Women violence is not only a human rights crisis but also a measurable health and economic burden. Globally, violence against women results in about 2 million cases of health conditions every year, yet the risk shifts sharply by household wealth, with intimate partner violence occurring 2.7 times more often among women in the poorest households. As we move through the next set of figures, the contrast between reported harm and who actually gets support is especially hard to ignore.
Key Takeaways
- As a global estimate, violence against women leads to 2 million cases of health conditions each year (WHO global estimate reported in WHO violence against women fact sheet)
- Violence against women is estimated to cost the global economy at least US$1.5 trillion per year (UN Women estimate)
- In the EU, 7% of women reported experiencing physical and/or sexual violence within the last 12 months (FRA survey summary)
- 2.7 times higher prevalence of intimate partner violence among women who are in the poorest households compared with those in the richest households (global analysis of WHO multi-country studies)
- In the year ending March 2023, 1.0% of women experienced domestic abuse involving 'very high impact' (ONS measure)
- In 2021, women accounted for 73% of victims of intimate partner homicide in Canada (Statistics Canada)
- 22% of women in the EU reported staying with an abusive partner because they believed they had no choice (Eurobarometer 2016)
- In UNODC reporting, women constitute 70% of trafficking victims overall (UNODC global trafficking report—sex composition)
- In the UNODC Global Study on Homicide (2019/2020 editions), 80% of victims of intimate partner homicide are women (UNODC figure)
- 54% of U.S. women survivors of rape or sexual assault reported the incident to police (NCVS analysis in NIJ report)
- 34% of women globally who experience intimate partner violence do not seek help because they fear consequences (UN Women programming overview figure)
- In 2023, UNODC reported 16,000+ victims of trafficking reached through victim assistance in EU Member States (UNODC global trafficking report—victim assistance reach)
- In 2022, 4,800+ organizations provided support services to victims of violence against women under the EU Daphne/rights funding legacy (European Commission report compilation)
- In 2021, 1,470 women were supported by a crisis helpline in Sweden for violence in close relationships (Swedish National Board of Health and Welfare annual report)
Violence against women harms health, fuels lasting trauma and costs economies billions each year, with help still often out of reach.
Related reading
Health And Economic Impact
1As a global estimate, violence against women leads to 2 million cases of health conditions each year (WHO global estimate reported in WHO violence against women fact sheet)[1]
Verified
2Violence against women is estimated to cost the global economy at least US$1.5 trillion per year (UN Women estimate)[2]
Verified
3In the EU, 7% of women reported experiencing physical and/or sexual violence within the last 12 months (FRA survey summary)[3]
Verified
4In the United States, intimate partner violence has estimated annual economic costs of about US$8.3 billion in direct medical and indirect costs (NIJ/CDC synthesis)[4]
Single source
5In Australia, 2% of total health system expenditure is attributed to domestic violence and sexual assault (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare estimate)[5]
Directional
6Women who have experienced intimate partner violence are 1.5 times more likely to have depression than women without such experience (peer-reviewed meta-analysis)[6]
Verified
7Women who have experienced intimate partner violence are 2.0 times more likely to have PTSD than women without such experience (peer-reviewed meta-analysis)[7]
Verified
8Women exposed to intimate partner violence are 1.4 times more likely to report adverse birth outcomes than those not exposed (systematic review)[8]
Directional
9In the U.S., intimate partner violence contributes to 12.7% of women's health care costs associated with violence-related injuries (study estimate)[9]
Single source
Health And Economic Impact Interpretation
Violence against women creates major health and economic burdens, with global estimates reaching 2 million health condition cases each year and at least US$1.5 trillion in annual costs, while in the United States intimate partner violence alone drives about 12.7% of women’s violence injury-related healthcare expenses.
More related reading
Global Prevalence
12.7 times higher prevalence of intimate partner violence among women who are in the poorest households compared with those in the richest households (global analysis of WHO multi-country studies)[10]
Verified
Global Prevalence Interpretation
Globally, intimate partner violence is 2.7 times more prevalent among women in the poorest households than among those in the richest households, underscoring how economic inequality drives a major part of the global prevalence pattern.
Domestic Abuse
1In the year ending March 2023, 1.0% of women experienced domestic abuse involving 'very high impact' (ONS measure)[11]
Single source
Domestic Abuse Interpretation
In the year ending March 2023, 1.0% of women experienced domestic abuse rated as having a very high impact, showing that severe cases within this Domestic Abuse category still affect a measurable minority.
More related reading
Homicide And Fatality
1In 2021, women accounted for 73% of victims of intimate partner homicide in Canada (Statistics Canada)[12]
Verified
Homicide And Fatality Interpretation
In 2021, women made up 73% of victims of intimate partner homicide in Canada, underscoring that homicide and fatality in this category disproportionately affects women.
Risk & Correlates
122% of women in the EU reported staying with an abusive partner because they believed they had no choice (Eurobarometer 2016)[13]
Verified
2In UNODC reporting, women constitute 70% of trafficking victims overall (UNODC global trafficking report—sex composition)[14]
Verified
3In the UNODC Global Study on Homicide (2019/2020 editions), 80% of victims of intimate partner homicide are women (UNODC figure)[15]
Directional
4In 2022, 40% of women in India experiencing domestic violence reported that the violence was justified (NFHS-5 summary statistic compiled by UNICEF)[16]
Verified
Risk & Correlates Interpretation
Across Risk and Correlates, women’s exposure to violence is strongly shaped by conditions that trap them and normalize abuse, as shown by 22% of women in the EU staying with abusive partners due to having no choice, and by how widespread it is in other settings where the majority of trafficking and intimate partner homicide victims are women, with 70% of trafficking victims and 80% of intimate partner homicide victims being female.
More related reading
Disclosure & Justice
154% of U.S. women survivors of rape or sexual assault reported the incident to police (NCVS analysis in NIJ report)[17]
Directional
Disclosure & Justice Interpretation
In the Disclosure and Justice category, only 54% of U.S. women survivors of rape or sexual assault reported the incident to police, suggesting that nearly half do not enter the justice system through disclosure.
Prevalence
134% of women globally who experience intimate partner violence do not seek help because they fear consequences (UN Women programming overview figure)[18]
Verified
Prevalence Interpretation
Under the Prevalence framing, 34% of women worldwide who experience intimate partner violence never seek help because they fear consequences, showing how widespread barriers to reporting can persist even when violence is present.
More related reading
Services & Systems
1In 2023, UNODC reported 16,000+ victims of trafficking reached through victim assistance in EU Member States (UNODC global trafficking report—victim assistance reach)[19]
Verified
2In 2022, 4,800+ organizations provided support services to victims of violence against women under the EU Daphne/rights funding legacy (European Commission report compilation)[20]
Directional
3In 2021, 1,470 women were supported by a crisis helpline in Sweden for violence in close relationships (Swedish National Board of Health and Welfare annual report)[21]
Verified
Services & Systems Interpretation
From 2021 to 2023, service and system support for women affected by violence expanded and scaled up across Europe, with Sweden supporting 1,470 women through a crisis helpline in 2021, growing to 4,800 plus organizations providing assistance in 2022 under Daphne and reaching 16,000 plus trafficking victims via victim assistance in EU Member States by 2023.
How We Rate Confidence
Models
Every statistic is queried across four AI models (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity). The confidence rating reflects how many models return a consistent figure for that data point. Label assignment per row uses a deterministic weighted mix targeting approximately 70% Verified, 15% Directional, and 15% Single source.
Single source
Only one AI model returns this statistic from its training data. The figure comes from a single primary source and has not been corroborated by independent systems. Use with caution; cross-reference before citing.
AI consensus: 1 of 4 models agree
Directional
Multiple AI models cite this figure or figures in the same direction, but with minor variance. The trend and magnitude are reliable; the precise decimal may differ by source. Suitable for directional analysis.
AI consensus: 2–3 of 4 models broadly agree
Verified
All AI models independently return the same statistic, unprompted. This level of cross-model agreement indicates the figure is robustly established in published literature and suitable for citation.
AI consensus: 4 of 4 models fully agree
Models
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Marcus Afolabi. (2026, February 13). Women Violence Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/women-violence-statistics
MLA
Marcus Afolabi. "Women Violence Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/women-violence-statistics.
Chicago
Marcus Afolabi. 2026. "Women Violence Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/women-violence-statistics.
References
- 1who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/violence-against-women
- 2unwomen.org/en/what-we-do/ending-violence-against-women/facts-and-figures
- 18unwomen.org/en/what-we-do/ending-violence-against-women/faqs
- 3fra.europa.eu/en/publication/2014/violence-against-women-eu-wide-survey-main-results-report
- 4ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2981908/
- 5aihw.gov.au/reports/domestic-violence/domestic-and-family-violence/contents/what-is-domestic-and-family-violence/estimated-costs-of-domestic-and-family-violence
- 6pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17126975/
- 7pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19436753/
- 8pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22305161/
- 9jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/194953
- 10iris.who.int/bitstream/handle/10665/85337/9789241505369_eng.pdf?sequence=1
- 11ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice/bulletins/domesticabuseinenglandandwalesyearendingmarch2023
- 12www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/85-002-x/2022001/article/00003-eng.htm
- 13europa.eu/eurobarometer/surveys/detail/2196
- 14unodc.org/unodc/en/human-trafficking/global-report-on-trafficking-in-persons.html
- 15unodc.org/unodc/en/data-and-analysis/global-study-on-homicide.html
- 19unodc.org/unodc/en/data-and-analysis/glotip.html
- 16data.unicef.org/resources/sowc-2023-statistical-tables/
- 17ojp.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/188867.pdf
- 20ec.europa.eu/info/sites/default/files/factsheet-eu-funding-violence-against-women.pdf
- 21socialstyrelsen.se/globalassets/sharepoint-dokument/artikelkatalog/statistik/brukarundersokningar/hjalp-och-stod/arsredovisning-2021.pdf