Prevalence and Incidence of Intimate Partner Violence

About 1.3 million women and 835,000 men are physically assaulted by an intimate partner annually in the United States.¹³ However, true prevalence of IPV is unknown due to victims underreporting out of fear and shame.¹⁴

Women are significantly more likely than men to be injured during an intimate partner assault. On average, more than four women a day are murdered by their husbands or boyfriends in the US.¹⁵

Over half of female homicide victims are killed by a current or former male intimate partner.² In nearly 70–80% of intimate partner homicides, no matter which partner was killed, the man physically abused the woman before the murder.

The lifetime prevalence (at some point in their lives) of any type of intimate partner victimization is 1 in 2 for women and 2 in 5 for men.⁵

According to the 2016/2017 Report on Intimate Partner Violence, “almost three-quarters of female victims of intimate partner violence reported that they were first victimized before age 25, and more than 1 in 4 were first victimized before age 18.⁵

About 75% and 48% of female and male survivors (respectively) experience some form of injury related to their abuse.²

Marginalized groups, such as racial and ethnic minority groups, are at greater risk for worse consequences of IPV.²

IPV victims commonly report mental health issues like anxiety, depression, PTSD and chronic health issues associated with the heart, muscles/bones, digestive, reproductive and nervous system problems. They are also likely to engage in riskier health behaviors such as smoking, high alcohol use, and risky sexual activity.²

Each year, upwards of 324,000 pregnant women in the country are battered by the intimate partners, making IPV more common that gestational diabetes or preeclampsia – conditions in which women are routinely screened.¹⁶

Patients who are screened by a medical/dental professional are 2 times more likely to disclose abuse and they are 4 times more likely to seek help.¹⁷

IPV related injuries, along with decreased productivity at work, and costs associated with the criminal justice system is estimated to have a lifetime economic impact of $3.6 trillion.²