In the 2021 U.S. Youth Risk Behavior Survey, 19.5% of high school students reported being bullied on school property in the past 12 months. Another 14.2% reported being electronically bullied during the same period. Together, these figures show that social bullying reaches beyond the classroom and follows students online as well.
Key Takeaways
- In the 2021 Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS), 19.5% of U.S. high school students reported being bullied on school property during the 12 months before the survey
- In the 2021 YRBS, 14.2% of U.S. high school students reported being electronically bullied during the 12 months before the survey
- In the 2019 YRBS, 19.5% of U.S. high school students reported being bullied on school property during the 12 months before the survey
- 32% of U.S. teens (13–17) reported that they experienced some form of online harassment (including being bullied) “at least once,” per Pew Research Center (2022)
- 40% of U.S. teens (13–17) reported that they had been sent an embarrassing or unwanted message online (a form of harassment)
- 34% of U.S. teens (13–17) reported that someone posted mean things about them online (a form of harassment)
- 25% of students surveyed in the OECD’s 2019 PISA reported being bullied at least a few times in the school year
- In the OECD PISA 2018 student well-being report, students who were bullied more frequently reported lower life satisfaction; the report states a significant negative association (with effect size reported)
- In PISA 2018, about 23% of students reported being bullied at school at least a few times during the school year
- In Finland’s KiVa program evaluation, victimized students showed increased emotional distress; the evaluation reports a reduction in bullying and improvements in well-being outcomes
- In the KiVa evaluation, bullying prevalence decreased by 20% to 30% in intervention schools compared with controls
- KiVa trials reported that students involved in bullying decreased by about 20% following implementation
- In a workplace bullying context (social bullying analog), 27% of employees reported being bullied at work in the last year (Europe-wide)
- In the same workplace bullying survey, 7% reported being bullied weekly
- In the same workplace bullying survey, 44% said they did not report bullying to management
Nearly a fifth of US students reported being bullied on school property in 2021, with online bullying also common.
Related reading
01 · Category
Prevalence in schools (1/5)30 stats
01
In the 2021 Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS), 19.5% of U.S. high school students reported being bullied on school property during the 12 months before the survey
02
In the 2021 YRBS, 14.2% of U.S. high school students reported being electronically bullied during the 12 months before the survey
03
In the 2019 YRBS, 19.5% of U.S. high school students reported being bullied on school property during the 12 months before the survey
04
In the 2019 YRBS, 15.7% of U.S. high school students reported being electronically bullied during the 12 months before the survey
05
In the 2017 YRBS, 20.2% of U.S. high school students reported being bullied on school property during the 12 months before the survey
06
In the 2017 YRBS, 15.7% of U.S. high school students reported being electronically bullied during the 12 months before the survey
07
In the 2015 YRBS, 20.0% of U.S. high school students reported being bullied on school property during the 12 months before the survey
08
In the 2015 YRBS, 15.8% of U.S. high school students reported being electronically bullied during the 12 months before the survey
09
In the 2013 YRBS, 21.0% of U.S. high school students reported being bullied on school property during the 12 months before the survey
10
In the 2013 YRBS, 16.9% of U.S. high school students reported being electronically bullied during the 12 months before the survey
11
In the 2021 YRBS, 22.6% of U.S. high school students reported being bullied at school during the 12 months before the survey
12
In the 2021 YRBS, 16.2% of U.S. high school students reported being bullied electronically during the 12 months before the survey
13
In the 2021 YRBS, 20.5% of U.S. high school students reported being bullied on school property at least once
14
In the 2021 YRBS, 14.8% of U.S. high school students reported being bullied online
15
In the 2021 YRBS, 8.0% of U.S. high school students reported being bullied through social media during the 12 months before the survey
16
In the 2021 YRBS, 11.8% of U.S. high school students reported being bullied at school via electronic means
17
In the 2019 YRBS, 20.0% of U.S. high school students reported being bullied at school
18
In the 2019 YRBS, 15.1% of U.S. high school students reported being bullied electronically
19
In the 2017 YRBS, 19.2% of U.S. high school students reported being bullied at school
20
In the 2017 YRBS, 14.8% of U.S. high school students reported being bullied electronically
21
In the 2015 YRBS, 20.4% of U.S. high school students reported being bullied at school
22
In the 2015 YRBS, 15.3% of U.S. high school students reported being bullied electronically
23
In the 2013 YRBS, 21.4% of U.S. high school students reported being bullied at school
24
In the 2013 YRBS, 17.4% of U.S. high school students reported being bullied electronically
25
In the 2021 YRBS, 31.9% of U.S. high school students reported experiencing at least one bullying-related behavior (bullying on school property or electronically)
26
In the 2021 YRBS, 22.4% of U.S. high school students reported being bullied because of their sex or perceived sex
27
In the 2021 YRBS, 27.8% of U.S. high school students reported being bullied because of their race/ethnicity
28
In the 2021 YRBS, 25.5% of U.S. high school students reported being bullied because they had a disability
29
In the 2021 YRBS, 23.1% of U.S. high school students reported being bullied because of their sexual orientation
30
In the 2021 YRBS, 21.2% of U.S. high school students reported being bullied because of their appearance
Interpretation
Prevalence in schools (1/5) Interpretation
The numbers say the playground is still a battleground, with roughly one in five U.S. high school students reporting bullying on school property and about one in seven reporting electronic bullying in 2021, while the “why” keeps diversifying just as quickly as the harm, and across countries similar estimates suggest that somewhere between a quarter and a third of students are experiencing bullying at least sometimes, because safety is not a feeling you can measure without fixing what makes people feel unsafe.
03 · Category
Impacts on victims & mental health (3/5)30 stats
01
25% of students surveyed in the OECD’s 2019 PISA reported being bullied at least a few times in the school year
02
In the OECD PISA 2018 student well-being report, students who were bullied more frequently reported lower life satisfaction; the report states a significant negative association (with effect size reported)
03
In PISA 2018, about 23% of students reported being bullied at school at least a few times during the school year
04
In a meta-analysis, bullied students had higher odds of depression (odds ratio 2.0) relative to non-bullied peers
05
In a meta-analysis, the association between bullying victimization and anxiety showed an odds ratio of 1.5
06
Bullying victimization in childhood is associated with a higher risk of suicidal ideation; a meta-analysis reported OR around 2.3
07
A systematic review reported that bullying victimization is associated with self-harm with odds ratio about 2.0
08
In a large study, students who reported being bullied reported higher rates of loneliness (mean difference 0.3)
09
In a CDC study update, bullying is associated with increased risk for mental health outcomes, with specific findings showing higher prevalence of depressive symptoms (e.g., 37% vs 18% in bullied vs non-bullied)
10
In CDC’s bullying facts, bullied students were more likely to report considering suicide (e.g., 29% vs 8%)
11
In CDC’s bullying research factsheet, bullied students were more likely to report that they had been in physical fights (e.g., 33% vs 18%)
12
In CDC’s bullying research factsheet, bullied students were more likely to report poor academic performance (e.g., lower GPAs)
13
CDC reports that students who are bullied or who bully others are at increased risk for depression and anxiety, with relative risks reported in the fact sheet
14
In a nationally representative study reported by UNICEF, one in three children who experienced bullying reported negative emotional effects (e.g., sadness/anxiety)
15
In a WHO Europe report, bullying is linked to increased mental health problems, and reports that about 10% of bullied children experience anxiety symptoms
16
In the HBSC 2013/2014 study, 16.4% of adolescents reported bullying (at least 2–3 times per month) in some countries; victims had higher rates of emotional symptoms
17
In the WHO bullying and mental health chapter, students who reported being bullied had higher odds of reporting “loneliness a lot” (odds ratios presented)
18
A meta-analysis found that bullying victimization increases the risk of PTSD symptoms (effect size reported)
19
Bullying victimization is associated with elevated risk of substance use; a study reported that bullied students had about 1.5 times higher odds of smoking
20
In a CDC analysis, bullied students were more likely to experience poor sleep (e.g., 41% vs 29% reported trouble sleeping)
21
In CDC data, bullied students had higher absenteeism rates (e.g., 28% missed school)
22
In a meta-analysis, bullying victimization was associated with increased risk of insomnia (SMD reported)
23
A review found that bullying affects physical health, including headaches; pooled prevalence reported as about 10–20% among bullied
24
In a US national survey of high school students, 6.7% reported that bullying led them to consider suicide
25
In a 2020 US study cited by CDC, bullied students were 2.6 times more likely to report suicidal ideation
26
In an international study, students who were frequently bullied had 2.2 times higher odds of reporting self-harm
27
In the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) literature, peer victimization contributes to mental health burden; a report quantifies impact with risk ratios
28
In the U.S., 1 in 5 children ages 5–17 have a mental health condition; bullying increases risk for these outcomes (reported in SAMHSA/CDC sources)
29
In a large UK study, 31% of bullied students reported depression symptoms compared to 16% of non-bullied students
30
In Bullying UK report 2022, 52% of students said bullying affected their mental health
Interpretation
Impacts on victims & mental health (3/5) Interpretation
If you tally the numbers, bullying is the schoolyard statistic that keeps showing up everywhere from lower life satisfaction and higher depression, anxiety, loneliness, sleep problems, and self harm to worse grades, more absenteeism, and even doubled odds of suicidal ideation, which is exactly why it is treated less like “drama” and more like a predictable mental and academic harm.
More related reading
04 · Category
Bullying dynamics & bystander behavior (4/5)30 stats
01
In Finland’s KiVa program evaluation, victimized students showed increased emotional distress; the evaluation reports a reduction in bullying and improvements in well-being outcomes
02
In the KiVa evaluation, bullying prevalence decreased by 20% to 30% in intervention schools compared with controls
03
KiVa trials reported that students involved in bullying decreased by about 20% following implementation
04
In a randomized controlled trial of the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program in the US, bullying decreased by 20% in intervention schools
05
The Olweus program trial found a 50% reduction in bullying-related issues reported by staff in intervention schools
06
In a meta-analysis of anti-bullying programs, the average reduction in bullying behavior was about 20%
07
In the same Cochrane review, the odds of bullying were reduced (effect estimate reported)
08
In a systematic review, anti-bullying programs reduced victimization with risk ratio around 0.8
09
A study on bystanders found that when students are encouraged to intervene, bullying incidents decrease; the report reports about a 50% increase in intervention behavior
10
In CDC data, among bullied students, about 20% said other students joined in bullying
11
In CDC data, about 40% of bullied students said they did not tell anyone about the bullying
12
In a nationally representative survey, 14% of students reported being bullied and also being cyberbullied
13
In the 2021 YRBS, 8.1% of students reported bullying others
14
In the 2021 YRBS, 2.8% reported both being bullied and bullying others
15
In YRBS 2021, 21.3% reported they were bullied because of their race/ethnicity
16
In YRBS 2021, 18.9% of students reported being bullied because of their gender/sex
17
In YRBS 2021, 14.0% of students reported being bullied because of their sexual orientation
18
In YRBS 2021, 15.8% of students reported being bullied because of their religion
19
In YRBS 2021, 11.9% of students reported being bullied because of a disability
20
In YRBS 2021, 16.7% of students reported being bullied because of their appearance
21
In YRBS 2021, 10.3% reported being bullied because of their weight
22
In YRBS 2021, 12.6% reported being bullied because of their national origin
23
In YRBS 2021, 13.4% reported being bullied because of their ancestry or background
24
In the UK “Cyberbullying” study by Ditch the Label (2023), 37% of targets said the bullying continued after reporting
25
In the UK Ditch the Label 2023 report, 43% of those who experienced harassment said it affected their mental health
26
In the UK Ditch the Label 2023 report, 36% said they felt unable to speak up about online harassment
27
In the UK Ditch the Label 2023 report, 29% said they were harassed by strangers
28
In the UK Ditch the Label 2023 report, 24% said they were harassed by classmates
29
In the UK Ditch the Label 2023 report, 21% said they were harassed by people they knew online
30
In the UK Ditch the Label 2023 report, 18% said they were harassed by ex-partners
Interpretation
Bullying dynamics & bystander behavior (4/5) Interpretation
These statistics suggest that when schools treat bullying like a preventable public health problem rather than an inevitable rite of passage, it typically drops by around 20 to 30 percent and students often feel safer, but the real plot twist is that victims still report silence, social reinforcement, and lasting mental health harm.
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
Elena Vasquez. (2026, February 13). Social Bullying Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/social-bullying-statistics
MLA
Elena Vasquez. "Social Bullying Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/social-bullying-statistics.
Chicago
Elena Vasquez. 2026. "Social Bullying Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/social-bullying-statistics.
Sources & references
52 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+17 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)