Roughly one in four women worldwide has experienced physical or sexual violence from an intimate partner in her lifetime. As of 2023, that figure stands at 25.8% of women aged 15 to 49, and in the previous 12 months alone, an estimated 316 million women were subjected to such violence. These numbers, drawn from global health surveillance, represent only intimate partner violence and don’t capture assaults by acquaintances, strangers, or other non-partners, meaning the true scope is larger still.
The Global Picture
The most comprehensive tracking comes from the World Health Organization and affiliated research groups, which estimate that about 11% of women aged 15 and older experienced physical or sexual intimate partner violence in just the year 2023. Scaled to the world’s population, that translates to roughly 316 million women in a single year. Lifetime prevalence is more than double that rate. These estimates focus specifically on violence from a current or former partner, so they leave out assaults by coworkers, family members, acquaintances, and strangers.
Who Commits Sexual Assault
The majority of sexual assaults against women are committed by someone the victim knows. Bureau of Justice Statistics data shows that 57% of rapes or sexual assaults against women were committed by someone known to the victim, with one in five committed by an intimate partner specifically. Strangers accounted for about 31% of cases. The remaining assaults involved offenders whose relationship to the victim couldn’t be determined. This pattern holds across most data sources: sexual violence is overwhelmingly committed by people in the victim’s social circle, not by unknown attackers.
How Early It Starts
Sexual violence often begins long before adulthood. Among young survivors aged 13 to 24, 67% of females reported being first sexually abused during childhood, before turning 18. A global study from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation found that nearly half of all sexual abuse first occurs at age 15 or younger. This means that for most survivors, the experience predates college, full-time employment, and many of the life stages where awareness campaigns tend to focus.
Sexual Assault on College Campuses
College-aged women face particularly high rates. About 26.4% of female undergraduate students experience rape or sexual assault involving physical force, violence, or incapacitation during their time in school. That’s roughly one in four women on campus. The concentration of risk during these years reflects a combination of factors, including living situations, social dynamics, alcohol use, and the transition away from established support networks.
Women With Disabilities Face Higher Risk
Women with disabilities are significantly more likely to experience sexual violence. CDC data shows that an estimated two in five female rape victims (39%) had a disability at the time of the assault. Women with disabilities are also more likely to experience other forms of violence from intimate partners, including physical violence, stalking, psychological aggression, and control over their reproductive health. Barriers to reporting, dependence on caregivers, and social isolation all contribute to this elevated risk.
Long-Term Health Effects
Sexual assault carries health consequences that extend far beyond the immediate event. About 45% of women who experience rape meet the criteria for PTSD, a rate higher than for most other types of trauma. Depression is one of the most common lasting effects, and survivors face elevated risk for suicidal thoughts and attempts compared to both the general population and survivors of other traumatic events.
The physical effects are equally significant. Survivors report higher rates of chronic pain, heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, and liver disease. Women specifically face increased risk for gynecological and reproductive problems, as well as difficulties with eating and weight. Many survivors also report decreased sexual interest and increased physical discomfort during consensual sexual activity, sometimes for years after the assault.
Substance use is another common consequence. Some survivors turn to alcohol or drugs to manage symptoms and intrusive memories, and for a portion of them, this coping strategy develops into a substance use disorder that compounds the original harm.
The Financial Toll
The economic burden of sexual violence is substantial. The CDC estimates the lifetime cost of rape at $122,461 per victim in 2014 dollars. Across all U.S. victims, the total breaks down to roughly $1.2 trillion in medical costs, $1.6 trillion in lost work productivity (for both victims and incarcerated perpetrators), and $234 billion in criminal justice expenses. Lost productivity alone accounts for more than half the total cost, reflecting the way sexual violence disrupts careers, education, and daily functioning over many years.
Why the Numbers Are Likely Undercounted
Every major prevalence figure on sexual assault comes with the caveat that underreporting is the norm, not the exception. Many survivors never disclose what happened to anyone, let alone to researchers conducting surveys or to law enforcement. Stigma, fear of retaliation, distrust of the justice system, and the emotional difficulty of recounting the experience all suppress the numbers. Certain populations are especially hard to capture in surveys, including undocumented immigrants, incarcerated women, those experiencing homelessness, and people living in conflict zones. The figures cited throughout this article represent the best available estimates, but the actual number of women who have experienced sexual assault is almost certainly higher.