When night falls, safety can feel like something you have to calculate, not assume. Yet 5% of US women report being threatened with rape or sexual assault in just the past 12 months, while 63% of people who fear crime say lighting is a major factor in whether they feel safe outside after dark. By pairing those lived fears with evidence on what actually reduces risk, the statistics below show why “walking alone” is rarely just about personal choice.
Key Takeaways
- 36% of women report that they have been threatened with rape or sexual assault during their lifetime (U.S. survey figure)
- 63% of people who report fear of crime say lighting is a key factor affecting their sense of safety when outside at night (research synthesis on environmental design and safety perceptions)
- $2.5 billion U.S. market estimate (2022) for personal safety and security devices used to mitigate risks like walking alone at night (consumer personal safety category estimate)
- $1.7 billion global market size for personal safety alarms in 2023 (forecast includes consumer personal safety products)
- US$3.1 billion projected global spend on “public safety and security” in 2024 (IDC forecast for the security market subsegments)
- 63% of participants in a nightlife safety study reported that improved street lighting increased their willingness to go out at night (peer-reviewed findings summarized in journal article)
- 13% decrease in robberies in areas with improved lighting compared with control areas (experimental/intervention study reported in U.S./international criminology literature)
- 2.5x higher foot traffic near well-lit areas compared with poorly lit blocks (cited environmental criminology study of lighting and activity)
- 17% of U.S. adults reported having installed or used a home security system to feel safer (2019–2021 survey estimate summarized by Pew and industry polling)
- 1 in 7 U.S. adults have used a wearable to track health or location (Pew Research Center, 2022 survey estimate), relevant for safety wearables
- 3.3 million U.S. wearable device shipments in Q4 2023 for safety/health adjacent devices (IDC shipment data for wearables category)
- 2.5 million calls to 911 in the U.S. were made in 2023 that originated from wireless phones with location services enabled (NENA/industry reporting on wireless E911 share)
- In the U.S., E911 wireless calls account for nearly 100% of calls handled by PSAPs for mobile callers (NENA public materials on NG9-1-1 and wireless calling)
- Victims in the U.S. waited a median 1 day to report violence to police in NCVS-based analyses (reporting delay distributions)
- 14% of women in the EU reported being afraid of sexual assault while walking alone in public spaces (Eurobarometer on safety, 2019).
Most women face serious risks, but safer lighting and smartphone and emergency tools help people feel safer walking at night.
Related reading
01 · Category
Crime & Safety2 stats
01
36% of women report that they have been threatened with rape or sexual assault during their lifetime (U.S. survey figure)https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3607576/
02
63% of people who report fear of crime say lighting is a key factor affecting their sense of safety when outside at night (research synthesis on environmental design and safety perceptions)https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0042098010369958
Interpretation
Crime & Safety Interpretation
For Crime and Safety, the data show that 36% of women have been threatened with rape or sexual assault in their lifetime, and that 63% of people who fear crime say lighting strongly shapes how safe they feel walking outside at night.
02 · Category
Market & Adoption8 stats
01
$2.5 billion U.S. market estimate (2022) for personal safety and security devices used to mitigate risks like walking alone at night (consumer personal safety category estimate)https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/industry-reports/personal-safety-market-101808
02
$1.7 billion global market size for personal safety alarms in 2023 (forecast includes consumer personal safety products)https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2024/02/15/2820420/0/en/Personal-Safety-Alarms-Market-Size-to-Reach-USD-1-7-Billion-by-2032-Future-Prospects-and-Forecast-by-MarketsandMarkets.html
03
US$3.1 billion projected global spend on “public safety and security” in 2024 (IDC forecast for the security market subsegments)https://www.idc.com/getdoc.jsp?containerId=US52040124
04
76% of Americans say they use a smartphone daily (Pew Research Center, 2023), supporting device-based safety features while walking at nighthttps://www.pewresearch.org/internet/fact-sheet/mobile/
05
Android users represented 71% of global smartphone OS market share in 2023 (Counterpoint Research release cited by industry trackers)https://www.counterpointresearch.com/insights/global-smartphone-share-2023-android/
06
iOS users represented 29% of global smartphone OS market share in 2023 (Counterpoint Research release)https://www.counterpointresearch.com/insights/global-smartphone-share-2023-ios/
07
1.2 billion smartphones shipped globally in 2023 (IDC estimate), enabling large-scale distribution of mobile safety featureshttps://www.idc.com/getdoc.jsp?containerId=prUS51020623
08
Smartphones accounted for 68% of global web traffic in 2024 (Statista data sourced from Statcounter, widely reported)https://gs.statcounter.com/platform-market-share/mobile/worldwide
Interpretation
Market & Adoption Interpretation
With the consumer personal safety market estimated at $2.5 billion in the US in 2022 and smartphones already driving adoption through 76% of Americans using them daily alongside 1.2 billion devices shipped globally in 2023, the market for walking alone at night safety solutions is scaling fast thanks to widely available mobile platforms across both Android at 71% and iOS at 29%.
03 · Category
Impact Of Lighting6 stats
01
63% of participants in a nightlife safety study reported that improved street lighting increased their willingness to go out at night (peer-reviewed findings summarized in journal article)https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/17450101.2018.1532567
02
13% decrease in robberies in areas with improved lighting compared with control areas (experimental/intervention study reported in U.S./international criminology literature)https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6780996/
03
2.5x higher foot traffic near well-lit areas compared with poorly lit blocks (cited environmental criminology study of lighting and activity)https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0731121418781946
04
1.4x increase in pedestrians observed after lighting upgrades in a controlled study (street lighting intervention results)https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214629620304084
05
5–10 lux recommended average illuminance target for safety-sensitive pedestrian areas in international lighting guidance (IES/ILC guidance summarized in public documentation)https://www.ies.org/standards/lighting-for-pedestrian-and-cycling-areas/
06
3000K–4000K is commonly recommended for safer visibility in pedestrian street lighting guidance (IES/lighting guidance summarized in public materials)https://www.ies.org/lighting-for-cities-and-communities/
Interpretation
Impact Of Lighting Interpretation
In the impact of lighting, evidence shows that better street illumination can meaningfully shift women’s nighttime behavior and local safety, with 63% reporting greater willingness to go out at night and areas with improved lighting seeing a 13% drop in robberies while foot traffic rises 2.5 times near well lit blocks.
04 · Category
Technology & Devices4 stats
01
17% of U.S. adults reported having installed or used a home security system to feel safer (2019–2021 survey estimate summarized by Pew and industry polling)https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2019/01/24/smart-home-devices/
02
1 in 7 U.S. adults have used a wearable to track health or location (Pew Research Center, 2022 survey estimate), relevant for safety wearableshttps://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2022/03/09/wearable-devices/
03
3.3 million U.S. wearable device shipments in Q4 2023 for safety/health adjacent devices (IDC shipment data for wearables category)https://www.idc.com/getdoc.jsp?containerId=prUS51953923
04
98% of EU citizens have access to 112 mobile networks with location-based routing available (European Commission/ERHMS reporting on 112 service availability)https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/library/112-single-european-emergency-number-status-report
Interpretation
Technology & Devices Interpretation
With safety and health wearables and security tech becoming mainstream, 17% of U.S. adults use home security systems, and wearable use is rising with one in seven adults reporting wearables for tracking while Q4 2023 saw 3.3 million wearable shipments, and outside the U.S. 98% of EU citizens have access to 112 mobile networks that can support location-based routing.
More related reading
05 · Category
Response & Aftermath3 stats
01
2.5 million calls to 911 in the U.S. were made in 2023 that originated from wireless phones with location services enabled (NENA/industry reporting on wireless E911 share)https://www.nena.org/page/2023E911
02
In the U.S., E911 wireless calls account for nearly 100% of calls handled by PSAPs for mobile callers (NENA public materials on NG9-1-1 and wireless calling)https://www.nena.org/page/E911Facts
03
Victims in the U.S. waited a median 1 day to report violence to police in NCVS-based analyses (reporting delay distributions)https://bjs.ojp.gov/content/pub/pdf/cv13.pdf
Interpretation
Response & Aftermath Interpretation
With nearly 2.5 million 911 calls in 2023 coming from wireless phones with location services and PSAPs handling almost all wireless caller calls, the biggest response takeaway is that getting location-enabled calls routed quickly matters most even though victims in the U.S. still report violence with a median 1-day delay after it happens.
06 · Category
Perceived Safety1 stats
01
14% of women in the EU reported being afraid of sexual assault while walking alone in public spaces (Eurobarometer on safety, 2019).https://europa.eu/eurobarometer/surveys/detail/2187
Interpretation
Perceived Safety Interpretation
In the EU, 14% of women say they feel afraid of sexual assault when walking alone in public spaces, showing that perceived safety is still a real concern for a meaningful minority.
07 · Category
Crime & Victimization3 stats
01
13% of women in the EU reported having been stalked in their lifetime (FRA EU-wide survey, 2014).https://fra.europa.eu/en/publication/2014/violence-against-women-eu-wide-survey-results-glance
02
5% of U.S. women reported having been threatened with rape or sexual assault in the past 12 months (NCVS annual estimates as summarized in BJS tables for violence against women).https://bjs.ojp.gov/data-collection/ncvs
03
1,400 recorded rapes per day occurred in England and Wales in 2023 (ONS/Police recorded crime dataset reporting, averaged).https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice/bulletins/crimeinenglandandwales/yearendingdecember2023
Interpretation
Crime & Victimization Interpretation
Across the Crime & Victimization landscape for walking alone at night, the data show that stalking is experienced by 13% of women in the EU and that 5% of U.S. women report threats of rape or sexual assault within a year, alongside the severity of recorded sexual violence in England and Wales where 1,400 rapes occur per day in 2023.
08 · Category
Public Safety Context3 stats
01
18% of all pedestrian casualties in the UK occur in darkness (including lighting conditions not known) (DfT, road casualties by lighting condition).https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/reported-road-casualties-great-britain-annual-report-2023
02
13% of women in the UK reported being afraid of violence when traveling late at night (British Crime Survey-based fear modules as reported in a UK government statistical release).https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/crime-in-england-and-wales-year-ending-march-2024
03
112 is available across all EU member states with service-routing support for callers (European Commission reporting on 112 service availability).https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/policies/112
Interpretation
Public Safety Context Interpretation
For public safety, women are disproportionately affected by late night fear and low visibility, with 18% of UK pedestrian casualties happening in darkness and 13% of women reporting fear of violence when traveling late at night.
Reference
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APA
Lukas Bauer. (2026, February 13). Walking Alone At Night As A Woman Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/walking-alone-at-night-as-a-woman-statistics
MLA
Lukas Bauer. "Walking Alone At Night As A Woman Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/walking-alone-at-night-as-a-woman-statistics.
Chicago
Lukas Bauer. 2026. "Walking Alone At Night As A Woman Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/walking-alone-at-night-as-a-woman-statistics.
Sources & references
30 datasets cited across this report
+12 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)