New figures from the Office for National Statistics show that around 4.7 million people aged 16 and over in England and Wales experienced domestic abuse in the year up to March 2026, representing about 9.6% of that age group, up from 7.8% the previous year. The rise has led a charity to warn that the government may not be on track to meet its target of halving violence against women and girls.
The ONS noted that some of the shift could be explained by survey tweaks, but its 'best assessment' suggests the increase 'includes real change rather than solely being the result of sampling uncertainty and question changes'.
Charity calls for sustainable funding
Domestic abuse charity Refuge said the latest statistics feed its 'concern that the government is not on track to fulfil its pledge [on tackling violence against women and girls]'. Alice Russell-Harris, the charity's public affairs lead, warned that achieving the goal is 'simply not achievable without sustainable, long-term funding for specialist domestic abuse services'.
She added that Refuge is 'yet to see a financial commitment that matches the scale needed for every survivor to access timely support'. Ahead of next week's Autumn Budget, she urged the government to provide 'the vital investment required to meet rising demand', saying that 'specialist support services, and the survivors which depend on them, cannot afford to bear the brunt of underfunding any longer'.
Home Office response
A Home Office spokesperson said: 'The scale of domestic abuse in this country is completely shocking, but we are determined to tackle it. We are embedding domestic abuse specialists in 999 control rooms and rolling out pioneering Domestic Abuse Protection Orders, to ensure victims have the protection they need. Backed by £53million, we are rolling out the pioneering Drive Project, to tackle the highest harm perpetrators, stop reoffending and protect victims – all part of mission to halve violence against women and girls in a decade.'
Satvir Kaur, the minister for safeguarding and violence against women and girls, called the statistics 'encouraging', noting that more victims are coming forward and that charges for rape and sexual offences have increased. She said the government is 'deploying the full power of the state to halve violence against women and girls in a decade' and has accelerated the deadline for police forces to have specialist rape and sexual offence teams in place to December 2027.
Rise in charges and victim numbers
The latest crime data also shows a significant jump in charges for rape and sexual offences. The number of sexual offences charges rose by almost a quarter, from 19,779 to 24,587, between the year ending June 2025 and the year ending June 2026. Over the same period, rape charges increased by almost 30%, from 5,746 to 7,445. The number of rape offences and sexual offences recorded by police also rose, by 2.3% and 3.9% respectively.
According to the Crime Survey of England and Wales, cases of domestic abuse increased for both women and men in the year leading to March 2026 compared to the 12 months before. The survey found that 11.5% of women had experienced domestic abuse in the most recent year, up from 9.1%, while for men the figure increased from 6.5% to 7.6%. The rise appears to have been driven by a sharp jump in partner abuse, up from 6.1% the previous year to 7.9%, with no comparable change in family abuse.
