Rape Statistics by Country 2022

Rape is a crime that often includes a person being sexually assaulted against their will, either forcefully or under fear of physical harm. The issue of rape affects people all around the world.

The difficulty of obtaining accurate rape statistics

Rape data are notoriously hard, making it difficult to conclude. Another issue is that most victims of sexual assault opt not to come forward and disclose what has happened to authorities.

Embarrassment, victim shaming, fear of retaliation from the rapist, or even concern about how the victim’s family would respond are all plausible causes for this choice.

Sexual assault laws in many nations are either weak or not enforced. Victims may believe that law enforcement involvement is futile, and it may make matters worse in some situations.

Rape remains mostly unreported for various reasons, but one thing is certain: it happens far too often. An estimated 35% of women around the globe have experienced some kind of sexual harassment at some point in their lives.

Only around 40 percent of women who have been raped seek aid in most nations with statistics on rape, and only about 10 percent of those women seek support from law enforcement. The consequence is that the majority of rapists avoid punishment.

For example, just 9 percent of rapists are convicted in the US, and only 3 percent serve time in jail. 97% of rapists get away with it.

Why is it so difficult to compare rape data across countries?

Comparing worldwide rape statistics is further complicated because the legal definition of rape varies from nation to country. Counting rapes may also vary greatly depending on the technique utilized. In addition to these, there are several other distinctions, like as

Rape is defined in certain nations as any kind of non-consensual sex. Assaults on women that fall below a specific severity level are not considered rape by some.

Some nations recognize spousal rape as a criminal offense. Others, on the other hand, don’t.

In certain nations, rape is taken into consideration if it is reported. Others only consider events that end up in a court of law.

Sexting with minors is included in the number of rape incidents in certain countries. This includes both non-consenting and consensual sex. Some nations differentiate consented and non-consensual sex with minors.

Forcible vaginal penetration during sexual intercourse is all that is required in certain jurisdictions to qualify as rape. Others define rape as any unwanted penetration of the mouth, anus, or vulva with a bodily part or object.

Only rape between men and women is recorded in certain nations. Others keep tabs on rapes committed by women, men on men, and men on men.

Depending on the country, each attack involving the same individuals (such as a kid and a relative or a guy and his arranged fiancée) may be treated as a distinct event. Others classify all rapes as a single rape and disregard the others.

Like gang rapes, some nations treat these as a single occurrence, no matter how many people were involved. Gang rapes, on the other hand, are seen as a series of crimes (one per participant, minus the victim or victims).

Rape remains an international problem despite these differences in recording and reporting systems.

Rape occurred at 132.4 incidences per 100,000 inhabitants in South Africa in 2010. About one in four males confessed to raping in a poll conducted in 2009 by the South African Medical Research Council. South Africa’s government, on the other hand, claims that the rate has fallen to 72.1 in the 2019-20 reporting period.

The fact that there have been so many rapes recorded in Sweden is a good indicator

However, statistics may be useful, but they can also be misleading if used incorrectly. Increased attempts to prevent rape, for example, may cause an increase rather than a reduction in recorded rapes, although this is not always negative. Examine the reason behind the growth.

Possibly, a more inclusive definition of rape allows for the inclusion of more sex-related offenses. The statistics may suddenly include previously unreported forms of rape (such as male-on-male rape or rape between a groom and his betrothed).

As a result, rape victims may be more willing to come forward and report the crime due to improvements in the legal system’s ability to capture and punish perpetrators and/or society’s increased sympathy for people who have been victimized by rape.

Statistics show that rapes have increased in each of these scenarios. However, the key to understanding this statistical surge is to investigate its real-world cause—which in certain situations is an improvement in real-world policy about the definition and systematic reaction to rape.

This situation is arguably best shown by Sweden’s disproportionate rape rate. The rape rate in Sweden from 2013 to 2017 was 64 per 100,000 people, making it the highest in Europe.

As a result, Sweden’s high rape rates were largely due to Sweden’s wider definition of rape and more comprehensive reporting regulations than other European nations.

Sweden’s average reported rape rate per 100,000 persons dropped from 64 to 15, a loss of 326.7 percent when the data was recalculated using Germany’s stricter parameters.

Comparisons between countries

The purpose of the preceding example is not to argue that Sweden’s definition of rape is too wide or that Germany’s is too limited. It is also not intended to belittle the seriousness of rape or downplay its occurrence.

That’s not to say that a country’s rape stats aren’t affected by legal definitions, recording techniques, and real-world responses. Since worldwide rape data are apples to oranges, country-to-country comparisons would be wise to bear this in mind.

US rape rates, as reported by the FBI.

The magnitude and severity of the rape problem in the United States may be observed in data such as:

There is an average of one rape in the United States every 1-2 minutes, even though the incidence varies by state.

The rape and sexual assault rate among women between 16 and 19 are four times higher than the national average.

Ninety-four percent of rape victims develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms within two weeks after the incident. At least nine months’ worth of symptoms is present in 30 percent of persons suffering from PTSD.

When a woman is raped, more than a third of them consider ending their life.

Rape victims often suffer from long-term emotional and/or professional difficulties due to their ordeals.

Every day, guys throughout the globe are subject to sexual harassment, assault, and rape. 82 % of adolescents (and 90% of adults) are victims of sexual assault.

Two times as many transgender and disabled individuals are raped or assaulted as the general population.

It is estimated that in the United States, 70% of rapes are perpetrated by those who know the victim.

In this list are the 10 countries with the highest rates of rape:

• Botswana (92.93)
• Australia (91.92)
• Lesotho (82.68)
• South Africa (72.10)
• Bermuda (67.29)
• Sweden (63.54)
• Suriname (45.21)
• Costa Rica (36.70)
• Nicaragua (31.60)
• Grenada (30.63)

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