46.4 40.2

Samesex

20.8

Heterosexual

43.3

Percentage of sexual violence (other than rape) 

victims by sex and orientation, 2010 G

Men

Women 74.9

47.4

Bisexual

Women who are raped as a minor are more than 

2x as likely to be raped again as an adult

as women without a history of early rape H

Rape victims with only 

male perpetrators:C only male perps

unimpaired

99.0%

Women

only male per

unimpaired

Men

79.3%

Sexual 

Violence

SEXUAL VIOLENCE encompasses a 

variety of criminal, and some noncriminal, 

acts—from sexual threats to unwanted 

contact to rape. Highly underreported 

because of the stigma associated with 

these crimes, sexual violence is also 

difficult to measure because of inconsistent 

definitions of sexual assault and rape; 

differing reporting requirements to local, 

state, and national law enforcement; and low 

conviction rates. Sexual violence, however, 

remains pervasive and traumatizing to its 

victims. While both men and women can be 

victims of sexual violence, most of these 

acts are perpetrated by male offenders 

against female victims. Most of the offenders 

are known to the victim in some capacity, 

including as friends, acquaintances, family 

members, or intimate partners. For sexual 

violence on campus, see the separate fact 

sheet on School and Campus Crime.

NOTE: CDC figures from 2011 unless otherwise 

noted. Hover for data hyperlinks to source material. 

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH

vs

43.9% of women experience some form 

of sexual violence during their lifetime

23.4% of men C

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey

vs

19.3% of women in the United States are 

raped in their lifetime

1.7% of men C 

Women 

(sexual violence)

Men 

(sexual violence)

Women (rape)

Percentage of racial/ethnic groups who are victims of 

sexual violence, by victim sex C

Multiracial

Native 

American

Black

White

Hispanic

39.5

64.1

24.5

24.4

38.2

22.2

20.5

35.6

13.6

55.0

31.9

Asian/

Pacific Islander

32.3

21.2

27.5

46.9

15.8

26.6

<10 11-17 18-24 25-34 35-44 

Victim Age at 

Time of First Rape (2010): H

11-17 years (29.9%)

≤ 10 years (12.3%)

18-24 years (37.4%)

25-34 years (14.2%)

35-44 years (4.5%)

45+ years (1.7%)

Perpetrators are mostly known to the victim.C

vs

Offenders of rape 

against women are:

Intimate partners (45.4%)

Acquaintances (46.7%)

Strangers (12.9%)

Family members (12.1%)

Authority figures (2.6%)

Intimate partners (40.7%)

Acquaintances (45.6%)

Strangers (27.2%)

Family members (5.5%)

Authority figures (6.5%)

Offenders of other sexual 

violence against men are:
Reported (33.6%)

Rape/Sexual Assault by 

Reports to Law Enforcement: D

Unreported (64.1%) unreported reported unknown

Unknown (2.3%)

> Rape accounts for 10.0% of all violent crime 

reported to law enforcement F

> Rape accounts for 0.2% of all arrestsF

> Law enforcement clears 38.5% of rapes F

Law Enforcement Reports (2014) Military (2013)

Correctional Facilities (2011-2012)

3.7% of inmates in prison and jail,

or 80,600, experience at least one incident of sexual victimization A

Inmate-on-inmate, abusive 

sexual contacts 

Staff sexual misconduct, 

unwilling activity

Inmate-on-inmate, nonconsensual 

sexual acts

Staff sexual misconduct, willing 

activity

Type of victimization experienced by prison and jail inmates who are 

sexual violence victims, as a percentage A

32.1 39.1

25.7 25.4

Of the 1,720 youth who experienced sexual violence

in a juvenile correctional facility:B

> 80.8% experienced staff sexual misconduct

> 26.2% experienced youth-on-youth sexual acts

Sexual Violence continued

NOTES

*Unrestricted reports go to military command and 

open an investigation. Restricted reports remain 

confidential and do not trigger an investigation but 

allow a victim access to services. 

SOURCES

A Allen J. Beck et al., Sexual Victimization in 

Prisons and Jails Reported by Inmates, 2011-12, 

(Washington, DC: Bureau of Justice Statistics, U.S. 

Department of Justice, 2013,) http://www.bjs.gov/

content/pub/pdf/svpjri1112.pdf

B ---Sexual Victimization in Juvenile Facilities 

Reported by Youth, 2012, (Washington, DC: Bureau 

of Justice Statistics, U.S. Department of Justice, 

2013), http://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/

svjfry12.pdf

C Matthew J. Breiding et al., Prevalence and 

Characteristics of Sexual Violence, Stalking, and 

Intimate Partner Violence Victimization—National 

Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey, 

United States, 2011, (Atlanta, GA: Centers for 

Disease Control and Prevention, 2014), http://

www.cdc.gov/mmwr/pdf/ss/ss6308.pdf

D Bureau of Justice Statistics, Percent of Rape/

Sexual Assaults by Reporting to the Police, 8670, 

2014, NCVS Victimization Analysis Tool, http://

www.bjs.gov/index.cfm?ty=nvat

E Department of Defense Annual Report on Sexual 

Assault in the Military, Fiscal Year 2013, (Arlington, 

VA: 2015), http://sapr.mil/public/docs/reports/

FY13_DoD_SAPRO_Annual_Report_on_Sexual_

Assault.pdf

F Federal Bureau of Investigation, Crime in the 

United States, 2014, (Washington, DC: U.S. 

Department of Justice, 2015), https://www.fbi.gov/

about-us/cjis/ucr/crime-in-the-u.s/2014/crime-inthe-u.s.-2014

G M.L. Walters et al., The National Intimate Partner 

and Sexual Violence Survey: 2010 Findings on 

Victimization by Sexual Orientation, (Atlanta, 

GA: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 

2013), http://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/pdf/

nisvs_sofindings.pdf

H ---The National Intimate Partner and Sexual 

Violence Survey: 2010 Summary Report, http://

www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/pdf/nisvs_

report2010-a.pdf

4,113 service members 

report being sexually assaultedE

> 54% of sexual assaults are by other service members E

> 10% of reported incidents occurred prior to military serviceE

unrestricted restricted

> 3,768 reports are unrestricted* 

1,293 remain restricted*E

vs

Of the 5,061 total reports involving 

service members as victims or perpetrators: