Family law guide
By Iblal Iqbal
Part of: Hidden Forms of Abuse: Recognition, Protection, and Recovery
Domestic violence statistics for England and Wales show that an estimated 3.8 million people aged 16 and over, 7.8%, experienced domestic abuse in the year ending March 2025. That figure comes from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) Crime Survey for England and Wales. Because the survey asks people directly, it includes abuse that never reached the police.
If you are in danger now, call 999. Our list of domestic abuse helplines has numbers for confidential support. If someone checks this device, a private or incognito window keeps this page out of your browsing history.
The law in England and Wales now uses the term domestic abuse, and it covers far more than physical violence (Domestic Abuse Act 2021, s.1). This guide brings together the latest ONS and family court figures and explains what each one measures. It also looks at what they mean if you are deciding whether to act. Every figure here covers England and Wales only, leaving out Scotland and Northern Ireland. It forms part of our guide to hidden forms of abuse.
Key takeaways
- About 1 in 13 people aged 16 and over (7.8%) experienced domestic abuse in the year ending March 2025.
- Women experienced it at a higher rate than men: 9.1% of women against 6.5% of men.
- Abuse by someone who was an ex-partner by the time of the survey (5.0%) was reported far more often than abuse by a current partner (1.7%).
- The police recorded 816,493 domestic abuse-related crimes, which was 15.4% of all the offences they recorded that year.
- In April to June 2026 alone, the family courts received 8,461 applications for non-molestation and occupation orders.
Reading these numbers because of what is happening at home? You can book a free initial consultation with one of our family law specialists.
What do the latest domestic violence statistics show?
In the year ending March 2025, 7.8% of people aged 16 and over in England and Wales experienced domestic abuse, about 3.8 million people. Around one in four (25.8%, or 12.5 million people) have experienced it at some point since turning 16.
These figures come from the Crime Survey for England and Wales. The ONS changed its questions from the year ending March 2024, so today’s rate is not comparable with older years. Between the last two years, there was no statistically significant change.
| What it counts | Latest figure | Period covered | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| People aged 16 and over who experienced domestic abuse | 3.8 million (7.8%) | Year ending March 2025 | ONS Crime Survey |
| Women and men who experienced it | 2.2 million women (9.1%), 1.5 million men (6.5%) | Year ending March 2025 | ONS Crime Survey |
| People who have experienced it since age 16 | 12.5 million (25.8%) | Survey year ending March 2025 | ONS Crime Survey |
| Incidents and crimes recorded by the police | 1,350,460 | Year ending March 2025 | Police recorded crime |
| Domestic abuse-related crimes recorded by the police | 816,493 | Year ending March 2025 | Police recorded crime |
| Prosecutions, and those ending in a conviction | 54,987 prosecutions, 41,070 convictions | Year ending March 2025 | Crown Prosecution Service |
| Applications for non-molestation and occupation orders | 8,461 | April to June 2026 | Family court statistics |
The survey estimates how many people experienced abuse. Police and court figures count crimes, cases and applications instead, so one person can appear several times or not at all. That is why the ONS warns that police recorded crime does not measure how common domestic abuse is. When you compare domestic abuse statistics UK sources publish, check the period, the measure and which nations a number covers.
Domestic abuse rates: who is most affected?
Women experience domestic abuse at a higher rate than men: 9.1% of women and 6.5% of men aged 16 and over in the year ending March 2025. Young adults face the highest rates, at 18.2% of people aged 16 to 19 and 12.9% of those aged 20 to 24.
After that, the rate falls with age, to 5.3% of people aged 60 to 74 and 3.4% of those aged 75 and over. Disabled people experienced domestic abuse at about twice the rate of people without a disability, 13.4% against 6.7%. People who had ever been homeless also reported a much higher rate, 22.1% against 7.2%. However, the ONS notes that some of them may have become homeless because of the abuse.
Men still make up a large share of victims. In records from the 32 police forces that supplied data for the same year, the victim was male in 27.9% of domestic abuse-related crimes and female in 72.1%. Our guide for male victims of domestic abuse explains the court orders men can apply for.
What kinds of abuse do the domestic violence statistics count?
The survey counts emotional, economic, physical and sexual abuse, threats and stalking by a partner, ex-partner or family member. Emotional abuse was the most common type in the year ending March 2025, at 5.0% of people aged 16 and over, followed by economic abuse (2.7%) and threats (2.6%).
Domestic stalking also affected 2.2% of people, domestic sexual assault 1.6% and physical abuse 1.3%. Abuse by a partner or ex-partner (6.1%) was more than twice as common as abuse by a family member (2.7%). Within that, 5.0% experienced abuse from an ex-partner and 1.7% from a current partner. However, the ONS counts someone as an ex-partner if they were one when interviewed. Some of that abuse may therefore have happened before the relationship ended.
These categories follow the law. The Domestic Abuse Act 2021, s.1(3) lists physical or sexual abuse, violent or threatening behaviour, controlling or coercive behaviour, economic abuse, and psychological, emotional or other abuse. It also says a single incident can be enough. The survey’s newer questions capture controlling behaviour better than before, but the ONS says they cannot estimate the criminal offence itself. Meanwhile, the police recorded 49,557 coercive control offences that year. Our guides to coercive control and financial abuse in the family court explain how each one is proved.
How many domestic abuse crimes do the police record?
The police in England and Wales recorded 816,493 domestic abuse-related crimes in the year ending March 2025, which was 15.4% of all the offences they recorded. With incidents that did not amount to a crime added, the total was 1,350,460.
However, recorded crimes fell by 4.1% on the year before. The ONS links the fall to changes in how police record stalking, harassment and coercive behaviour. It is not a sign that abuse became less common. Police figures are the part of the domestic violence statistics most people hear about, yet they only show what was reported. Even so, nearly a third (32.8%) of all violence against the person offences were domestic abuse-related.
Stalking and harassment made up 23.1% of domestic abuse-related crimes, or 188,462 offences. If someone keeps following, watching or contacting you, our guide to stalking legal help covers the options.
What happens after domestic abuse is reported?
In the year ending March 2025, the police referred 76,393 domestic abuse suspects to the Crown Prosecution Service, which charged 53,919. There were 54,987 domestic abuse-related prosecutions, and 74.7% of them ended in a conviction.
Of the 13,917 prosecutions that did not end in a conviction, 6,624 failed because of victim-related issues, such as a victim withdrawing or not attending trial. Many people feel unable to support a prosecution, often while still living with the person or sharing children with them.
Still, a criminal case is only one route. A person associated with the abuser can apply for a non-molestation order themselves (Family Law Act 1996, s.42(2)). No other family case needs to be under way. Where children are involved, our guide to Practice Direction 12J explains how the family court deals with abuse.
What do the figures say about children and domestic abuse?
Single adults living with children reported the highest rate: 23.7% experienced domestic abuse in the year ending March 2025. In households with more than one adult and children the rate was 8.1%, and in households without children it was 7.2%.
The ONS cautions that household structure may have changed as a result of the abuse. In law, a child who sees, hears or experiences the effects of domestic abuse is a victim of it too, if related to either adult (Domestic Abuse Act 2021, s.3). When there are children, abuse usually shapes child arrangements too. Our guide to domestic abuse and child contact covers how the family court decides who children live with and spend time with when abuse is raised.
How many people ask the family court for protection?
In April to June 2026, the family courts in England and Wales received 8,461 applications for domestic violence remedy orders and made 9,277 orders. Most applications (82%) were for non-molestation orders, while occupation orders made up the other 18% (Family Court Statistics Quarterly).
Similarly, 93% of the orders made were non-molestation orders. Applications fell by 4% on the same quarter of 2025, while orders made rose by 4%. GOV.UK confirms there is no fee to apply for either order. Breaking a non-molestation order without reasonable excuse is a criminal offence, with a maximum of five years in prison (Family Law Act 1996, s.42A).
Our guides to the non-molestation order, the occupation order and form FL401 explain how to apply and what the court needs to see.
Domestic violence statistics and you: where does your situation fit?
Answer three questions about what is happening. The panel then shows how many others share part of your experience, what the law calls it and where to start. Nothing you choose leaves this page.
0 of 3 answered
Answer all three questions to see where your situation fits
- How many othersHow common this kind of abuse is, from the ONS survey.
- What the law calls itWhere it sits in the Domestic Abuse Act 2021.
- Where to startThe first step that fits what you need.
What the figures cannot tell youThe judgement that depends on your own home and your safety.
Figures from the ONS Crime Survey for England and Wales, year ending March 2025.
We advised a woman whose report to the police about her ex-partner ended with no further action. She took that to mean nothing had happened that any court would recognise, so for months she said nothing more. We explained that a non-molestation order is a separate family court route that does not depend on a prosecution. We then helped her gather the messages and diary notes she already had into a clear, dated account. With that in hand, she could decide whether to apply. Another family's facts may point to a different first step.
What do the domestic violence statistics mean if you are deciding whether to act?
They show that what is happening to you is common, recognised in law and something the family courts deal with thousands of times every quarter. They cannot tell you whether your own situation is serious enough to act on, and you do not need to wait until it matches a number.
Since the ONS says domestic abuse is often not reported to the police, a private record at home matters. First, start a dated note of what happens, keep messages and photos, and store them where the other person cannot reach them. Never delete abusive messages, even when you want them gone, because they may be evidence.
If the police took no further action, the family court route is still open. Talking to a family lawyer early also helps you weigh up your options before the other person knows what you are considering.
Expert Tip
When you write down an incident, add one line on how it changed your day, such as missing work or keeping the children home from school. Statistics count incidents. Your notes show the pattern and what it does to your life, which is what someone else needs to see to understand it.
Hannah Overton, Complex Children Specialist & Client Support
Domestic violence statistics: frequently asked questions
How many people experience domestic abuse in the UK each year?
The latest survey covers England and Wales only. In the year ending March 2025, an estimated 3.8 million people aged 16 and over (7.8%) experienced domestic abuse there (ONS). Scotland and Northern Ireland are not part of that figure.
Are men victims of domestic abuse too?
Yes. An estimated 1.5 million men aged 16 and over (6.5%) experienced domestic abuse in the year ending March 2025. In police records, the victim was male in 27.9% of domestic abuse-related crimes (ONS). The law and the court orders apply in the same way whoever is harmed.
Why did police-recorded domestic abuse crimes fall?
They fell by 4.1% to 816,493 in the year ending March 2025. The ONS says this is likely to reflect changes in how police record stalking, harassment and coercive behaviour. It is not evidence that abuse has become less common.
Do the domestic abuse rates include controlling behaviour?
Partly. The survey's newer questions capture controlling behaviour better than the old ones, although they do not match the criminal offence closely enough to estimate it. Separately, the police recorded 49,557 coercive control offences in the year ending March 2025 (ONS).
Can I compare these figures with older domestic abuse statistics?
Only with care. The ONS introduced new survey questions from the year ending March 2024. It says the new estimates and the older ones are not comparable, so older domestic violence statistics may not measure the same thing.
Do I need to go to the police before asking the family court for protection?
No. A person associated with the abuser can apply for a non-molestation order themselves, with or without other family proceedings (Family Law Act 1996, s.42(2)). GOV.UK confirms there is no fee to apply.
Living with what these domestic violence statistics describe?
Two things often go wrong at this point. Some people read how common abuse is and decide their own situation must be normal, so they wait. Others take a police decision of no further action to mean the family court cannot help either. A non-molestation order does not depend on a prosecution.
A free initial consultation is a conversation with one of our family law specialists, who gives you initial advice tailored to your circumstances. It does not include drafting or reviewing documents. If it is safe to do so, have any notes or messages to hand when we speak.
Book a free initial consultation or call 0330 094 5880.
You can also read our guides to coercive control and the non-molestation order, or return to our guide to hidden forms of abuse.
General information about the law in England and Wales, not advice on your circumstances.
