An estimated 85,000 women and girls were intentionally killed worldwide in 2023 alone, with a staggering 60 per cent of these deaths — 51,100 victims — occurring at the hands of intimate partners or family members, according to a new United Nations report. This means that every 10 minutes, a woman or girl is killed by an intimate partner or family member.
The Femicides in 2023: Global Estimates of Intimate Partner/Family Member Femicides report, released by by UN Women and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women (November 25), underscored the severity of the global crisis of femicide, the most extreme form of violence against women and girls.
The data showed that every day, an average of 140 women and girls were killed by someone they trusted, amounting to one death every 10 minutes. While the 2023 estimate is higher than the 48,800 victims reported in 2022, this increase is attributed to improved data availability rather than a rise in killings.
While no region was spared from the crisis, the report highlighted troubling regional disparities in rates of femicide. Africa recorded the highest number of victims, with an estimated 21,700 women and girls killed by intimate partners or family members in 2023. The continent also accounted for the highest rate of femicide relative to its population, at 2.9 victims per 100,000 people.
The Americas and Oceania followed, with rates of 1.6 and 1.5 per 100,000, respectively, while Asia and Europe reported significantly lower rates, at 0.8 and 0.6 per 100,000.
In Europe and the Americas, the majority of domestic femicide victims (64 per cent and 58 per cent, respectively) were killed by intimate partners. In other regions, family members were the primary perpetrators, accounting for 59 per cent of cases.
Other forms of femicide, outside domestic contexts, remain underreported due to inconsistent data collection. For instance, in France (2019-2022), 79 per cent of all female homicides were committed by intimate partners or family members, while other forms of femicide accounted for 5 per cent. Similarly, in South Africa, femicides outside the domestic sphere represented 9 per cent of total female homicides in 2020-2021.
Many femicides could have been prevented. In countries such as France, South Africa, and Colombia, between 22 and 37 per cent of women killed by their intimate partners had previously reported experiencing physical, sexual, or psychological violence. This underscores the importance of interventions such as restraining orders and victim support systems to prevent such tragedies.
Violence against women and girls is not inevitable — it is preventable. We need robust legislation, improved data collection, greater government accountability, a zero-tolerance culture, and increased funding for women’s rights organisations and institutional bodies.Sima Bahous, executive director of UN Women
We must confront and dismantle the gender biases, power imbalances, and harmful norms that perpetuate violence against women. We must act now to protect women’s livesGhada Waly, Executive Director of UNODC
Despite increased efforts to address femicide, data collection remains inconsistent, the report said. While the number of countries reporting data on intimate partner and family-related femicides peaked at 75 in 2020, this figure dropped by half by 2023. Additionally, only a few countries can provide data on other forms of femicide outside domestic contexts.
This lack of robust data complicates global accountability and undermines efforts to prevent such killings. UNODC and UN Women emphasise the need for countries to adopt comprehensive statistical frameworks to measure and address gender-based killings effectively.
The report called for stronger criminal justice systems, accessible reporting mechanisms and increased investment in prevention. The upcoming 30th anniversary of the Beijing Platform for Action in 2025 and the looming 2030 deadline for the UN-mandated Sustainable Development Goals present a critical opportunity to prioritise women’s safety and gender equality.