Sexual violence in the U.S.

  • One in five women and one in 71 men will be raped at some point in their lives.
  • 91% of the victims of rape and sexual assault are female, and 9% are male. 
  • In eight out of 10 cases of rape, the victim knew the person who sexually assaulted them.
  • 8% of rapes occur while the victim is at work.
  • Nearly one in 10 women has been raped by an intimate partner in her lifetime.
  • Approximately one in 45 men has been made to penetrate an intimate partner during his lifetime.
  • One in 5 women and one in 16 men are sexually assaulted while in college.
  • More than 90% of sexual assault victims on college campuses do not report the assault.
  • 63.3% of men at one university who self-reported acts qualifying as rape or attempted rape admitted to committing repeat rapes.
  • Rape is the most under-reported crime: 63% of sexual assaults are not reported to police.
  • The prevalence of false reporting is between 2% and 10%.


Victims of sexual assault are:

3 times more likely to suffer from depression.
6 times more likely to suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder.
13 times more likely to abuse alcohol.
26 times more likely to abuse drugs.
4 times more likely to contemplate suicide.

Sources