Almost one in 10 adults in England and Wales have experienced domestic abuse in the last year, according to a survey from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). The Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW) revealed that 9.6% of individuals aged 16 and over faced domestic abuse in the past year, equating to approximately 4.7 million people. This marks an increase from the previous year, where 7.8% of adults, or about 3.8 million, reported similar experiences.

Increase in Domestic Abuse

Domestic abuse charities expressed concern over these figures, indicating that the government is "not on track to fulfil its pledge" to halve violence against women and girls (VAWG) within a decade. The rise in domestic abuse is largely attributed to a significant increase in intimate partner abuse, which rose by nearly 2% compared to the previous year. In contrast, family abuse saw a minimal increase of 0.1%.

The survey also highlighted that 2.1% of respondents, or about 1 million people, experienced sexual victimisation, while 3.9%, approximately 1.9 million, reported stalking. These figures are based on new questions and are not directly comparable to previous estimates.

Overall Statistics

In total, the ONS estimates that 10.9% of individuals aged 16 years and over, or about 5.3 million adults, have experienced at least one of the three crimes: domestic abuse, sexual victimisation, or stalking. The prevalence is notably higher among female victims, standing at 12.8%, or about 3.2 million women. However, 8.9% of men, approximately 2.1 million, were also affected.