Domestic violence India: More than one in five women in India between 15 and 49 years of age experienced violence from an intimate partner in 2023, and almost 30% have faced it at some point in their lives, according to a new global report by the World Health Organisation (WHO).
Worldwide, the picture is equally grim. Nearly one in three women, an estimated 840 million, have been subjected to physical or sexual violence by a partner at some point in their lives, a figure that has changed very little since 2000, the report notes. Around 8.4% of women globally aged 15–49 are estimated to have experienced sexual violence by someone other than a partner. In India, that figure is about 4% for women aged 15 and above.
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“Violence against women is one of humanity’s oldest and most pervasive injustices, yet still one of the least acted upon,” said WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. “No society can call itself fair, safe or healthy while half its population lives in fear. Ending this violence is not only a matter of policy; it is a matter of dignity, equality and human rights. Behind every statistic is a woman or girl whose life has been forever altered.” He added that empowering women and girls is a prerequisite for peace, development and health, and that a safer world for women is a better world for everyone.
The report, which covers 168 countries and draws on surveys and studies conducted between 2000 and 2023, is an update to estimates released in 2021. Published ahead of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women and Girls on 25 November, it concludes that violence against women “remains pervasive globally, affecting women across all countries and regions.” Progress, the authors warn, is far too slow, and the 2030 Sustainable Development Goal of eliminating all forms of violence against women and girls is “still out of reach.”
Adding to the concern, funding for efforts to prevent violence against women is shrinking. In 2022, only 0.2% of global development aid was allocated to programmes focused on preventing such violence, and allocations have dropped further in 2025, the report states. This comes at a time when humanitarian crises and climate-related disasters are increasing women’s exposure to violence.
The authors call for urgent and decisive government action as well as increased investment. They urge countries to scale up evidence-based prevention programmes, strengthen survivor-centred health, legal and social support services, and improve data systems to track progress and reach the most at-risk groups. They also stress the need to enforce laws and policies that genuinely empower women and girls, warning that without a major push, millions will continue to live with the daily threat of violence.