Almost one in three women has experienced violence from a partner or sexual violence outside of a relationship, according to a WHO report

This WHO report presents and compiles updated data from the last 23 years on violence against women, including both gender-based violence and sexual violence by perpetrators who were not partners. The fact that it broadens the perspective and combines both types of violence is noteworthy, as it does not reduce violence against women to either category separately. It is very important and necessary to produce this type of global report, which summarises the latest evidence and does so periodically, so that professionals in science, politics, health and society in general can be informed and made aware of this serious type of violence, which is a major public health problem.

It is noteworthy that the report includes not only empirical evidence published in scientific journals, but also large survey studies, overcoming a publication bias that often weighs down pure scientific publications and which needs to be overcome through integration, as in this report. In addition, it reports and analyses prevalence globally and regionally, allowing differences or comparisons between regions to be observed. The data are shocking, as is often the case in this type of report, and we can intuit that they are underestimated, as there are certain limitations that could be subject to future improvements.

The report itself highlights the limitations and challenges to be taken into account, such as the lack of up-to-date data from some countries or even the absence of data from some regions, the fact that the survey methods may differ between the various studies included, or that the populations are not comparable or homogeneous. It would be beneficial in future studies and reports to make an effort to standardise data collection and apply the same methods in order to increase the validity of the conclusions.

The fundamental conclusion is that violence against women continues to be a serious and widespread problem and has consistently resisted attempts by public policies to stop or minimise this type of violence.

The two most common forms of violence against women globally are physical and/or sexual violence by an intimate partner and sexual violence by someone other than an intimate partner. To date, the World Health Organisation has published two systematic reviews of scientific data from studies and surveys on the global and regional prevalence of these two forms of violence: first, it compiled data from 141 studies from 81 countries (WHO, 2013); and subsequently, data published between 2000 and 2018 in more than 300 studies conducted in 161 countries and areas (WHO, 2021; Sardinha et al., 2022).

It has now published Violence against women prevalence estimates, 2023: global, regional and national prevalence estimates for intimate partner violence against women and non-partner sexual violence against women (WHO, 2025), which compiles data on the prevalence of these forms of violence from studies and surveys conducted between 2000 and 2023 (441 studies from 164 countries and areas for intimate partner violence and 286 studies from up to 140 countries and areas for non-partner sexual violence).

The most notable data provided by this new report are as follows:

On both forms of violence:

• 30.4% of women aged 15 and over (31.6% of women aged 15 to 49) have been victims of physical or sexual violence within or outside a relationship at least once in their lives.

On intimate partner violence:

• 24.7% of women aged 15 and older who have had a partner (25.8% among women aged 15 to 49) have experienced physical and/or sexual violence at the hands of their intimate partner at least once in their lifetime.
• 11.4% of women aged 15 and over who have had a partner (13.7% among women aged 15 to 49) have experienced physical and/or sexual violence at the hands of their romantic partner in the previous 12 months.
• Changes in prevalence for women aged 15 to 49 have been studied: overall lifetime prevalence has fallen by 5% (from 30.8% in 2000 to 27.8% in 2023) and prevalence in the previous year by 4.2% (from 17.8% to 13.7%), but the annual rate of change is minimal (0.2% and 0.1%, respectively).

Regarding sexual violence outside the couple:

• 8.2% of women aged 15 and over (8.4% among women aged 15 to 49) have experienced sexual violence at the hands of someone other than their partner at least once in their lifetime.
• 2.4% of women aged 15 and over (2.7% among women aged 15 to 49) have experienced sexual violence at the hands of someone other than their partner in the previous 12 months.

Highlights of this report:

• Given the changes in both methodology and data availability, the results of this new report are not strictly comparable to previous prevalence estimates.
• It provides prevalence data disaggregated by age group, region, and, in some cases, by country.
• Although the prevalence of some of these forms of violence (such as sexual violence) may seem low, this does not prevent them from having a significant impact on women's lives. Furthermore, the actual prevalence is (according to all estimates) much higher than the reported prevalence, given that violence against women (and especially sexual violence) is highly stigmatised, making it difficult to report.
• In addition to the data, the report includes reflections on the methodological difficulties in obtaining this type of data and recommendations on actions to be taken to address these forms of violence.

Is the report of good quality? Does it fit with existing evidence?

“The report is of good quality and is based on a review of prevalence data from a large number of surveys and population studies conducted in all WHO member states and other territories and areas with available data between 2000 and 2023 (published before 30 November 2024). Specifically, the estimate of the prevalence of intimate partner violence in the last 12 months is based on 441 studies from 164 countries and areas in all regions, and the estimate of the prevalence of sexual violence in the last 12 months by a non-partner is based on 189 studies from 125 countries and areas.

According to the report, the estimated prevalences are the most reliable to date as the data on which they are based have been expanded and the estimation methods have been improved to produce the most robust estimates from the available data.

One issue that may be important to note is that the report states that, due to changes in methodology and increased data availability, these 2023 estimates are not comparable with previously published prevalence estimates, the 2018 and 2010 estimates (published by the WHO in 2021 and 2013).

The findings of this report reiterate and reinforce data from previous reports, showing that violence against women remains a global problem affecting women in all countries and regions.

What data would you highlight?

Almost one in three women (30.4% of those aged 15 and over) have experienced intimate partner violence and/or sexual violence by someone other than their partner at some point in their lives, a figure that has hardly changed since 2000.

In the last 12 months, 11.4% of women aged 15 and over who have been married or in a relationship have been subjected to physical or sexual violence by their partner, although there are large differences in prevalence, ranging from 38% in Oceania (excluding Australia and New Zealand) to 5% in Europe and North America. Progress in reducing intimate partner violence has been very slow, with an annual decline of only 0.2% over the last two decades.

Despite the seriousness of the problem, funding remains inadequate. The report notes that, despite evidence of the effectiveness of strategies to prevent violence against women, funding for these initiatives is collapsing, just as humanitarian emergencies, technological changes and rising socio-economic inequality are further increasing the risks to millions of women and girls. For example, in 2022, only 0.2% of global development aid was allocated to programmes focused on preventing violence against women, and funding has declined even further in 2025.

What are the implications?

"Every day, millions of women around the world are victims of violence by their partners and/or sexual violence by people other than their partners. Such violence has an immediate and long-term impact on the physical and mental health of women, girls and boys, families and societies, significantly undermining women's well-being. Violence against women is a major public health problem and, according to the report by the WHO and its United Nations partners, violence against women remains one of the most persistent and least addressed human rights crises in the world, with very little progress made in two decades."

Are there any limitations to be aware of?

In several countries, there are no data on the prevalence of intimate partner violence, and some have not conducted a survey in almost a decade. The way violence is assessed is not identical in all countries.

It is very likely that the prevalence of sexual violence by someone other than a partner is much higher. In addition to this type of violence being more complex to measure because it is highly stigmatised, it is very likely that in many places women do not report it."

Based on available data, the report conducts a rigorous analysis of estimates of the prevalence of physical and sexual violence against women at the global, regional and national levels, covering 168 countries over an extensive period from 2000 to 2023. The robustness of this report is based on improved availability of information, increased survey quality and methodological advances made in recent years. Another factor that reinforces the reliability of the report is the consistency of its results with the findings of previous research. For example, approximately one in three women (840 million) has experienced physical or sexual violence—or both—from an intimate partner, or sexual violence perpetrated by people outside the couple, at least once in her lifetime; a figure that has remained virtually stable over the last two decades.

The most relevant data in the report indicate that physical and sexual violence against women begins at an early age, affecting adolescents in particular, and that approximately 263 million adolescents and adult women have been sexually assaulted by someone other than their partner. Funding for prevention and care has declined between 2018 and 2025, in a context of growing emergencies and inequality that increases the risks for women and girls. The impacts are disproportionate in regions with socio-economic fragility, conflict or climate vulnerability, such as Oceania (excluding Australia and New Zealand), South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa.

The most notable implications include strengthening public awareness of violence against women, monitoring progress towards SDG target 5.2 for its eradication, and urging the responsible agencies to increase funding and resources for prevention, care and comprehensive protection for affected women.

The main limitation of these reports is the absence of an analysis of men's behaviours, attitudes and socialisation norms, which is key information for identifying risk factors and designing effective prevention programmes that also target men. To reduce violence, it is not enough to care for victims; we must also work with potential perpetrators. Prevention, emotional education and awareness programmes targeting men require specific data on their behaviour, attitudes and experiences.