Important Statistics All Women Should Know

Although shocking, being informed is essential to staying safe. Most of these statistics are from an April 23, 1992 report from the National Victim Center. (yes the dates are outdated but facts are facts and you should educate yourself!)

Share this information freely and alert others to the seriousness of violent crime against women. We sincerely hope these facts will empower you to stay safe and smart. There is an updated information page on the National Victim Center - these facts, I felt, that needed to be said.

• In the United States, 1.3 women are raped every minute. That results in 78 rapes each hour, 1872 rapes each day, 56,160 rapes each month and 638,280 rapes each year.

• The United States has the world's highest rape rate of the countries that publish such statistics - 4 times higher than Germany, 13 times higher than England, and 20 times higher than Japan.

• 1 out of every 3 American women will be sexually assaulted in her lifetime.

• 1 in 7 women will be raped by her husband.

• 78% of rape victims know the attacker.

• In a survey of college women, 38% reported sexual victimizations which met the legal definition of a rape or attempted rape, yet only 1 out of every 25 reported their assault to the police.

• 1 in 4 college women have either been raped or suffered attempted rape.

• In a study of college students, 35% of men indicated some likelihood that they would commit a violent rape of a woman who had fended off an advance if they were assured of getting away with it.

• 1 in 12 male students surveyed had committed acts that met the legal definition of rape. Furthermore, 84% of the men who had committed such acts said what they had done was definitely not rape.

• 75% of male students and 55% of female students involved in acquaintance rape had been drinking or using drugs.

• Rape has a devastating impact on the mental health of victims. 31% of all victims develop Rape-Related Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (RR-PTSD) sometime in their lifetimes. Based on U.S. Census reports on the number of women in the United states, 1.3 million women currently have RR-PTSD, 3.8 million women have previously had RR-PTSD and roughly 211,000 women will develop RR-PTSD each year.

• When compared with non-victims, rape victims have been found to be 8.7 times more likely to attempt suicide.

• Only 16% of rapes are ever reported to the police. In a survey of victims who did not report rape or attempted rape to the police, the following was found as to shy no report was made: 43% thought nothing could be done, 27% felt it was a private matter, 12% were afraid of police response, and 12% felt it was not important enough.