Rape by the numbers

Women and Girls Experience Sexual Violence at High Rates

• On average, there are 463,634 victims (age 12 or older) of rape and sexual assault each year in the United States.
• Ages 12-34 are the highest risk years for rape and sexual assault.
• Those age 65 and older are 92% less likely than 12-24 year olds to be a victim of rape or sexual assault, and 83% less likely than 25-49 year olds.
• Millions of women in the United States have experienced rape.
• As of 1998, an estimated 17.7 million American women had been victims of attempted or completed rape. 
• Young women are especially at risk.
• 82% of all juvenile victims are female. 90% of adult rape victims are female.
• Females ages 16-19 are 4 times more likely than the general population to be victims of rape, attempted rape, or sexual assault.
• Women ages 18-24 who are college students are 3 times more likely than women in general to experience sexual violence. Females of the same age who are not enrolled in college are 4 times more likely.

Men and Boys Are Also Affected by Sexual Violence

• Millions of men in the United States have been victims of rape.
• As of 1998, 2.78 million men in the U.S. had been victims of attempted or completed rape.
• About 3% of American men—or 1 in 33—have experienced an attempted or completed rape in their lifetime.
• 1 out of every 10 rape victims are male.

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