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Statistics and Key Information

Violence against women: prevalence

Global estimates published by the World Health Organisation in 2021 indicate that about 1 in 3 (30%) of women worldwide have experienced either physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence or non-partner sexual violence in their lifetime.

Most of this violence is perpetrated by intimate partners. Worldwide, almost one third (27%) of women aged 15-49 years who have been in a relationship report that they have been subjected to some form of physical and/or sexual violence by their intimate partner.

42% of women who experience intimate partner violence report an injury as a consequence of this violence [Source: WHO Factsheet on violence against women (2021).

Legal context and definition

Under the Sexual Offences (Scotland) Act 2009 [implemented December 2010] rape is defined as:
"penetration of the vagina, anus or mouth by the penis without consent.”

However, there are many forms of sexual assault and abuse which do not fit with the legal definition of rape. These can be just as distressing and have just as much of an impact.
You can read an Outline of the Sexual Offences (Scotland) Act 2009 here.

Criminal justice

[Source: Scottish Government Recorded crime in Scotland, 2022-2023]

Sexual crimes

In 2023-24, recorded sexual crimes were very slightly lower (<1%) compared to 2022-23, but 52% higher compared to 2014-15.

There were 14,484 sexual crimes recorded in Scotland in 2023-24.

Sexual crimes account for 5% of all recorded crimes in Scotland.

Rape & attempted rape

Rape & attempted rape accounted for 17% of recorded Sexual crimes in 2023-24. There were 2,522 recorded rapes and attempted rapes in 2023-24.

36.81% of the abuse experienced by survivors in touch with Rape Crisis Centres in Scotland in 2021-22 was rape; 14.13% was child sexual abuse, and 25.73% was sexual assault [Source: Rape Crisis Scotland Annual Report 2021-2022]

Sexual abuse occurs more often in the survivor’s home than in any other location (37.58%) [Source: Rape Crisis Scotland Annual Report 2021-2022]

Where this was known, only just over half of survivors (52.05%) seeking support from Rape Crisis Centres in 2021-22 in Scotland had reported to the police. [Source: Rape Crisis Scotland Annual Report 2021-2022]

Sexual assault

Reported sexual assault decreased by 5% compared to the previous year (from 5,495 to 5,237 crimes), but increased by 1% from the year ending June 2019 (from 5,161 to 5,237 crimes).

Sexual assault accounted for 35% of Sexual crimes in Scotland in 2023-24. After an upwards trend from 2012-13 to 2018-19, there have been decreases in both 2019-20 and 2020-21. However, there was a 29% increase from 4,154 crimes in 2020-21 to 5,359 in 2021-22. There was a 5% decrease in the most recent year, from 5,282 in 2022-23 to 5,025 in 2023-24.

Other sexual crimes

Causing to view sexual activity or images accounted for 15% of sexual crimes in 2023-24. This category of crime increased by 7% in the most recent year, from 2,082 in 2022-23 to 2,227 in 2023-24.

Communicating indecently accounted for 11% of sexual crimes. This increased from 4% on the previous year, from 1,518 in 2022-23 to 1,581 in 2023-24. These crimes have seen an upwards trend over the last ten years.

Threatening or disclosing intimate images accounted for 5% of sexual crimes. There was a decrease of 3% on the most recent year, from 805 crimes in 2022-23 to 781 in 2023-24.

Indecent photos of children accounted for 5% of sexual crimes. There was a 2% decrease in the most recent year from 765 crimes in 2022-23 to 747 in 2023-24.

Crimes associated with prostitution were less than 1% of recorded sexual crimes in 2023-24. Since 2014-15, these crimes have fallen by 81%. In 2023-24, 72 crimes were recorded, an increase of 16% from 2023-23.

Figures released by the Scottish Government in May 2021 revealed that almost a quarter of trials for rape or attempted rape result in a Not Proven verdict.

Only 51% of rape and attempted rape trials result in a conviction, compared to a 91% overall conviction rate. In 2020-21 there were 2,176 rapes and attempted rapes reported to the police, but only 152 prosecutions and just 78 convictions.

Rape & attempted rape	2016/17	2017/18	2018/19	2019/20	2020/21
Reported	1878	2255	2426	2343	2298
Prosecuted	251	246	313 (324)*	299 (300)*	152**
Convicted	99	106	142 (152)*	130	78**
% of cases prosecuted resulting in conviction	39.4%	43%	45.37% (47%)*	43.48% (43.33%)*	51%
% of cases prosecuted resulting in Not proven	42=17%	48=19%	68=21%	74=24.66%	Data not available

*Please note: the figures in brackets below for 2018/19 were those published in the Criminal Proceedings in Scotland, 2018-19. These have since been adjusted by the Scottish Government for 2018/19 in the 2019/20 report to reduce the number of prosecutions by 11 and of convictions by 10, meaning the conviction figure for 2018/19 given here is lower than that previously in the public domain.

Similarly, the figures in brackets below for 2020/21 were those published in the Criminal Proceedings in Scotland, 2019-20. These were adjusted in the 2020/21 report to reduce the number of prosecutions by 1, meaning that the percentage of convictions in 2019/20 is very slightly higher than was previously in the public domain.

** The remaining 1 case (1%) was neither convicted nor acquitted; this case was recorded as a 'deserted simpliciter' result which is where a trial is permanently abandoned by the Procurator Fiscal.

Sources:

Recorded Crime in Scotland (RC): RC2016-17, RC2017-18, RC2018-19, RC2019-20, RC2020-21, RC 2021-22, RC 2022-23

Criminal proceedings in Scotland (CP): CP2016/17, CP2017/18, CP2018/19, CP2019/20, CP2020-21

Note – the figures for recorded crime and prosecutions are not directly comparable as one measures incident and the other accused.

Research suggests the rate of false allegations is no higher for rape than for other crimes.

Age of victims

The specific age of the victim cannot generally be determined from the data supplied by Police Scotland. However, many of the sexual crime codes used by the police to record crime are based on specific age groupings in line with the legislation (for example, Sexual assault of older male child (13-15 years)). This will include where the perpetrator targets someone they believed to be a child (for example, through cyber-enabled sexual crime).

By adding up all these crime codes, we know that at least 37% of the 15,049 Sexual crimes recorded in 2021-22 by the police related to a victim under the age of 18. This proportion is similar to recent years. [Source: Recorded crime in Scotland, 2020-21]

Scottish Crime and Justice Survey (SCJS) 2019-20

Information on sexual crime is collected through a number of additional self-completion sections appended to the main SCJS survey. The self-completion element of the survey includes questions on sexual victimisation, stalking and harassment, and partner abuse.

The findings are included in the 2019-20 Main Findings report which revealed that:

3.6% of adults in Scotland have experienced at least one type of serious sexual assault since the age of 16.
A higher proportion of women than men reported experiencing at least one type of serious sexual assault (6.1% compared to 0.8%, respectively).
The first (or only) incident occurred between the age of 16 and 20 for more than half (55%) of those with experience of serious sexual assault.
Of those respondents who had experienced forced sexual intercourse since the age of 16, 62% said they had experienced more than one incident. Just under half of those who had experienced more than one incident said they had experienced too many incidents to count (28% of all respondents who had experienced forced sexual intercourse since the age of 16).

Stalking

In 2021-22 there were 843 incidents of stalking and 400 of these crimes were cyber-crimes.

According to the self-completion elements of the 2019-20 Scottish Crime and Justice Survey (SCJS), almost one-in-eight adults (11.8%) experienced at least one type of stalking and harassment.

Stalking was reclassified as a non-sexual crime during the period between the release of the Recorded Crime statistics in 2019-20 to 2020-21. Prior to this, stalking was classified as an offence.

Some incidents that were recorded as Stalking prior to the Domestic Abuse (Scotland) Act 2018 coming into force, may now be recorded as crimes under the Domestic Abuse Act.

[Source: Recorded crime in Scotland, 2021-22]

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