The Office for National Statistics (ONS) reported on October 22, 2026, that 9.6% of adults aged 16 and over in England and Wales experienced domestic abuse in the year ending March 2026, totaling approximately 4.7 million people. This represents a significant rise from the 7.8% of adults, or about 3.8 million people, recorded in the previous year ending March 2025.

These rising figures provide a measure for the government's ambition to halve violence against women and girls (VAWG) by 2034. Charities warn that without bolder action and sustained investment, this goal is at risk, urging the government to treat domestic abuse as an urgent national priority.

What the records show

The ONS data for the year ending March 2026 indicates the increase was driven mainly by a rise in partner abuse, affecting 7.9% of people aged 16 and over, compared to 6.1% in the prior year. Family abuse figures remained largely consistent at 2.8%, a slight change from 2.7% in the previous 12 months.

Meghan Elkin, ONS Head of Crime Statistics, acknowledged that minor modifications to the Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW) questionnaire and its execution could have influenced these estimates. The new domestic abuse questions were designed to better capture behaviors experienced by victims, including controlling or coercive behavior and the impact of abuse, and were asked of the full survey sample for the first time. Despite these methodological considerations, Elkin stated the ONS's "best assessment is that the rise in domestic abuse includes real change".

In addition to domestic abuse, the ONS also published combined estimates for domestic abuse, sexual victimization, and stalking. For the year ending March 2026, an estimated 10.9% of people aged 16 and over, or approximately 5.3 million adults, experienced at least one of these three crime types. The prevalence was higher among females, with 12.8% (about 3.2 million women) affected, compared to 8.9% (approximately 2.1 million men). Young people aged 16 to 19 (18.2%) and 20 to 24 (12.9%) experienced disproportionately high levels of domestic abuse in the year to March 2025.

What advocacy groups say

Charities have expressed significant concern over the new figures. Ellie Butt, Head of Policy and Public Affairs at Refuge, described the ONS figures as "a stark reminder that domestic abuse remains at epidemic levels". She emphasized the need for the Government "to take bold and decisive action to fulfil its pledge to halve violence against women and girls (VAWG) within the next decade".

Katie Kempen, chief executive at Victim Support, highlighted the increase in partner abuse as a "huge concern and should be a stark wake-up call". Kempen suggested that the government's aim to halve VAWG by 2034 is at risk "without bolder action and sustained investment across all parts of the criminal justice system," asserting that domestic abuse must be treated as an "urgent national priority".

What we could not confirm

We could not confirm the exact percentage of the increase in domestic abuse that is definitively attributable to "real change" versus the impact of the updated survey methodology. We also could not confirm specific new government initiatives or funding commitments that might be introduced in direct response to these latest figures.