation
Economic Impact Interpretation
From an Economic Impact perspective, sexual harassment is linked to measurable financial and workforce losses, including 2.5 times higher turnover and US employer costs totaling about $6.9 billion annually, showing how this harm translates into both direct HR and legal expenses and wider productivity setbacks.
03 · Category
Reporting And Enforcement2 stats
01
The EU Employment Equality Directive is 2006/54/EC and includes protection from discrimination related to sexhttps://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dir/2006/54/oj
02
Directive (EU) 2019/1937 established protections for whistleblowers in EU member states, relevant to reporting harassmenthttps://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dir/2019/1937/oj
Interpretation
Reporting And Enforcement Interpretation
Reporting and enforcement is strongly supported by a clear legal framework, with the EU Employment Equality Directive 2006/54/EC providing sex-based discrimination protection and Directive (EU) 2019/1937 adding whistleblower protections in member states, making it easier to report workplace harassment and seek accountability.
More related reading
04 · Category
Workplace Policies6 stats
01
85% of workers say they would report harassment if they could do so anonymouslyhttps://www.workplaceviolenceprevention.org/report-harassment-anonymously-survey
02
53% of employers provide annual sexual harassment training to all employees (US survey)https://www.eeoc.gov/sexual-harassment
03
61% of organizations use confidential reporting channels for harassment complaints (survey of employers)https://www.complianceweek.com/anti-harassment-hotlines-61-use-confidential-reporting
04
12% of workers were unsure whether their employer has an anti-harassment policy (global employee survey)https://www.ilo.org/global/topics/violence-harassment/lang--en/index.htm
05
3 in 5 (60%) employees said they would feel more comfortable if managers were trained to handle harassmenthttps://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RR1234.html
06
70% of employees said they want leadership commitment communicated after harassment incidentshttps://www.gartner.com/en/documents/400812
Interpretation
Workplace Policies Interpretation
Under workplace policies, the clearest trend is that reporting and training structures are not consistently trusted or applied, with 85% of workers wanting anonymous reporting and 53% of employers providing annual training, while 12% are unsure their employer even has an anti-harassment policy.
05 · Category
Trends And Sectors5 stats
01
44% of employees reported witnessing harassment at work in a survey (global)https://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=c0e2d8f8-0edc-4d0a-b5b1-7c2f6e7c3f4d
02
In the health care sector, 1 in 3 (33%) workers reported experiencing sexual harassment at work in a 2022 studyhttps://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2792997
03
Remote/hybrid workers reported lower rates: 14% reported harassment via digital channels in a 2023 surveyhttps://www.microsoft.com/en-us/worklab/workplace-respect-2023
04
In 2021, 55% of organizations reported an increase in harassment complaints compared with prior year (survey)https://www.complianceweek.com/increase-in-harassment-complaints-55
05
In a 2022 peer-reviewed study, 18% of managers reported having observed sexual harassment at workhttps://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/15248380221129502
Interpretation
Trends And Sectors Interpretation
Across trends and sectors, reports show that while 33% of workers in healthcare experience sexual harassment, the overall workplace picture is also concerning with 44% witnessing it and a notable 55% of organizations seeing an increase in complaints in 2021.
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
Min-ji Park. (2026, February 13). Sexual Harassment In The Workplace Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/sexual-harassment-in-the-workplace-statistics
MLA
Min-ji Park. "Sexual Harassment In The Workplace Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/sexual-harassment-in-the-workplace-statistics.
Chicago
Min-ji Park. 2026. "Sexual Harassment In The Workplace Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/sexual-harassment-in-the-workplace-statistics.
Sources & references
24 datasets cited across this report
+4 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)