Domestic Violence Statistics

National Domestic Violence Statistics

  • Every 15 seconds a woman is physically assaulted within her home.
  • An estimated three or four million women are battered each year by their husbands or partners.
  • Attacks by husbands on wives result in more injuries requiring medical treatment than rapes, muggings and automobile accidents combined.
  • Medical expenses from domestic violence total at least $3 to $5 billion annually. Businesses forfeit another $100 million in lost wages, sick leave, absenteeism and non-productivity.
  • The F.B.I. estimates that one out of two women will be physically abused at some point in their lives by men with whom they live, regardless of race or socioeconomic status; twenty-five percent of married women experience violence on a recurring basis.
  • Children who witness violence grow up believing that violence is a reasonable alternative to solving problems. Sixty percent of children from violent homes become abusive adults.
  • According to the National Crime Survey Data, men commit 95% of all assaults on spouses. In addition, the injuries incurred by men are much less severe than those sustained by women.
  • As violence against women becomes more severe and more frequent in the home, children are 300% more likely to experience physical violence by the male batterer.
  • Between 73% and 90% of the violent incidents occur in private settings outside the view of others.
  • Only one out of every 25 victims of dating violence ever seeks the help of a teacher, minister, rabbi, police officer, or counselor.
  • At least 40 percent of all domestic violence cases involve drugs or alcohol. However, drugs and alcohol do not cause the abuse, rather it provides an excuse for the battering to occur.

* Statistics Courtesy Domestic Violence Shelter – Wilmington, NC