Domestic abuse victim characteristics, England and Wales: year ending March 2025

• Domestic abuse in England and Wales overview: November 2025 

• Domestic abuse prevalence and trends, England and Wales: year ending March 2025 

• Domestic abuse and the criminal justice system, England and Wales: November 2025

• Domestic abuse victim services, England and Wales: 2025

• Redevelopment of domestic abuse statistics: research update November 2025

The Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW) year ending (YE) March 2025 shows that:

• an estimated 2.2 million females and 1.5 million males, aged 16 years and over, experienced domestic abuse in the last year; a prevalence rate of approximately 9.1% of females and 6.5% of males

• a significantly higher proportion of people aged 16 to 19 years and 20 to 24 years were victims of domestic abuse in the last year, compared with those aged 25 years and over

• a significantly higher proportion of people who have been homeless in their lifetime experienced domestic abuse in the last year

Crimes recorded by the police show the following trends:

• the victim was female in 72.1% of domestic abuse-related crimes in YE March 2025
• 69.6% of victims of domestic homicide were female, compared with 11.4% of victims of non-domestic homicide between YE March 2022 and YE March 2024

Domestic abuse is often a hidden crime that is not reported to the police. Therefore, data held by the police can only provide a partial understanding of the actual level of domestic abuse experienced. Many cases will not enter the criminal justice process as they are not reported to the police. One of the strengths of the Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW) is that it covers many crimes that are not reported to the police and provides reliable estimates of domestic abuse.

Following a thorough programme of research, testing and evaluation we have moved to using new survey questions on the CSEW to measure domestic abuse from year ending March 2024 onwards. It is not possible to compare the estimates derived from the new and previous sets of questions or to adjust the new estimates to enable direct comparisons to be made. More information can be found in our Redevelopment of domestic abuse statistics: research update May 2025 article.

Information on our current research to understand scales of domestic abuse can be found in our Redevelopment of domestic abuse statistics: research update November 2025 article.

The Home Office collects data on the number of domestic abuse-related incidents and crimes recorded by the police. Police recorded crime data, in isolation, do not provide a measure of prevalence to understand the true extent of domestic abuse. Caution should be taken when comparing domestic abuse-related police recorded crime data with previous years because of changes in police recording practices.

This section outlines findings from our headline Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW) prevalence measures and police recorded crime. Our Redevelopment of domestic abuse statistics: research update November 2025 article provides further information on estimates of domestic abuse by sex using the new survey questions.

For year ending (YE) March 2025, the CSEW estimated that 2.2 million females and 1.5 million males, aged 16 years and over, experienced domestic abuse in the last year. This is a prevalence rate of 9.1% for females and 6.5% for males (Figure 1). Compared with YE March 2024, there were no significant differences for males or females who experienced domestic, partner or family abuse.

A significantly higher proportion of females were victims of domestic and partner abuse than males (Figure 1). There was no significant difference in the proportion of females and males who experienced family abuse in the last year.

Split by the different types of abuse, prevalence rates for females were significantly higher compared with males for all abuse types, with the exception of health abuse, marital status-related abuse, and physical abuse (Figure 2).

Data supplied from 32 police forces showed that the victim was female in 72.1%, and male in 27.9%, of domestic abuse-related crimes recorded by the police in YE March 2025. This proportion was similar for most offence categories. For domestic abuse-related sexual offences, the proportion of female victims was 90.9%, compared with 9.1% for males (Figure 3). This pattern was similar to that seen in previous years.

Crime Survey for England and Wales estimates showed that a significantly higher proportion of people aged 16 to 19 years (18.2%) and 20 to 24 years (12.9%) were victims of domestic abuse compared with those in age categories of 25 years and over (Figure 4).

In contrast, the proportion of people who were victims of domestic abuse, aged 60 to 74 years (5.3%) and 75 years and over (3.4%), was significantly lower than people in age groups between 16 and 59 years.

In the majority of age groups, the percentage of females who experienced domestic abuse in the last year was higher than males. The age groups that had statistically significant differences were 20 to 24 years, 35 to 44 years, 55 to 59 years and 60 to 74 years.

Data supplied from 32 police forces showed that, for all police recorded violence against the person offences against females in age groups between 20 and 44 years, half were domestic abuse-related (between 50.7% and 52.5%).

The proportion of violence against the person offences against males that were domestic abuse-related was higher in older age groups than younger age groups. For example, the three highest percentages for males were in the 65 to 69 years, 70 to 74 years, and 75 years and over age groups (Figure 5).

For year ending (YE) March 2025, most differences between domestic abuse estimates across different ethnic groups from the Crime Survey for England and Wales were found not to be significant. However, there was a significantly higher proportion of people aged 16 years and over in the Black ethnic group (11.5%), who experienced domestic abuse in the last year, compared with those in the Asian or Asian British group (6.1%, Figure 6).

Estimates from the Crime Survey for England and Wales showed 13.4% of people aged 16 years and over with a disability were victims of domestic abuse in the last year. This was significantly higher than for people without a disability (6.7%) for year ending March 2025 (Figure 7).

Crime Survey for England and Wales estimates showed that a significantly lower proportion of people aged 16 years and over who were married or in a civil partnership experienced domestic abuse in the last year than those who were either cohabiting, single, separated or divorced (Figure 8), for year ending March 2025. However, marital status may have changed as a result of the abuse experienced.

Crime Survey for England and Wales estimates for year ending March 2025 showed that a higher proportion of people who had experienced homelessness in their lifetime experienced domestic abuse in the last year (22.1%), compared with those who had never been homeless (7.2%, Figure 9).

Data presented may include people who have become homeless as a result of the abuse experienced.

For year ending March 2025, the Crime Survey for England and Wales showed a significantly higher proportion of full-time students experienced domestic abuse compared with people in managerial and professional, intermediate and routine and manual occupations (Figure 10). It is likely that differences seen by occupation type are also linked to age.

Occupation may have changed as a result of the abuse experienced.

Crime Survey for England and Wales estimates showed that the proportion of domestic abuse experienced in the last year was higher in households composed of a single person with one or more children (23.7%), compared with households with multiple people and one or more children (8.1%) and households with no children (7.2%, Figure 11), for year ending (YE) March 2025. However, household structure may have changed as a result of the abuse experienced.

The Crime Survey for England and Wales year ending (YE) March 2025 showed that domestic abuse prevalence was significantly higher in the North West (9.7%), East Midlands (7.9%), West Midlands (9.1%), East of England (9.1%) and the South West (8.8%), compared with London (5.5%).

Split by sex, the English region estimates followed the national trend, with a higher percentage of females being victims of domestic abuse in the last year compared with males, for year ending (YE) March 2025. The differences were statistically significant in Yorkshire and The Humber, East Midlands and the East of England. The largest difference was in Yorkshire and The Humber, where 9.7% of females were victims of domestic abuse in the last year, compared with 4.0% of males (Figure 12). Caution should be taken when interpreting these figures as area of residence may have changed as a result of the abuse.

The rate of domestic abuse-related crimes recorded by the police in England and Wales was 13.6 per 1,000 population in YE March 2025. By region, Yorkshire and Humber had the highest rate (17.7 per 1,000 population) while London had the lowest rate (9.9 per 1,000 people, Figure 13). Although this could reflect differences in the rates of domestic abuse across regions, it could also reflect regional differences in the reporting of domestic abuse to the police and how the police subsequently record these offences.

Analysis on data from the Homicide Index within this publication combines data for a three-year period (year ending (YE) March 2022 to YE March 2024) to account for the year-to-year variability in the volume of homicides. More information can be found in our How domestic abuse data are captured through the criminal justice system: November 2025 article.

Homicide Index data show that 69.6% of the victims of domestic homicide were female, for YE March 2022 to YE March 2024. This contrasts with non-domestic homicides where the majority of victims over the same time period were male (88.6%).

Of the 245 female domestic homicide victims, the suspect was male in the majority of cases (235). For male domestic homicide victims, the suspect was female in 39 cases out of 107 (Table 1). In the majority of female domestic homicides, the suspect was a male partner or ex-partner (72.7%), whereas in the majority of male domestic homicides, the suspect was a male family member (58.9%).

Domestic abuse

Domestic abuse is not limited to physical violence and can include a range of abusive behaviours. It can also be experienced as repeated patterns of abusive behaviour to maintain power and control in a relationship. The Domestic Abuse Act 2021 defines domestic abuse as any incident or pattern of incidents between those aged 16 years and over who:

• are a partner
• are an ex-partner
• are a relative
• have, or there has been a time when they each have had, a parental relationship in relation to the same child

The Domestic Abuse Act 2021 outlines the following behaviours as abuse:

• physical or sexual abuse
• violent or threatening behaviour
• controlling or coercive behaviour
• economic abuse
• psychological, emotional, or other abuse

The Domestic Abuse Act 2021 recognises children aged under 18 years who see, hear, or experience the effects of the abuse, as a victim of domestic abuse, if they are related or have a parental relationship to the adult victim or perpetrator of the abuse.

Domestic abuse-related crimes

Incidents of domestic abuse that resulted in a crime being recorded by the police and are included in police recorded crime.

Domestic abuse-related incidents

Incidents of domestic abuse that were reported to the police, but following investigation, do not amount to a crime or offence according to the National Crime Recording Standards. These can be added to domestic abuse-related crimes to create a total picture of the demand that domestic abuse puts on the police.

Domestic homicide

An offence of murder or manslaughter where the relationship between a victim aged 16 years and over and the perpetrator falls into one of the following categories: spouse, common-law spouse, cohabiting partner, boyfriend or girlfriend, ex-spouse, ex-cohabiting partner or ex-boyfriend or girlfriend, adulterous relationship, son or daughter (including step and adopted relationships), parent (including step and adopted relationships), brother or sister, and other relatives.

Homicide suspect

A suspect in a homicide case is defined as either a person who has been arrested in respect of an offence initially classified as homicide and charged with homicide, including those who were subsequently convicted, or a person who is suspected by the police of having committed the offence but is known to have died or committed suicide prior to arrest or being charged.

Further quality and methodology information can be found in our Domestic abuse in England and Wales overview bulletin.

Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW)

More information about the CSEW can be found in our:

• User guide to crime statistics for England and Wales
• Domestic abuse QMI
• How domestic abuse data are captured through the criminal justice system: November 2025 article

How the police measure domestic abuse

The Home Office collects data on the number of domestic abuse-related incidents and the number of domestic abuse-related crimes.

Police recorded crime data, in isolation, do not provide a measure of prevalence to understand the true extent of domestic abuse. Caution should be taken when comparing domestic abuse-related police recorded crime data with previous years because of changes in police recording practices. For example, in May 2023, changes were made to the Home Office Counting Rules for conduct crimes (stalking, harassment and coercive and controlling behaviour).

In addition, from April 2023, police forces began using a new methodology, the National Data Quality Improvement Service (NDQIS), to help identify whether an offence was domestic abuse-related or not. The NDQIS tool automatically flags offences involving domestic abuse-related offences rather than relying on a manually added marker. At the time of publishing, 37 forces have used NDQIS and further forces will be moving to the new methodology in future releases.

More information on domestic abuse-related incidents and crimes can be found in our Domestic abuse QMI and in our How domestic abuse data are captured through the criminal justice system: November 2025 article.

Home Office Homicide Index

The Home Office Homicide Index provides data on whether homicides are "domestic". The Homicide Index contains detailed record-level information about each homicide recorded by police in England and Wales.

Analysis on data from the Homicide Index within this publication combines data for a three-year period (year ending March 2022 to year ending March 2024) to account for the year-to-year variability in the volume of homicides. More information can be found in our How domestic abuse data are captured through the criminal justice system: November 2025 article.