Domestic abuse affects nearly one in 10 adults in England and Wales, ONS finds

Rise in intimate partner abuse drives increase, with charities warning government not on track to halve violence against women and girls

By LineZotpaper

Published22 October 2026

Updated22 October 2026

Read Time2 min

Sources2 outlets

Almost one in 10 adults in England and Wales have experienced domestic abuse in the last year, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), with charities saying the figures show the government is not on track to meet its pledge to halve violence against women and girls by 2034. The Crime Survey for England and Wales found that 9.6% of people aged 16 and over, equating to about 4.7 million adults, had experienced domestic abuse in the year to March 2026, up from 7.8% the previous year.

The increase was driven by a significant rise in intimate partner abuse, which rose by almost 2% compared with the previous year. Family abuse remained relatively stable, growing by only 0.1%.

The ONS also reported that 2.1% of people, about 1 million adults, had experienced sexual victimisation, and 3.9%, or about 1.9 million, had experienced stalking. These figures are based on new survey questions and are not directly comparable with previous estimates.

Overall, an estimated 10.9% of adults, or about 5.3 million people, had experienced at least one of domestic abuse, sexual victimisation or stalking. Prevalence was higher among women, with 12.8% (about 3.2 million) affected, while 8.9% of men (about 2.1 million) also reported experiencing abuse.

Meghan Elkin, head of crime statistics at the ONS, acknowledged that minor survey changes and the usual uncertainty around gathering data on this sensitive topic were likely to have affected the estimates, but assessed that the rise included real change. "More data points are needed to further understand the uncertainty and what this tells us about trends in domestic abuse," she said.

The statistics will be used as the main measure for monitoring the government's ambition to halve violence against women and girls. Alice Russell-Harris, public affairs lead at Refuge, said the figures told a "troubling story" and indicated the government was not on track to fulfil its pledge. She called for "vital investment" in specialist domestic abuse services ahead of next week's autumn budget, warning that survivors could not afford to bear the brunt of underfunding any longer.

Analysis

Why This Matters

The ONS data is the primary measure for the government's target to halve violence against women and girls by 2034, and the rise suggests that target is becoming harder to reach.
Domestic abuse affects millions directly, with significant physical, psychological and social costs; underreporting means the true scale is likely larger.
The autumn budget, due next week, will signal whether the government backs its pledge with sustainable funding for specialist services.

Background

The Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW) is an annual face-to-face household survey of more than 30,000 adults, considered a reliable gauge of trends in victimisation. The government has committed to halving violence against women and girls in a decade, a pledge that relies on reductions in domestic abuse, sexual violence and stalking. The latest data covers the year ending March 2026 and introduces new questions on sexual victimisation and stalking, limiting direct comparisons with earlier years.

Key Perspectives

The Office for National Statistics: The ONS reports the data with caveats about methodological changes but assesses that the increase in domestic abuse reflects real change. It notes that more data points are needed to confirm the trend. Refuge and domestic abuse charities: Charities warn that the figures show the government is not on track to meet its target. They call for long-term, sustainable funding for specialist support services, arguing that current investment does not match the scale of need. Critics: Some caution that changes in survey questions and data collection may have inflated the figures, and that trend interpretation requires caution until further years of data are available.

What to Watch

The UK autumn budget (expected next week) for any specific funding commitments to domestic abuse services.
Future CSEW releases to see if the rise continues or stabilises.
Whether the government adjusts its strategy or increases investment to meet the 2034 target.

Sources

One in 10 adults in England and Wales experienced domestic abuse in last year, ONS finds · World news | The Guardian
One in 10 adults in England and Wales experienced domestic abuse in last year, ONS finds · UK news | The Guardian

Checked

12 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 10 supported.

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Partly supportedDomestic abuse affects nearly one in 10 adults in England and Wales.UK news | The Guardian: “Almost one in 10 adults in England and Wales have experienced domestic abuse in the last year”
SupportedCharities say the figures show the government is not on track to halve violence against women and girls by 2034.UK news | The Guardian: “Domestic abuse charities said the figures were concerning, as they indicated the government was “not on track to fulfil its pledge” to halve violence against women and girls (VAWG) in a decade.”
SupportedIn the year to March 2026, 9.6% of people aged 16 and over—about 4.7 million—experienced domestic abuse.UK news | The Guardian: “The Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW) found that 9.6% of people aged 16 and over had experienced domestic abuse in the last year – which equates to about 4.7 million people.”
Partly supportedThe 9.6% figure was up from 7.8% the previous year.UK news | The Guardian: “This marked an increase compared with the year to September 2025, when the same survey found that 7.8% of adults – about 3.8 million people – had experienced domestic abuse.”
SupportedThe increase was driven by a significant rise in intimate partner abuse, up almost 2% compared with the previous year.UK news | The Guardian: “The increase was driven by a significant rise in intimate partner abuse, which had risen by almost 2% compared with the previous year”
SupportedFamily abuse remained relatively stable, growing by only 0.1%.UK news | The Guardian: “there was no significant difference in family abuse, which had only grown by 0.1%.”
SupportedAbout 1 million people experienced sexual victimisation and about 1.9 million experienced stalking; these estimates are not directly comparable with previous estimates because they use new questions.UK news | The Guardian: “The survey also found that 2.1% of people, equating to about 1 million, had experienced sexual victimisation, and 3.9%, or about 1.9 million, had experienced stalking. These figures were based on new questions, so are not comparable with previous estimates.”
SupportedAn estimated 10.9% of people aged 16 and over, or about 5.3 million adults, experienced at least one of domestic abuse, sexual victimisation or stalking.UK news | The Guardian: “The ONS estimates that in total, 10.9% of people aged 16 years and over, or about 5.3 million adults, had experienced at least one of the three crimes of domestic abuse, sexual victimisation, and stalking.”
SupportedPrevalence was 12.8% among women and 8.9% among men.UK news | The Guardian: “Prevelance was higher among female victims, standing at 12.8%, or about 3.2 million women. But 8.9% of men – about 2.1 million – were also affected.”
SupportedMeghan Elkin said minor survey changes and uncertainty were likely to have affected the estimates, but the ONS assessed that the rise included real change.UK news | The Guardian: ““While minor survey changes and the usual uncertainty around gathering data on this sensitive topic are likely to have affected these estimates, our assessment is that the rise in domestic abuse includes real change.””
Supported“More data points are needed to further understand the uncertainty and what this tells us about trends in domestic abuse,” Meghan Elkin said.UK news | The Guardian: “More data points are needed to further understand the uncertainty and what this tells us about trends in domestic abuse.”
SupportedThe statistics will be the main measure for monitoring the government’s ambition to halve violence against women and girls.UK news | The Guardian: “The statistics will be used as the main measure for monitoring the government’s ambition to halve violence against women and girls.”