On 26 November 2025, the ONS published a host of data around Domestic Abuse in England and Wales in 2024-2025.
Among the data, key points highlighted are:
- “The Crime Survey for England and Wales estimated that approximately 3.8 million people (7.8%) aged 16 years and over experienced domestic abuse in the survey year ending (YE) March 2025;
- An estimated 2.2 million females (9.1%) and 1.5 million males (6.5%) experienced domestic abuse in the last year.
- There was no statistically significant change in the prevalence of domestic abuse experienced in the last year, compared with the previous year; comparisons cannot be made before YE March 2024 because of the introduction of new survey questions to measure domestic abuse;
- The police recorded 816,493 domestic abuse-related crimes in England and Wales in YE March 2025; a decrease compared with the previous year (851,062), which reflects recent changes in police recording practices;
- There were 54,987 domestic abuse-related prosecutions in England and Wales in YE March 2025 compared with 51,183 in YE March 2024.
…
- Approximately one in four (25.8%) people aged 16 years and over (12.5 million) had experienced domestic abuse since the age of 16 years.
- An estimated 7.8% of people aged 16 years and over (9.1% of females and 6.5% of males) experienced domestic abuse in the last year. This equates to an estimated 3.8 million people aged 16 years and over (2.2 million females and 1.5 million males).
- A higher percentage of people aged 16 years and over experienced domestic abuse by a partner or ex-partner (6.1%) than a family member (2.7%) in the last year.
- There was no statistically significant change in the prevalence of any domestic abuse, partner abuse or family abuse experienced by people aged 16 years and over in the last year, compared with YE March 2024”.
In response to the data, Domestic Abuse Commissioner, Dame Nicole Jacobs, said:
“Domestic abuse is a national emergency and with more and more young people experiencing it, it’s clear we need to do everything in our power to tackle and prevent it.
I hear daily from victims of domestic abuse who have spent years waiting to go to court or been completely traumatised by the process, while far too many don’t even get there as these figures show. This deep sense of mistrust and fear stemming from low conviction rates and poor communication and support is why we need specialist services in place to help survivors in their pursuit of justice.
But ultimately these figures highlight the urgent need for government to grip this issue. While we’ve seen some progress with the expansion of domestic-abuse protection orders and embedding domestic abuse specialist in some 999 control rooms, the ongoing delays to the violence against women and girls’ strategy has left the mission to halve VAWG languishing.
If ministers want to see these figures start to fall and deliver the change survivors were promised, they must urgently publish a truly cross-government strategy that is focused on preventing domestic abuse and provide the necessary funding it needs to succeed.”
Responding to the data, Ellie Butt, Head of Policy and Public Affairs at Refuge, said:
“This week’s ONS figures are a stark reminder that domestic abuse remains at epidemic levels, underscoring the need for the Government to take bold and decisive action to fulfil its pledge to halve violence against women and girls (VAWG) within the next decade.
The data shows that, in England and Wales, an estimated 3.8 million people over the age of 16 experienced domestic abuse in the year ending March 2025, 2.2 million of whom were women. During the same period, the police recorded 1.4 million domestic abuse-related incidents (533,967) and crimes (816,493). Yet we know the reality is even more devastating, with ONS data not capturing the full extent of controlling and coercive behaviour, or the experiences of children.
Worryingly, the ONS data confirms that young people are facing disproportionately high levels of domestic abuse. Figures show that a significantly higher proportion of people aged 16 to 19 years (18.2%) and 20 to 24 years (12.9%) experienced domestic abuse compared with those aged 25 and over.
Earlier this year, data from Refuge’s support services revealed a concerning rise in domestic abuse among young women and girls aged 16 – 25, particularly involving psychological abuse, coercive control and physical violence. Although young survivors often face barriers to recognition and support, it is undeniable that there is an epidemic of abuse among young people.
During the year ending March 2025, the Crown Prosecution Services (CPS) received 76,393 referrals from the police for domestic abuse related offences, charged 53,919 suspects and convicted 41,070 offenders. While these mark increases on the previous year, these rates remain woefully low given the true scale of domestic abuse.
Many survivors we support tell us they are too afraid to report to the police, fearing they won’t be believed. For the few police reports that do result in a charge, survivors often face a long and traumatic court process, while chronic underfunding has created a postcode lottery in access to independent domestic violence advisers (IDVAs), who help survivors navigate the system and pursue convictions.
This week’s Autumn Budget marked yet another missed opportunity for the Government to commit to increasing funding and show survivors that it is serious about tackling VAWG. Meeting this ambition requires more than statements of intent – it demands sustained investment in a full range of specialist domestic abuse services. Without properly resourced services, survivors will continue to face barriers to accessing the lifesaving support they deserve.”
Responding, Sarah Davidge, Head of Membership, Research and Evaluation at Women’s Aid, commented:
“This week, the Office for National Statistics (ONS), published new figures on domestic abuse. The publication included its analysis of the abuse scales as recommended by the University of Bristol and Women’s Aid, with the aim of providing a better national picture of the prevalence of domestic abuse and to better contextualise the headline prevalence measure which showed that an estimated 2.2 million women and 1.5 million men have experienced domestic abuse in the past year.
After decades of supporting and working with survivors, we are acutely aware of the challenges that are presented when it comes to measuring the prevalence of this heinous crime. We know that countless survivors will not report their experiences to the police – due to a lack of trust in policing, or feelings of shame – meaning that police data is severely limited. The Office for National Statistics collates domestic abuse data through its Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW), which is based on a household survey and does not depend on reporting to the police. This data comes with its own limitations and underplays the gender asymmetry that we know exists in domestic abuse.
The aim of the abuse scales released this week is to group together different types of victims that experience domestic abuse based on the abusive behaviours and their impacts. For example, the abuse scales show that women experienced significantly higher rates of domestic abuse in Clusters 2 and 3 (which indicate medium and higher numbers of abusive behaviours and impacts) than men. For partner abuse specifically, women were over three times as likely to experience higher numbers of abusive behaviours and impacts – 4.1% of women were grouped as experiencing partner abuse recorded as Cluster 3 compared to 3.1% of men.
Despite this step forward, this data breakdown still has significant limitations – for example, the scales will only apply to the experiences of abuse from the age of 16, ignoring the experiences of children and young people.
Whilst the ONS questions ask respondents whether they have experienced domestic abuse in the past year, they do not ask about the impact of this for the same period. The abuse scales instead measure the impact of abuse experienced by victims since the age of 16. It is therefore not possible to differentiate between when the abuse occurred and when these impacts were felt. This means we cannot know whether these impacts are recent, ongoing, or date back many years. We know from our work with survivors that many women experience long-term impacts from domestic abuse, including economic, along with many experiencing post-separation abuse, sometimes for a significant length of time.
Additionally, whilst the abuse scales account for the number of different abusive behaviours a victim experienced, the frequency of experiencing the same behaviour multiple times is not measured by the survey, apart from for physical abuse. The scales do not make any assessment or comparison of the severity of behaviours or impacts; however, we know that the severity of domestic abuse disproportionately impacts women. The overwhelming majority of domestic homicide victims are female (65.4% or 231 victims) and most perpetrators are male (224 out of 231; 96.97%).1
The ONS is still finalising the abuse scales methodology as part of its work to redevelop domestic abuse statistics. We urge the ONS to accept all of the recommendations made by the University of Bristol and partners including Women’s Aid, Respect and the College of Policing, and we call on the government to use the abuse scales for a more accurate and detailed measurement of the prevalence of domestic abuse. For too long, domestic abuse has been a crime that hid in plain sight, and it is only by accurately measuring it, and it’s devastating impact, that we can hope to eradicate it once and for all.”
For the full range of Domestic Abuse data released see here
For the full Press Release of the Domestic Abuse Commissioner see here
For the Refuge Response see here
For the Women’s Aid Response see here
Original reporting by Family Law Week