British Medical Journal
November 24, 2025
Nearly a Billion Women Face Domestic or Sexual Violence, Report Finds
Nearly one in three women worldwide—some 840 million—have experienced sexual violence in their lifetime, a report by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the UN suggests. The organizations also condemned the fact that rates of such violence had barely dropped in more than two decades.
The data presented showed changes over time in the estimated global prevalence of physical or sexual intimate partner violence against women aged 15-49 from 2000 to 2023. In 2023, 25.8% of women aged 15-49 (uncertainty interval 23.7% to 28.8%) had experienced physical or sexual intimate partner violence at some point in their life, which compared with 30.8% (27.9% to 34.4%) in 2000. For the first time the report includes national and regional estimates of sexual violence by someone other than a partner. Findings suggest that some 263 million women have experienced non-partner sexual violence since age 15.
Women subjected to violence face unintended pregnancies, a higher risk of acquiring sexually transmitted infections and experiencing depression. Sexual and reproductive health services are an important entry point for survivors to receive the high-quality care they need.
The report underscores the reality that violence against women begins early and risks persist throughout life. For example, in the past 12 months alone, 12.5 million adolescent girls 15-19 years of age or 16% have experienced physical and/or sexual violence from an intimate partner. While violence occurs in every country, women in least-developed, conflict-affected, and climate-vulnerable settings are disproportionately affected.
The rates of the Past 12 months prevalence of intimate partner violence among ever-married/-partnered women 15 years and older among the United Nations SDG regional and subregion classifications are ranked below from highest to lowest prevalence:
- Oceania (excluding Australia and New Zealand): 38%
- Central and Southern Asia: 18%
- Southern Asia – 19%
- Least Developed Countries – 18%
- Sub-Saharan Africa – 17%
- Small Island Developing States – 17%
- Northern Africa and Western Asia – 14%
- Northern Africa – 16%
- Oceania (including Australia and New Zealand) – 13%
- Eastern and South-Eastern Asia – 8%
- Latin American and the Caribbean – 7%
- Europe and Northern America – 5%