Violence against women prevalence estimates, 2023: global overview

Overview

This global overview presents the 2023 estimates of violence against women produced during the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) era, drawing on population-based surveys conducted between 2000 and 2023 across 168 countries and areas. It summarizes the global prevalence of physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence and non-partner sexual violence among women, highlighting that nearly one in three women aged 15 years and older have experienced one or both forms of violence during their lifetime. The document also presents estimates for violence occurring within the previous 12 months and compares prevalence across regions, emphasizing important geographical variations and the limitations associated with underreporting, stigma and data availability.

The overview underscores that violence against women remains a major global public health crisis with significant social and economic consequences. It identifies priority areas for action, including strengthening laws and policies that promote gender equality, improving data collection and measurement, challenging discriminatory social norms, expanding evidence-based prevention programmes, ensuring accessible survivor-centred services through multisectoral responses, and increasing sustainable financing to support prevention efforts and women’s rights organizations.