Reported strangulation / non-fatal strangulation (i.e. choking, strangling, suffocating) in domestic/intimate partner / domestic violence. Data are still scarce, with variation by country, study population, and whether hospital/forensic or police data.
Key Statistics on Strangulation in Domestic / Intimate Partner Violence
| Statistic | Value / Range | Population / Setting | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lifetime prevalence of non-fatal intimate-partner strangulation among women | 3.0% to 9.7% | Several community-surveys in 9 countries; self-report. PubMed+1 | |
| Past-year prevalence | ~ 0.4% to 2.4% | Same studies / same populations; for women in last 12 months. PubMed+1 | |
| Among survivors of domestic violence presenting to forensic nurse examiners / clinics | ~ 38% of DV survivors reported strangulation (vs. ~12% in sexual assault survivors) in a mixed assault sample. PubMed | ||
| UK: England & Wales | 39,360 strangulation & suffocation offences recorded by police in 2023-24; ~ 66 offences per 100,000 population. ifas.org.uk+1 | ||
| In severely abused subpopulations | Up to 67% reporting strangulation (lifetime) among women in relationships with high severity / police-involved IPV. Europe PMC+1 | ||
| Emergency Department (US) hospital visits with IPV coding | ~ 1.21% of IPV-diagnosed ED visits had a strangulation diagnosis code. NCBI |
Some Observations & Limitations
There’s little data yet for many low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) on strangulation specifically; many IPV surveys don’t ask about strangulation (or hide it within broader categories of “severe physical violence”). PMC+1(i.e. choking, strangling, suffocating) in domestic/intimate partner / domestic violence. Data are still scarce, with variation by country, study population, and whether hospital/forensic or police data.
Strangulation is often under-detected because many cases show few or no external signs of injury, though they may cause internal damage. This makes medical / police recognition harder. 3FM+2PMC+2
Much of the data comes from survey self-report or clinical / forensic samples, which may oversample more severe cases. Community surveys tend to give lower prevalence.
Very few countries have routine police statistics broken out specifically for non-fatal strangulation in intimate partner / domestic violence contexts. UK is a relatively better example since UK made “strangulation & suffocation” (non-fatal) a stand-alone offence fairly recently; that helps in counting. ifas.org.uk+1
Key Statistics on Strangulation in Domestic / Intimate Partner Violence
| Statistic | Value / Range | Population / Setting | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lifetime prevalence of non-fatal intimate-partner strangulation among women | 3.0% to 9.7% | Several community-surveys in 9 countries; self-report. PubMed+1 | |
| Past-year prevalence | ~ 0.4% to 2.4% | Same studies / same populations; for women in last 12 months. PubMed+1 | |
| Among survivors of domestic violence presenting to forensic nurse examiners / clinics | ~ 38% of DV survivors reported strangulation (vs. ~12% in sexual assault survivors) in a mixed assault sample. PubMed | ||
| UK: England & Wales | 39,360 strangulation & suffocation offences recorded by police in 2023-24; ~ 66 offences per 100,000 population. ifas.org.uk+1 | ||
| In severely abused subpopulations | Up to 67% reporting strangulation (lifetime) among women in relationships with high severity / police-involved IPV. Europe PMC+1 | ||
| Emergency Department (US) hospital visits with IPV coding | ~ 1.21% of IPV-diagnosed ED visits had a strangulation diagnosis code. NCBI |
Some Observations & Limitations
- Strangulation is often under-detected because many cases show few or no external signs of injury, though they may cause internal damage. This makes medical / police recognition harder. 3FM+2PMC+2
- Much of the data comes from survey self-report or clinical / forensic samples, which may oversample more severe cases. Community surveys tend to give lower prevalence.
- Very few countries have routine police statistics broken out specifically for non-fatal strangulation in intimate partner / domestic violence contexts. UK is a relatively better example since UK made “strangulation & suffocation” (non-fatal) a stand-alone offence fairly recently; that helps in counting. ifas.org.uk+1
- There’s little data yet for many low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) on strangulation specifically; many IPV surveys don’t ask about strangulation (or hide it within broader categories of “severe physical violence”). PMC+1
