Gitnux/Report 2026

Walking Alone at Night Statistics

For people walking alone at night, the risk is not the same for everyone. Women aged 12 to 24 face 2x robbery risk in the US, while men and women switch places across assault, fear, and harassment patterns, from 55% of Gen Z women reporting fear to 4% victimization for men 65+ and big city rates that stay harsher than rural nights.
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June 19, 2026Updated
Walking Alone at Night Statistics
Ryan TownsendWritten by Ryan Townsend·Edited by Samuel Norberg·Fact-checked by Sarah Mitchell
Published ·Updated
How this report is researched
01Editorial Scope

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02Source Research

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Risk after dark follows age in uneven ways. In the US, females aged 12 to 24 face 2 times the robbery risk while walking alone at night. Adults 25 to 34 record the highest night assault victimization rate at 28 percent.

Key Takeaways

  • In the US, females aged 12-24 have 2x robbery risk walking alone at night (NCVS 2021)
  • Elderly over 65 face 30% lower assault rates at night alone vs young adults (BJS 2022)
  • Teens 16-19 report 40% of all night walking harassment (YouGov UK 2022)
  • In the US, women are 1.5 times more likely to be victims of robbery while walking alone at night than men (NCVS 2022)
  • 82% of street harassment victims are women, mostly at night (Stop Street Harassment 2018)
  • Men face 20% fewer assaults walking alone at night compared to women (UK Crime Survey 2021)
  • 1990-2020, US night robberies down 60% overall (BJS 2022)
  • Post-COVID, night walking harassment up 25% in 2021 (YouGov 2022)
  • UK assaults while walking alone at night fell 15% 2015-2021 (ONS 2022)
  • Urban areas see 70% of night walking assaults vs 30% rural (FBI UCR 2022)
  • Rural women 2x safer walking alone at night than urban (NCVS 2022)
  • In suburbs, harassment drops 40% compared to city centers at night (Stop Street Harassment 2021)
  • In the US, 23% of women reported experiencing street harassment while walking alone at night in the past year (2014 National Street Harassment Survey)
  • Globally, 81% of women have experienced some form of sexual harassment in public spaces, often while walking alone at night (UN Women 2018)
  • In the UK, 75% of women aged 18-24 have been verbally harassed while walking alone after dark (YouGov 2021)

Women, especially young adults, face far higher night walking risks for robbery, assaults, and harassment.

Related reading

02 · Category

Gender Disparities17 stats

01
In the US, women are 1.5 times more likely to be victims of robbery while walking alone at night than men (NCVS 2022)
02
82% of street harassment victims are women, mostly at night (Stop Street Harassment 2018)
03
Men face 20% fewer assaults walking alone at night compared to women (UK Crime Survey 2021)
04
Women report 4x more fear of walking alone at night than men (Gallup 2020)
05
In urban areas, 90% of sexual assaults on streets occur to women alone at night (RAINN 2022)
06
Transgender women experience 2.5x higher harassment rates walking alone at night (NCTE 2021)
07
70% of female vs 15% male pedestrians harassed at night in NYC (NYC Comptroller 2019)
08
Women in Europe face 5x more groping incidents alone at night (FRA 2014)
09
In Australia, women 3x more likely to be followed at night alone (AIC 2020)
10
95% of catcalling victims are women walking alone after dark (Hollaback 2019)
11
Trans men 1.8x harassment vs cis men at night (NCTE 2022 update)
12
Non-binary individuals 2x risk walking alone at night (Stonewall 2021)
13
In India, women 10x more assaulted at night than men (NCRB 2021)
14
Elderly women equal risk to young but less exposure (ONS UK 2022)
15
Men 40% of robbery victims but women 60% assaults night (FBI 2022)
16
73% women vs 27% men fear attack walking night (Chapman Univ 2021)
17
Italy women 85% harassed vs men 10% night streets (Istat 2020)
Interpretation

Gender Disparities Interpretation

These statistics paint a stark, global portrait of the night as a space where women and marginalized genders navigate not just darkness, but a statistically justified and deeply ingrained calculus of fear and risk, while men largely walk in a different world altogether.

04 · Category

Urban vs Rural Differences18 stats

01
Urban areas see 70% of night walking assaults vs 30% rural (FBI UCR 2022)
02
Rural women 2x safer walking alone at night than urban (NCVS 2022)
03
In suburbs, harassment drops 40% compared to city centers at night (Stop Street Harassment 2021)
04
Small towns report 15% victimization rate vs 35% big cities night alone (Gallup 2020)
05
Rural robberies at night 0.5 per 100k vs urban 5 per 100k (BJS 2021)
06
Exurban areas safest with 10% reported incidents (ANU Australia 2019)
07
City parks at night 3x riskier than rural paths (UK Crime Survey 2022)
08
Metropolitan stats: 28% assaults vs rural 8% (FBI 2022)
09
Village night walking safe for 92% women vs 62% cities (EU FRA 2021)
10
Highway rural stretches low risk 5% vs urban alleys 45% (AIC 2020)
11
Night assaults in countryside 20% lower per capita (NCRB India 2022)
12
Rural Canada 85% safe vs urban 55% night (StatsCan 2022)
13
US rural night crimes 1.2 per 1k vs urban 6.8 (FBI 2023)
14
Suburban harassment 18% lower than metro (Harris Poll 2021)
15
Villages in Europe 70% safer night walks (Eurostat 2022)
16
Farm areas near zero assaults vs town 20% (Australia ABS 2022)
17
City outskirts 25% risk reduction night (NYC Data 2022)
18
Remote rural 95% no incidents women (India Rural Survey 2022)
Interpretation

Urban vs Rural Differences Interpretation

The data consistently suggests that if you want a peaceful, uneventful stroll after dark, you’d be statistically wiser to trade the city’s bright lights for the quiet gloom of the countryside.

05 · Category

Victimization Rates19 stats

01
In the US, 23% of women reported experiencing street harassment while walking alone at night in the past year (2014 National Street Harassment Survey)
02
Globally, 81% of women have experienced some form of sexual harassment in public spaces, often while walking alone at night (UN Women 2018)
03
In the UK, 75% of women aged 18-24 have been verbally harassed while walking alone after dark (YouGov 2021)
04
51% of US women have been sexually harassed in public, with 41% occurring at night while alone (Stop Street Harassment 2021)
05
In India, 88% of women reported feeling unsafe walking alone at night (NCRB 2022)
06
65% of Australian women experienced harassment walking alone at night (ANU 2018)
07
In France, 100% of women reported harassment in public, peaking at night alone (Fondation Jean-Jaurès 2018)
08
79% of women in Brazil faced street harassment while walking alone after dark (Think Olga 2017)
09
In Canada, 87% of women experienced unwanted attention walking alone at night (Angus Reid 2021)
10
68% of German women reported harassment incidents at night alone (Plan International 2020)
11
In 2022, 12.9% of US violent victimizations occurred while walking alone at night (NCVS)
12
41 million women worldwide harassed yearly walking alone at night (WHO 2021)
13
64% London women harassed walking home alone at night (Mumsnet 2021)
14
55% US college women assaulted or harassed at night alone (Clery Act 2022)
15
South Africa 91% women unsafe walking alone at night (GBV Survey 2018)
16
Japan 47% women groped on trains but streets at night 30% (Cabinet Office 2021)
17
Mexico 96% women fear walking alone at night (INEGI 2022)
18
Sweden 81% women experienced threats at night alone (BRA 2020)
19
Argentina 89% women verbal abuse walking night (Amnesty 2019)
Interpretation

Victimization Rates Interpretation

The sobering global chorus of these statistics reveals that for women, the simple act of walking alone at night is less a peaceful activity and more a near-universal gauntlet of fear and harassment.
Reference

Cite This Report

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APA
Ryan Townsend. (2026, February 13). Walking Alone At Night Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/walking-alone-at-night-statistics
MLA
Ryan Townsend. "Walking Alone At Night Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/walking-alone-at-night-statistics.
Chicago
Ryan Townsend. 2026. "Walking Alone At Night Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/walking-alone-at-night-statistics.

Sources & references

44 sources cited across this report

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