Data extracted in November 2024
Planned article update: November 2028
Highlights
Around one third of women in the EU have experienced physical or sexual violence in adulthood according to the EU gender-based violence survey (wave 2021)
35% of the youngest women (18-29) have experienced gender-based violence, compared with 24% in the oldest age group (aged 65-74)
Gender-based violence is defined as violence directed against a person because of that person's gender, or violence that affects persons of a particular gender disproportionately. Although women and girls are most affected by gender-based violence, such acts also cause significant harm to families and communities. This article presents the prevalence of gender-based violence against women in the European Union (EU), based on the EU gender-based violence survey (wave 2021). Data was collected between September 2020 and March 2024. The analyses are broken down by type of violence, type of perpetrator and age group of the respondent.
Key findings
Based on the gender-based violence survey (wave 2021), around every third woman in the EU has experienced physical or sexual violence in adulthood.
- Reporting experiences of gender-based violence in the survey was higher in the youngest age group: 35% of 18-29 year old women have experienced gender-based violence, compared with 24% in the oldest age group (65-74 years old).
- The greatest differences between EU countries concerning non-partner violence are seen in the prevalence of degrading or humiliating sexual acts other than rape.
- Home is not always a safe place for many women. In 2021, 18% of women who had ever had a partner experienced physical or sexual violence by their partner; if psychological violence is also taken into account, 32% have or have had a violent partner in their lifetime.
35% of the youngest women have experienced violence
Based on the EU gender-based violence survey (wave 2021), 31% of women aged 18 to 74 in the EU reported that they had experienced physical (including threats) or sexual violence in adulthood.
Looking at the different age groups, 35% of women in the youngest age group (aged 18 to 29) reported experiencing gender-based violence, compared with 24% in the oldest age group (aged 65-74). The same pattern of higher prevalence of violence for younger age groups could be observed, independent of whether the violence was from an intimate partner or from a non-partner.
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Source: Eurostat (gbv_ipv_age) , (gbv_npv_age) , (gbv_dv_age) , (gbv_any_age)
This pattern is visible for the majority of EU countries (except Germany, Hungary, Slovakia) when comparing the prevalence of gender-based violence by age group. However, the trend is not so clear for some other EU countries (Czechia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania).
Greatest differences in non-partner violence seen in the prevalence of degrading or humiliating sexual acts other than rape
Based on the EU gender-based violence survey (wave 2021), 20% of women have experienced physical (including threats) or sexual violence by a non-partner.
At least 7% of women in the EU reported that they had experienced physical (including threats) but not sexual violence by a non-partner. However, 13% of women reported that they had experienced sexual violence (rape or other degrading or humiliating sexual acts), 4% had been raped by a non-partner (Figure 2).
The percentage of women who said that they had experienced non-partner violence was higher in Finland, Sweden, Denmark, the Netherlands and Luxembourg (between 46% and 34%). The analyses of non-partner violence by type shows that the greatest differences between EU countries concerning non-partner violence are seen in the prevalence of degrading or humiliating sexual acts other than rape.
_or_sexual_violence_by_non-partner_since_the_age_of_15,_EU,_by_type_of_violence,_wave_2021_(%25)_12-11-2024.png)
Source: Eurostat (gbv_npv_type)
Non-partner violence was carried out in the majority of cases by a male perpetrator: male perpetrators accounted for less than 85% in only a few EU countries (Malta, Portugal, Romania). However, the share of male perpetrators was over 78% in all EU countries (the sex of the perpetrator is not known for Italy).
Non-partner violence does not always mean violence by strangers, often the perpetrator was someone known to the respondent. Strangers accounted for more than half of the perpetrators of non-partner violence in only a few EU countries (Denmark, Estonia, Spain, Latvia, Netherlands, Sweden).
Home is not always a safe place for many women
When looking at women who have ever had a partner in their lifetime, Figure 3 shows that 18% of these women experienced physical (including threats) or sexual violence by a partner. Furthermore, if experience of psychological violence is also taken into account, 32% of women have or have had a violent partner in their lifetime.
_or_sexual_violence_by_intimate_partner,_EU,_wave_2021_(%25)_12-11-2024.png)
Source: Eurostat (gbv_ipv_type)
Moreover, 19% of women have experienced physical (including threats) or sexual violence by a domestic perpetrator: either their partner or a relative, or someone else who shared their living space when the violent episodes occurred.
Source data for tables and graphs
Data sources
The development of the EU-wide survey on gender-based violence began in 2016. Testing of the questionnaire and methodology was carried out at national level over the period 2017–2019. The main survey implementation started in 2020 and data collections ran from September 2020 – March 2024 (wave 2021). More information can be found on Eurostat’s webpage on gender-based violence.
Eurostat coordinated data collection in 18 Member States (Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia and Spain), where the survey was implemented by national statistical authorities. Italy shared comparable data for the main indicators based on its national survey. For 8 Member States (Czechia, Cyprus, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Luxembourg, Romania and Sweden) the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) and the European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE) coordinated the data collection, which was carried out by private companies in accordance with the EU-GBV survey guidelines.
Additional data, other than those used in this article, including repetition of violence, and reporting and consequences of violence are available in Eurostat’s online database.
Publication rules:
- estimates are not published if based on fewer than 20 sample observations or if the non-response for the item concerned exceeds 50%;
- estimates are published with a flag if based on 20 to 49 sample observations or if non-response for the item concerned exceeds 20% and is lower or equal to 50%;
- estimates are published in the normal way when based on 50 or more sample observations and non-response for the item concerned is lower than 20%.
Context
Methodology and guidelines for the EU-GBV survey are disseminated in the EU-GBV survey guidelines.
It should be noted that the prevalence of gender-based violence as reported in the survey varies at national level. Based on the literature review and as described in the survey guidelines, the extent to which violence is tolerated in the wider community might influence the number of women who are ready to share their experience of violence in the survey. For example, the greatest differences between Member States concerning non-partner violence are seen in the prevalence of degrading or humiliating sexual acts other than rape. Women who do not consider as acceptable degrading or humiliating sexual acts carried out by a partner or non-partner might be more ready to disclose violent experiences.
The survey results showed the differences in prevalence rates between age groups. In general, reporting experiences in the survey that may have happened some time ago could be impacted by recall issues. However, a lower prevalence rate for older age groups may also be related to the social norms which existed or still exist in a country, implying that the respondent did not consider it relevant to share this kind of experience even via the survey.
Note the terminology used in the survey:
- Intimate partners are those with whom a person has or has had an intimate relationship, including current or former spouses, civil union partners or cohabitants, informal relationship or dating.
- Non-partners are all other perpetrators with whom a person does not have or has never had an intimate partnership.
- Domestic violence refers to violence that occurs within a family or domestic unit. A domestic perpetrator is an intimate partner or relative, and also includes any other person living or having lived in the same living space as the victim when the violent event occurred.
- Psychological violence by an intimate partner includes a range of behaviours, encompassing acts of emotional abuse and controlling behaviour towards the respondent: belittling and humiliating; forbidding the respondent to see friends or family, or to engage in hobbies or other activities; tracking the respondent via GPS, phone or social networks; forbidding the respondent to leave the house without permission or locking the respondent up; constantly accusing the respondent of being unfaithful or getting angry if the respondent speaks to another person; forbidding the respondent to work; controlling the finances of the whole family and the respondent’s personal expenses; keeping or taking away the respondent’s ID card/passport to control the respondent; shouting and smashing things or behaving in a certain way with the aim of scaring or intimidating the respondent; threatening to hurt the respondent’s children or other people close to the respondent; threatening to take away the respondent’s children or to deny custody; and threatening to harm themself if the respondent leaves them.
- Physical violence refers to a range of violent types of behaviour or acts involving harm and fear, such as threatening to harm the respondent; pushing or shoving the respondent; pulling their hair; slapping or throwing something at them; punching the respondent or beating them with an object; kicking; burning (with fire or acid or by some other means); trying to choke or strangle the respondent; threatening to use or actually using a knife, gun, acid or something similar; or using force against the respondent in some other way with the aim of hurting them.
- Sexual violence includes unwanted sexual intercourse through force or physical violence, or by exploiting a situation in which the respondent is not able to refuse sexual intercourse because they are under the influence of alcohol or drugs. It also includes unwanted sexual intercourse which the respondent is too afraid to refuse, and cases in which the respondent is forced into unwanted sexual intercourse with another person or persons. Attempts to carry out any of the above acts or any other unwanted sexual behaviour that the respondent finds degrading or humiliating are also included. Finally, this type of violence also covers unwanted sexual touching by non-partners.
Methodological details and quality of the survey is provided in the metadata.