46 Appalling Domestic Abuse Statistics

In the United States, about 12 million people experience some form of domestic abuse each year by either a current or former domestic partner. Some estimates push this number as high as 20 million people annually. This means about 1.3% of women and about 1% of men will experience at least on domestic abuse incident in the next 12 months.

Domestic abuse can take on several forms. It is often thought of as physical abuse, but emotional abuse, sexual abuse, and financial abuse are forms of domestic violence as well. When there isn’t equality in the relationship of a domestic partner, then the possibility of violence rises.

It isn’t just adult-on-adult abuse either. Child abuse is a serious, long-lasting form of domestic violence that can have devastating effects on families and communities.

These domestic abuse statistics show that this is a subject matter which must be taken more seriously. From law enforcement to survivor support, there is a way for every person to get involved today.

Statistics About Domestic Abuse

1. About 20 people per minute are physically abused by an intimate partner in the United States. (NCADV)

2. 33% of women and 25% of men have been the victim of physical violence by an intimate partner at some point within their lifetime. (NCADV)

3. The number of American troops that were killed in Iraq and Afghanistan between 2001-2012 was 6,488. The number of American women who were murdered by a current of former male partner during that time was 11,766. (Huffington Post)

4. Women are 5.5 times more likely to be the victim of domestic abuse compared to men. (Huffington Post)

5. 1 in 7 women and 1 in 18 men have been stalked by an intimate partner during their lifetime to the point where the victim felt fearful or believed that someone close to them would be harmed or killed. (NCADV)

6. The presence of a gun during a domestic abuse incident increases the risk of a homicide occurring by 500%. (NCADV)

7. 19% of domestic violence involves a weapon of some sort. (NCADV)

8. Only 1 in 3 people who are injured by an intimate partner during an incident of domestic abuse will receive medical care for their injuries. (NCADV)

9. Three women are murdered every day, on average, by a current or former male partner in the United States. (Huffington Post)

10. Women with disabilities are 40% more likely to experience intimate partner violence, especially severe violence, then women who do not have a disability. (Huffington Post)

11. In 2011, 1,509 women in the United states were murdered by men they knew in 2011. More than half of these women were killed by an intimate partner and 1 in 6 of them were killed by an intimate partner during an argument. (Huffington Post)

12. Every minute in the United States, on average, 20 people are victims of intimate partner violence. (Huffington Post)

13. 25% of US women will be victims of severe violence by an intimate partner at least once in their lives. (Huffington Post)

14. About 30% of women and 10% of men in the US have experience physical violence, sexual assault, or stalking by a partner and report that this has a related impact on their functioning. (NDVH)

15. Intimate partner violence as a form of domestic abuse affects 12 million people on its own every year. (NDVH)

16. 77% of women ages 18-24, 76% of women ages 25-34, and 81% of women ages 35-49 have been previously experienced domestic abuse at least once by the same intimate partner. (NDVH)

17. On the average day in the United States, there are more than 20,000 phone calls placed to domestic violence hotlines across the country. (NCADV)

18. Women between the ages of 18-24 are the most commonly abused demographic by an intimate partner. (NCADV)

19. Almost half of men (44.9%) and women (46.7%) have been raped by an acquaintance. Of this population, 45.4% of women and 29% of men who have been victimized in such a way were raped by a current or former intimate partner. (NCADV)

20. 60.8% of women who are stalking victims and 43.5% of men who are victims report being stalked by a current or former intimate partner. (NCADV)

21. Globally, men who are exposed to domestic violence as a child are up to 4 times more likely to perpetrate intimate partner violence when they become an adult compared to men who did not experience domestic abuse as a child. (Huffington Post)

22. Women lose 8 million days of paid work every year because of the domestic abuse that is perpetrated against them by a current or former male partner. This is a loss that is equivalent to 32,000 full-time jobs in the United States. (Huffington Post)

23. A woman is beaten every 9 seconds, on average, in the United States. (Huffington Post)

24. There are 18.5 million mental health care visits that occur in the United States each year because of intimate partner violence. (Huffington Post)

25. The average cost of treatment at an emergency room for a woman who has experienced domestic abuse is $948. The average cost for a man who has experienced domestic abuse is just $387. (Huffington Post)

26. Intimate partner violence is the leading cause of injury-related deaths and female homicides during a pregnancy. (Huffington Post)

27. 40% of gay or bisexual men will experience at least one incident of intimate partner violence in their lifetime. (Huffington Post)

28. 48% of men and women have experienced psychological aggression by an intimate partner at least once in their lifetime. (NDVH)

29. A study of intimate partner homicides found that 1 in 5 victims were not the intimate partners themselves, but a family member, friend, neighbor, Good Samaritan, police officer, or bystander. (NCADV)

30. 72% of all murder-suicides involve an intimate partner. (NCADV)

31. 94% of the victims of a murder-suicide incident are women. (NCADV)

32. 1 in 15 children are exposed to intimate partner violence at least once each year. 90% of these children are eyewitnesses to this type of domestic abuse. (NCADV)

33. The cost of intimate partner violence exceeds $8.5 billion annually. Up to 60% of the victims of domestic abuse will lose their jobs due to reasons that stem directly from the abuse they have suffered. (NCADV)

34. Between 2003-2008, 142 women were murdered while they were at work by a domestic abuser. This accounts for 78% of women who were killed in the workplace during this timeframe. (NCADV)

35. Women who are abused by an intimate partner are more vulnerable to contracting an STI, including HIV, because of forced intercourse and a prolonged exposure to stress. (NCADV)

36. 81% of the women who are stalked by a current or former male partner will also be physically abused by that partner. (Huffington Post)

37. Women who are the victims of domestic violence are 8 times more likely to be killed by an intimate partner if there is a firearm in the home. (Huffington Post)

38. 98% of domestic abuse victims will also suffer from financial abuse that occurs at the same time. This is the #1 reason why survivors of domestic abuse decide to stay or return to an abusive relationship. The abuser controls their money, which leaves them with no available financial resources in order to break free from the relationship. (Huffington Post)

39. In 2013, 21 people who identify with the LGBTQIA+ community were murdered by their intimate partners. 50% of them were a minority ethnicity or race. It was the highest documented level of domestic violence homicides in this community in recorded history. (Huffington Post)

40. A transgender person of color is 2.6 times more likely to become the victim of domestic abuse that an individual who does not identify with the LGBTQIA+ community. (Huffington Post)

41. Domestic violence is the third-leading cause of homelessness among families. (National Coalition for the Homeless)

42. Women are 70 times more likely to be murdered by a domestic abuser in the first few weeks after leaving than at any other time in the relationship. (Huffington Post)

43. Only 1 in 4 domestic abuse incidents that involve a physical assault are reported to law enforcement officials. (Huffington Post)

44. In 2015, more than 21,000 children and 18,000 adults found safety in emergency shelters, transitional housing, or other protective housing options. Another 25,000 adults and 6,000 children received advocacy and support from non-residential services. (DVRC)

45. African-American/Black women experience domestic abuse at rates that are 35% higher than women who are White/Caucasian. (Huffington Post)

46. 70% of women worldwide will experience physical or sexual abuse by an intimate partner during their lifetime. (Huffington Post)

These domestic abuse statistics are evidence that we must take this matter seriously. The people who are trapped in these abusive relationships need help. Even if they are resistant to that help, we can work to lessen the uncertainty and fear that comes with a decision to leave.

No one deserves to be a victim. No one.