WHO VAWG stats for 2026 - 1 in 3 women

[ArabellaScott]

https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/violence-against-women

'Estimates published by WHO in 2023 indicate that globally about 1 in 3 (31.6%) of women worldwide (840 million women and girls) have been subjected to either physical and/or sexual IPV or non-partner sexual violence in their lifetime.

Worldwide, a quarter (25.8%) of women aged 15-49 years and 24.7% aged 15 years and older who have been in a relationship have been subjected to physical and/or sexual violence from any current or former husband or male intimate partner at least once in their lives.

Adolescent girls are at particularly high risk of violence, with more than one in five ever-married or -partnered girls aged 15–19 having already experienced physical and/or sexual violence from an intimate partner.'

'The actual prevalence is likely to be much higher than the reported given that violence against women is particularly stigmatized. Several challenges and gaps also remain in the measurement of this form of violence (3).

In the last 20 years, the average annual decline of IPV has been only 0.2% and the 1 in 3 figure has remained stagnant, highlighting the very little progress made globally and making it very unlikely that the sustainable development goal target 5.2 on elimination of violence against women and girls will be achieved by 2030.'

'There are wide variations between regions and countries. The highest prevalence of IPV is experienced by women in Oceania (37%), Sub-Saharan Africa (32%) and Southern Asia (31%) (3).

Intersecting forms of discrimination and inequalities place some women and girls at higher risk of violence than others. This includes adolescent girls, older women, women with disabilities, transgender women and sex workers among others. For example, violence starts early in adolescence, with more than one in five ever-partnered girls aged 15–19 years having already experienced physical and/or sexual violence from an intimate partner.

Women with disabilities face heightened risks due to discrimination and dependence on caregivers and are more likely to experience multiple and specific forms of violence, including abuse by partners and those responsible for their care (4).

A systematic review found that lifetime prevalence of physical and sexual violence against trans women is 41% and 30%, respectively (5), while among sex workers (mostly women), lifetime exposure to any violence ranges from 41% to 65% (6).

Humanitarian settings including conflicts also increase risks of violence against women and girls. One estimate shows sexual violence against refugee women to be 20% and in several conflict settings women and girls are deliberately targeted for rape (7).'

Thanks Arabella. It frustrates me so much that so many commentators focus on declining levels of crime without mentioning that this is only true if you exclude VAWG.

Overall its surely falling? We were discussing the massive drop in the crime rate on another thread. I'm aware VAWG has been rising in the past few years, but surely that's not literally excluded from figures?

I have just been smitten with doubt and checked this and I was wrong. VAWG is included, the separation - in the Crime Survey for England and Wales - is for domestic violence because these figures are collected separately in a written survey rather than with the majority of the data in a verbal questionnaire.

Clearly something I had half heard and taken umbrage at!

Thank goodness for that!