Nearly 1 in 3 women worldwide
About 31.6% of women worldwide, approximately 840 million women and girls, have experienced physical and/or sexual violence during their lifetime.
Source: World Health Organization, 2026
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Statistics
The scale is global. Every number represents a person.
Abuse, violence, exploitation, and coercion affect people of every age, gender, culture, and background. Statistics help show the scale of the problem. They cannot show every experience.
If you need help now, you do not need to understand every statistic first.
A global snapshot
Four key statistics show the scale of abuse worldwide.
1 in 3
women worldwide have experienced physical or sexual violence.
Source: WHO
370 million
girls and women experienced rape or sexual assault before age 18.
Source: UNICEF
240–310 million
boys and men experienced rape or sexual assault during childhood.
Source: UNICEF
38%
of detected trafficking victims worldwide are children.
Source: UNODC
Women & Girls
Violence against women and girls is widespread and can take many forms, including domestic violence, sexual assault, harmful practices and more.
About 1 in 4 women who have had a partner
Among women who have been in a relationship, roughly 1 in 4 have experienced physical and/or sexual violence from a current or former intimate partner.
Source: World Health Organization, 2026
More than 1 in 5 partnered girls ages 15 to 19
More than 1 in 5 girls ages 15 to 19 who have been married or partnered have already experienced physical and/or sexual violence from an intimate partner.
Source: World Health Organization, 2026
Childhood Sexual Harm
Millions of children experience sexual violence before age 18, with long-term effects on health, education and well-being.
More than 370 million girls and women
More than 370 million girls and women alive today experienced rape or sexual assault before age 18.
That is about 1 in 8.
Source: UNICEF, 2024
About 650 million girls and women
When broader forms of sexual violence are included, such as online or verbal abuse and other non-contact harm, UNICEF estimates that approximately 650 million girls and women alive today experienced sexual violence during childhood.
That is about 1 in 5.
Source: UNICEF
These figures measure different forms of harm and should not be treated as interchangeable.
Boys & Men
Boys and men also experience sexual violence and other forms of abuse, often at high rates and rarely talked about.
240 to 310 million boys and men
UNICEF estimates that 240 to 310 million boys and men alive today experienced rape or sexual assault during childhood.
That is around 1 in 11.
Source: UNICEF
410 to 530 million boys and men
When broader non-contact forms of sexual violence are included, the estimate rises to between 410 million and 530 million boys and men.
That is around 1 in 7.
Source: UNICEF
Children & Violence at Home
Many children experience violence, neglect and harmful discipline in their homes and communities.
6 in 10 children under 5
Around 400 million children under age 5 regularly experience physical punishment and/or psychological violence from parents or caregivers.
Source: World Health Organization, 2026
1.6 billion children
Around 1.6 billion children regularly experience violent punishment by caregivers at home.
Source: UNICEF
1.2 billion children
Around 1.2 billion children are subjected to corporal punishment at home.
Source: UNICEF
More than 1 in 4 caregivers
Slightly more than 1 in 4 mothers and primary caregivers say physical punishment is necessary to raise and educate children properly.
Source: UNICEF
1 in 5 women and 1 in 7 men
WHO reports that 1 in 5 women and 1 in 7 men say they were sexually abused as children.
Source: World Health Organization, 2026
Women · 1 in 5
Men · 1 in 7
More than 40,000 children die by homicide each year
WHO estimates approximately 40,150 homicide deaths among children under age 18 each year.
WHO notes that the true number may be higher because some deaths caused by maltreatment are recorded as accidents or other causes.
Source: World Health Organization, 2026
Each dot represents about 1,000 children.
Trafficking & Exploitation
Millions of people are trafficked and exploited worldwide, including a high proportion of children.
Children are 38% of detected trafficking victims
In 2022, children made up 38% of detected trafficking victims worldwide.
Girls represented 22% of all detected victims and boys 16%.
Source: UNODC Global Report on Trafficking in Persons 2024
Girls 22%Boys 16%Adults 62%
Detected child trafficking increased sharply
The number of child trafficking victims detected globally in 2022 was approximately 31% higher than in 2019.
Source: UNODC, 2024
Indexed: 2019 = 100.
Nearly 50 million people are living in modern slavery
Approximately:
28 million in forced labour
22 million in forced marriages
Source: International Labour Organization, Walk Free, and International Organization for Migration
Child Marriage & Harmful Practices
Millions of girls and some boys are married before age 18 and face other harmful practices.
12 million girls each year
Around 12 million girls are married before age 18 every year.
Source: UNICEF
Child marriage affects boys too
UNICEF estimates that 115 million boys and men alive today were married before age 18.
Child marriage is much more common among girls, but it can affect children of both sexes.
Source: UNICEF
More than 230 million girls and women
More than 230 million girls and women alive today have undergone female genital mutilation.
Many experienced it before age 15.
Source: UNICEF
Older Adults
Abuse can also affect older adults, including physical, emotional, financial harm and neglect.
Around 1 in 6 people age 60 and older
Around 1 in 6 people age 60 or older experienced some form of abuse in community settings during the past year.
Abuse can include physical, sexual, psychological, emotional, financial, and material harm, as well as neglect and abandonment.
Source: World Health Organization
These numbers do not show everything.
Statistics depend on what people are able or willing to report, how abuse is defined, and whether governments and organizations collect the information.
- Some abuse never reaches official systems.
- Some victims are too young to understand what happened.
- Some fear retaliation.
- Some depend financially or emotionally on the person hurting them.
- Some do not believe they will be believed.
- Some do not yet have words for what happened.
That is why statistics should be understood as evidence of scale, not a complete count of human experience.
Share the message
Hear Me HelpAbuse is not rare.
Four key statistics show the scale of abuse worldwide.
1 in 3
women worldwide have experienced physical or sexual violence.
Source: WHO
370 million
girls and women experienced rape or sexual assault before age 18.
Source: UNICEF
240–310 million
boys and men experienced rape or sexual assault during childhood.
Source: UNICEF
38%
of detected trafficking victims worldwide are children.
Source: UNODC
You are not alone. Help is available.
Visit hearmehelp.com
You do not have to become a statistic before asking for help.
You do not need proof that your experience is common.
You do not need the perfect label.
You do not need to wait until something becomes worse.
If something feels unsafe, controlling, threatening, confusing, or wrong, you can begin with one safer step.
About the data
Sources
- World Health Organization
- UNICEF
- United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime
- International Labour Organization
- International Organization for Migration
- Walk Free
These figures come from major international organizations including the World Health Organization, UNICEF, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, and the International Labour Organization.
Statistics may be updated as new global estimates become available.
Different organizations may use different definitions, age ranges, survey methods, and reporting periods. Where figures measure different forms of harm, Hear Me Help keeps those distinctions visible rather than treating unlike statistics as interchangeable.
Last reviewed: October 2026