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Statistics - sexual violence
Key statistics about rape, sexual assault and other forms of sexual violence in England and Wales.
In the year to the end of March 2017, the Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW) estimated:
- 20% of women and 4% of men have experienced some type of sexual assault since the age of 16, equivalent to 3.4 million female and 631,000 male victims
- 3.1% of women (510,000) and 0.8% of men (138,000) aged 16 to 59 had experienced a sexual assault in the last year.
In January 2013, An Overview of Sexual Offending in England and Wales, the first ever joint official statistics bulletin on sexual violence released by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ), Office for National Statistics (ONS) and Home Office, revealed:
- Approximately 85,000 women and 12,000 men (aged 16 - 59) experience rape, attempted rape or assault by penetration in England and Wales alone every year; that's roughly 11 of the most serious sexual offences (of adults alone) every hour.
- Only around 15% of those who experience sexual violence report to the police.
- Approximately 90% of those who are raped know the perpetrator prior to the offence.
Download the full report, a summary and/or the data tables for more information.
More key stats
- 31% of young women aged 18-24 report having experienced sexual abuse in childhood (NSPCC, 2011).
- Most women in the UK do not have access to a Rape Crisis Centre (Map of Gaps, 2007).
- A third of people believe women who flirt are partially responsible for being raped* (Amnesty, 2005).
- Conviction rates for rape are far lower than other crimes, with only 5.7% of reported rape cases ending in a conviction for the perpetrator (Kelly, Lovett and Regan, A gap or a chasm? Attrition in reported rape cases, 2005).
*Find out more about rape myths
Getting help and support
Everyone responds differently to sexual violence – so whatever someone feels is a valid response. But for lots of people, sexual violence can have a long-lasting impact on their feelings and wellbeing.
If you have experienced any form of sexual violence – whether it was recently or a long time ago – Rape Crisis is here for you. We will listen to you and believe you.
Get help and support after sexual violence
Impact of these statistics on survivors
Further sources
Other useful sources of statistical data relating to sexual violence and violence against women and girls include:
Child and Woman Abuse Studies Unit (CWASU), London Metropolitan University
Crime Survey for England and Wales (formerly the British Crime Survey)
Crown Prosecution Service (CPS)
