About 1 in 8 women (12.8%, around 3.2 million) aged 16 and over in England and Wales experienced domestic abuse, sexual assault or stalking in the year to March 2025, compared with 8.4% of men, according to the Office for National Statistics. Survey levels have not changed significantly in the latest year, while police-recorded sexual offences, rape and stalking all rose again in the year to March 2026. Most of this abuse comes from someone the victim knows.
Updated 20 October 2026 · Sources: Office for National Statistics (Crime Survey for England and Wales, police recorded crime, homicide), Home Office, GOV.UK
If you can’t speak, stay on the line and, from a mobile, press 55 when asked (see how a silent 999 call works). The National Domestic Abuse Helpline (0808 2000 247) and the Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Line (0808 500 2222, England and Wales, 16+) are free and open 24 hours a day.
Violence against women and girls in four numbers
Survey figures: ONS, Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW), year ending March 2025: combined measure (24 July 2025, official statistics in development) and domestic abuse overview (26 November 2025). Police figures: ONS, Crime in England and Wales, year ending March 2026 (23 July 2026). Homicide: ONS, Homicide in England and Wales, year ending March 2025 (5 February 2026). “1 in 7”: 14.7% of people raped or assaulted by penetration since age 16 told the police about the most recent assault (ONS, 4 November 2025).
What do the figures count as violence against women and girls?
Official statistics measure violence against women and girls mainly through three crimes: domestic abuse, sexual assault and stalking. The ONS now combines them into one survey measure, so a woman who experienced more than one is counted once. Police figures add what is reported, such as rape, other sexual offences, stalking and domestic abuse-related crimes. Harassment in public, now a separate offence, is explained in our guide to whether catcalling is illegal.
How many women are affected each year?
In the year to March 2025, about 5.1 million people aged 16 and over in England and Wales experienced domestic abuse, sexual assault or stalking: 3.2 million women and 2.0 million men. Women were more affected in each category, most clearly for sexual assault: 3.0% of women (739,000) against 0.7% of men (162,000). Since age 16, 7.3% of women, about 1.8 million, have been raped or faced an attempted rape.
Key: share of people aged 16 and over in England and Wales who experienced each type of abuse in the year to March 2025. Any of the three = domestic abuse, sexual assault or stalking (ONS combined measure, official statistics in development). Domestic abuse = partner or family abuse. Sexual assault includes attempts. Source: ONS, Crime Survey for England and Wales.
Who is most at risk?
Young adults are most at risk of domestic abuse: 18.2% of people aged 16 to 19 and 12.9% of those aged 20 to 24 experienced it in the year to March 2025, well above older age groups. Women were the victim in 72.1% of domestic abuse-related crimes recorded by police and 90.9% of domestic abuse-related sexual offences. Between 2022 and 2024, 69.6% of domestic homicide victims were women.
Abuse at home is often hidden behind control rather than violence. Our guide to coercive control explains the signs and the law, and Clare’s Law lets you ask the police whether a partner has a record of abuse.
Is violence against women going up or down?
The survey shows no significant change in the latest year: domestic abuse stayed at 7.8% of adults, and sexual assault among 16 to 59 year olds was 2.4%, against 2.6% a year earlier, though higher than 1.7% in 2015. Police-recorded crimes keep rising, but the ONS warns these partly reflect more reporting and recording, not only more crime.
Red = rising crime figures, amber = little or no change, green = an improvement. Police figures: year ending March 2026. Survey, prosecution and homicide figures: year ending March 2025 (the newest published). The +2% is our calculation from the ONS figures. Scotland and Northern Ireland publish their own statistics: see how crime in Scotland and Northern Ireland compares. Figures for a single town or postcode are on safety-app.uk.
Why do so few victims report to the police?
Only 14.7% of people raped or assaulted by penetration since age 16 told the police about the most recent assault, so police figures show a small part of the picture. That is why the ONS relies on the Crime Survey to measure how common abuse is. You can get support without reporting: specialist helplines and sexual assault referral centres help whether or not you go to the police.
What is the government’s plan?
The government’s strategy “Freedom from violence and abuse”, first published on 18 December 2025, sets an ambition to halve violence against women and girls within a decade. It has three priorities: preventing abuse and tackling its root causes, relentlessly pursuing perpetrators, and supporting victims and survivors. Protection orders that already exist are explained in our guide to which protection order does what.
What the figures mean for you
Frequently asked questions
No. The ONS figures here cover England and Wales. Scotland (Scottish Crime and Justice Survey, Recorded Crime in Scotland) and Northern Ireland (PSNI statistics) publish their own, with different laws and counting rules, so the numbers can’t simply be added together.
The ONS lists its next Crime in England and Wales release for 22 October 2026, and the next combined measure of domestic abuse, sexual victimisation and stalking (year ending March 2026) provisionally for 2 December 2026. We update this page when they come out.
Yes. About 2.0 million men (8.4%) experienced domestic abuse, sexual assault or stalking in the year to March 2025, including 1.5 million who experienced domestic abuse. Women are more affected overall, but the helplines on this page also support men.
In England, the National Domestic Abuse Helpline is free and open 24/7 on 0808 2000 247. In England and Wales, the Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Line is 0808 500 2222, 24/7, for anyone 16+. Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own domestic abuse lines, listed in our helplines guide.
More data explained: is crime going up or down in the UK and when crime is most likely.
Sources
- ONS: Developing a combined measure of domestic abuse, sexual assault and stalking (24 July 2025)
- ONS: Domestic abuse in England and Wales overview, November 2025
- ONS: Domestic abuse victim characteristics, year ending March 2025
- ONS: Sexual offences in England and Wales overview, year ending March 2025
- ONS: Crime in England and Wales, year ending March 2026 (23 July 2026)
- ONS: Homicide in England and Wales, year ending March 2025 (5 February 2026)
- GOV.UK: Freedom from violence and abuse, a cross-government strategy
- National Domestic Abuse Helpline and Rape Crisis: 24/7 Support Line
General information based on official statistics, not legal advice. Figures are national estimates and say nothing about any individual. In an emergency, always call 999.
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Let the people you trust know where you are
Safety App UK shows a live safety map built from police data and community reports, with police stations and Ask for Angela venues marked, and helps you plan safer routes. Trigger an SOS by button or shake, or automatically in higher-crime zones, to send your live location and live video to a trusted circle, and get Safe Zone alerts when someone gets home. It does not call the emergency services, so in danger always dial 999 first. Android only, on Google Play: free for 7 days, then £2.99 a month or £29.99 a year; cancel any time in Google Play. For ages 16+.