Roughly 1 in 3 women worldwide, an estimated 736 million, have experienced physical or sexual violence from an intimate partner or sexual violence from a non-partner at some point in their lives. In the United States specifically, about 1 in 4 women (22.5%) report physical violence by an intimate partner, with 18.2% experiencing severe forms such as choking, being hit with a fist, or being slammed against something.
Those numbers represent lifetime prevalence, meaning the total share of women who have experienced this violence at least once since age 15. The real-time picture is harder to capture because most incidents go unreported, but the data available paints a consistent picture across regions and decades.
Global Prevalence by Region
The World Health Organization estimates that over a quarter (27%) of women aged 15 to 49 who have been in a relationship have experienced physical or sexual violence from their partner. That figure shifts depending on geography. High-income countries and Europe report a lifetime prevalence around 22%. The Americas sit at about 25%. Africa and South-East Asia have the highest rates, both around 33%, while the Eastern Mediterranean region is close behind at 31%.
These regional differences reflect a mix of factors: legal protections, economic independence, cultural norms around gender, and how willing or able women are to report violence in surveys. Lower reported rates in wealthier countries don’t necessarily mean less violence. They may also reflect differences in what types of abuse get captured in data collection.
Domestic Violence in the United States
The CDC’s National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey provides the most detailed U.S. data. It found that 22.5% of women have experienced physical violence from an intimate partner in their lifetime. The most common forms were being slapped, pushed, or shoved (20.5%), but severe violence was nearly as prevalent at 18.2%. Severe violence in the survey included being choked, beaten, burned, kicked, or attacked with a weapon.
Stalking adds another layer. About 1 in 5 women in the U.S. have been stalked at some point, and 78% of female stalking victims reported being followed, watched, or spied on. Technology has expanded the ways abusers maintain control, including GPS tracking, spyware, and persistent contact through calls, texts, and social media.
Racial and Ethnic Disparities
Domestic violence does not affect all communities equally. Police-reported intimate partner violence data shows stark differences by race and ethnicity. Black women experienced IPV at a rate of 26.9 per 1,000, compared to 17.1 per 1,000 for Hispanic women and 7.9 per 1,000 for non-Hispanic white women. That means Black women were reported to police as victims at more than three times the rate of white women.
These disparities extend to physical consequences. Women with a history of intimate partner violence were hospitalized for intentional injuries at more than ten times the rate of women without that history. They were also nearly five times more likely to be hospitalized for self-inflicted injuries, pointing to the deep psychological toll that often accompanies physical abuse.
When Domestic Violence Turns Fatal
In 2021, there were an estimated 4,970 female murder victims in the United States. Of those, 34% were killed by an intimate partner. That means roughly 1,690 women were killed by a current or former partner in a single year. Intimate partner homicide is the leading context for female murder victims, far outpacing killings by strangers or acquaintances.
Violence During Pregnancy
Pregnancy does not protect women from abuse, and in some cases it increases risk. CDC data from 2016 to 2022 found that 5.4% of women with a live birth experienced intimate partner violence during pregnancy. Emotional abuse was the most common type at 5.2%, while physical violence affected 1.5% and sexual violence 1.0%.
The health consequences extend to the baby. All forms of intimate partner violence during pregnancy were associated with low birth weight. Physical and sexual violence were also linked to preterm birth. Physical abuse in particular was tied to pregnancy-related hypertension, which itself raises the risk of stroke and other serious complications for the mother.
Long-Term Health Consequences
The damage from domestic violence lasts well beyond the relationship. A large study cited by the American Heart Association found that women exposed to domestic abuse were 31% more likely to develop cardiovascular disease than women who had not experienced abuse. The link was especially strong for coronary artery disease and stroke. The same study found a 51% higher likelihood of developing Type 2 diabetes among abuse survivors.
These aren’t small statistical bumps. Chronic stress from repeated abuse changes the body’s hormonal and inflammatory responses over time, contributing to conditions that may not appear until years or decades after the abuse occurred. Many survivors deal with ongoing pain, anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress that compound these physical health risks.
The Economic Cost
Intimate partner violence carries an estimated lifetime cost of $103,767 per female victim. Scaled to the full U.S. population of survivors (43 million adults with a history of victimization), the total economic burden comes to nearly $3.6 trillion. Medical costs account for the largest share at $2.1 trillion, or 59% of the total. Lost productivity for both victims and perpetrators adds another $1.3 trillion. Criminal justice costs and property damage make up the remaining 4%.
That per-victim figure includes emergency care, ongoing treatment for chronic conditions, mental health services, and the economic fallout of missed work, reduced earning capacity, and housing instability. For many survivors, financial dependence on an abuser is itself a barrier to leaving, creating a cycle that deepens both the personal and economic toll.
Impact on Children in the Home
An estimated 3.3 million to 10 million children in the U.S. are exposed to domestic violence in their homes each year. That wide range reflects the difficulty of counting something that happens behind closed doors, but even the low end represents a massive number of children growing up in environments shaped by violence. Research consistently links childhood exposure to domestic violence with higher rates of anxiety, depression, aggression, and behavioral problems in adolescence and beyond. For many children, witnessing abuse is itself a form of trauma with effects that mirror those of direct abuse.