Physical violence

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Statistics on experiences of physical assault, including victimisation rates, socio-demographics, incident characteristics and responses

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Reference period
2021-22 financial year
Released
23/08/2023
Next release Unknown
First release

Key statistics

In the most recent incident of physical assault by a male:

For women

  • 87% knew the perpetrator
  • 70% experienced the incident in a residential location
  • 63% experienced anxiety or fear

For men

  • 42% knew the perpetrator
  • 74% experienced the incident in a non-residential location

About this release

This release presents detailed physical violence statistics from the Australian Bureau of Statistics’ (ABS) 2021-22 Personal Safety Survey (PSS).

The survey collected information from persons aged 18 years and over about the nature and extent of their experiences of violence.

Summary statistics on all topics collected in the PSS can be found in Personal Safety, Australia.

The ABS would like to thank those who participated in the survey and acknowledges the experiences of people affected by physical violence who are represented in this report.

Some people may find the contents of this report confronting or distressing. Support services are available: 1800RESPECT – 1800 737 732, Lifeline – 13 11 14.

COVID-19 context

The 2021-22 PSS was conducted between March 2021 and May 2022 during the COVID-19 pandemic. Throughout this time, government policies were in place to reduce the spread of COVID-19, including stay-at-home orders, border control measures, limits on gatherings, and social distancing rules. The survey results should be understood and interpreted within the broader context of the wide-ranging changes to everyday life during the pandemic.

Data quality and interpretation

In the written commentary, where a rate is described as higher or lower than a comparative rate, or one group is described as more or less likely to have had an experience than another group, the difference has been found to be statistically significant at the 95% confidence level.

Figures marked with an asterisk (*) have a relative standard error of between 25% and 50% and should be used with caution.

While the PSS collects the same information from both men and women, detailed socio-demographic data for men who experienced physical violence and men’s data about experiences of physical assault by a female are not sufficiently statistically reliable to include in the commentary.  Summary statistics for men are available in the data downloads.

For more information about statistical significance, relative standard error, and men’s data quality, refer to the Personal Safety, Australia Methodology.

Definition of physical violence

In the PSS, physical violence refers to the occurrence, attempt or threat of physical assault experienced since the age of 15. Physical violence is measured by combining experiences of physical assault and physical threat.

Physical assault

Any incident that involves the use of physical force, with the intent to harm or frighten a person. An assault may have occurred in conjunction with a robbery, and includes incidents that occurred on the job, where a person was assaulted in their line of work (e.g. assaulted while working as a security guard), at school, or overseas. Physical force includes:

  • Pushed, grabbed or shoved
  • Slapped
  • Kicked, bitten or hit with a fist
  • Hit with something else that could hurt
  • Beaten
  • Choked
  • Stabbed with a knife
  • Shot with a gun
  • Any other type of physical assault

Physical threat

Any verbal and/or physical intent (or suggestion of intent) to inflict physical harm, which was made face-to-face and which the person targeted believed was able and likely to be carried out. Physical threat includes:

  • Threaten or attempt to hit with a fist or anything else that could hurt
  • Threaten or attempt to stab with a knife
  • Threaten or attempt to shoot with a gun
  • Threaten or attempt to physically hurt in any other way

For more definitions of the terms used throughout the commentary, refer to the Glossary.

Prevalence rates

Prevalence rate refers to the number of men and women who have experienced physical violence within a specified time frame (e.g. since age 15, in the last 12 months), expressed as a percentage of all men and women aged 18 years and over.

An estimated 7 million people aged 18 years and over (36%) experienced physical violence since the age of 15.

42% of men (4.0 million) have experienced physical violence, including:

  • 34% (3.3 million) who experienced physical assault
  • 19% (1.8 million) who experienced physical threat

31% of women (3.1 million) have experienced physical violence, including:

  • 27% (2.7 million) who experienced physical assault
  • 11% (1.1 million) who experienced physical threat

Men were more likely than women to experience physical violence (both assault and threat).

Both men and women were more likely to experience physical assault than physical threat.

Whether experienced physical violence since the age of 15

Row 1: 9.9m women, 9.5m men in Australia. Row 2: 3.1m women (31%), 4m men (42%) experienced physical violence. Row 3: 2.7m women (27%), 3.3m men (34%) experienced physical assault. 1.1m women (11%) and 1.8m men (19%) experienced physical threat. Row 4: 2.4m women (24%), 3m men (31%) experienced physical assault by a male; and 703,800 women (7%), 1m men (11%) by a female; 950,400 women (10%) and 1.7m men (18%) experienced physical threat by a male; and 335,200 women (3.4%) and 253,000 men (2.7%) by a female.

The flow chart’s top level shows that there were 9.9 million women and 9.5 million men aged 18 years and over living in Australia in 2021-22.

The second level shows that 3.1 million women (31%) and 4 million men (42%) experienced physical violence since the age of 15. The second level also shows that 6.8 million women (69%) and 5.5 million men (58%) did not experience physical violence since the age of 15.

The third level shows that 2.7 million women (27%) and 3.3 million men (34%) experienced physical assault and  1.1 million women (11%) and 1.8 million men (19%) experienced physical threat since the age of 15.

The fourth level shows that, since the age of 15: 2.4 million women (24%) and 3 million men (31%) experienced physical assault by a male; 703,800 women (7%) and 1 million men (11%) experienced physical assault by a female; 950,400 women (10%) and 1.7 million men (18%) experienced physical threat by a male; and 335,200 women (3.4%) and 253,000 men (2.7%) experienced physical threat by a female.

Footnotes:

  1. Where a person has experienced both physical assault and physical threat, they are counted separately for each type of violence they experienced but are counted only once in the aggregated physical violence total.
  2. Where a person has experienced the type of violence by both a male and a female, they are counted separately for each but are counted only once in the aggregated total.

Prevalence rates by sex of perpetrator

Both women and men were more likely to experience physical violence since the age of 15 by a male than by a female.

For women:

  • 28% (2.8 million) experienced physical violence by a male
  • 9% (889,900) experienced physical violence by a female

For men:

  • 39% (3.7 million) experienced physical violence by a male
  • 12% (1.1 million) experienced physical violence by a female

Changes over time

12-month physical violence prevalence rates in 2021-22 have been compared with prevalence rates from earlier surveys (2016, 2012 and 2005) to measure changes over time.

Where the rate is described as having increased or decreased, this has been found to be statistically significant at the 95% confidence level.

In 2021-22, an estimated 6.1% of men (579,400) and 2.9% of women (283,400) experienced physical violence in the last 12 months. Men were more likely than women to have experienced physical violence in the previous 12 months.

Between 2005 and 2021-22, the 12-month prevalence rate of physical violence declined for both men and women:

  • Men – from 10% in 2005 to 6.1% in 2021-22
  • Women – from 4.7% in 2005 to 2.9% in 2021-22

Between the two most recent surveys, 2016 and 2021-22, there was no statistically significant change in the rate of physical violence for both men and women.

  1. Refers to the number of men/women who have experienced physical violence in the last 12 months, expressed as a percentage of all men/women aged 18 years and over.

Sex of perpetrator

For women, the decline in the rate of physical violence between 2005 and 2021-22 was driven by a decrease in physical violence by both male (from 3.7% to 2.5%) and female (from 1.6% to 0.9%) perpetrators.

For men, the decline was driven by a decrease in in physical violence rates by male perpetrators only (from 9.6% to 4.9%).

12-month physical violence prevalence rate(a), By sex of perpetrator, 2005 to 2021-22
 2005201220162021-22
Women
Physical violence by a male(c)3.7%(d)3.6%2.8%2.5%
Physical violence by a female(c)1.6%(d)1.4%1.1%0.9%
Total experienced physical violence(b)(c)4.7%(d)4.6%3.5%2.9%
Men
Physical violence by a male(c)9.6%(d)7.7%4.4%4.9%
Physical violence by a female1.3%1.4%1.9%*1.6%
Total experienced physical violence(b)(c)10.4%(d)8.5%5.4%6.1%
  1. Refers to the number of men/women who have experienced physical violence in the last 12 months, expressed as a percentage of all men/women aged 18 years and over.
  2. Where a person has experienced physical violence by both a male and a female, they are counted separately for each but are counted only once in the aggregated total.
  3. The difference in the prevalence rate between 2005 and 2021-22 is statistically significant.
  4. The difference in the prevalence rate between 2012 and 2021-22 is statistically significant.

* Estimate has a relative standard error of 25% to 50% and should be used with caution.

Socio-demographic characteristics

This section compares two-year physical violence prevalence rates of women from different socio-demographic groups and identifies those who were more likely to have experienced physical violence. Two-year violence prevalence rates are used instead of 12-month rates to allow for additional analysis. The socio-demographic information reflects the person’s characteristics at time of survey, which may have changed since the violence occurred.

Some people may find the contents of this section confronting or distressing. Support services are available: 1800RESPECT – 1800 737 732, Lifeline – 13 11 14, or Rainbow Sexual, Domestic and Family Violence Helpline - 1800 497 212.

The 2021-22 PSS found an estimated 4.8% of women (474,900) experienced physical violence in the last two years.

Age

The physical violence prevalence rate declined with age, from 11% of women aged 18 to 24 years to 1.1% of women aged 65 years and over.

  1. Refers to the number of women in each age group who have experienced physical violence in the last two years, expressed as a percentage of all women in each age group.

Disability

Women with disability were more likely to have experienced physical violence (5.8%) than women without disability (4.2%).

Sexual orientation

Women who identified as gay, lesbian, bisexual or who used a different term such as asexual, pansexual or queer were more likely to have experienced physical violence (11%) than women who identified as heterosexual (4.4%).

While data for women who identified as gay, lesbian, bisexual, or who used a different term have been combined into a single output category, experiences of physical violence may vary across each group.

Family composition

The prevalence of physical violence varied by family composition, with rates ranging from 2.9% for women living in a couple family with no children to 15% for women living in a one-parent family with children under 15 years of age.

  1. Refers to the number of women in the relevant population who have experienced physical violence in the last two years, expressed as a percentage of all women aged 18 years and over in the relevant population.
  2. Family has at least one child under the age of 15.
  3. Refers to a household consisting of two or more unrelated people where all persons are aged 15 years and over.
  4. Estimate has a relative standard error of 25% to 50% and should be used with caution.
  5. Refers to families with children who are all dependent students aged between 15 and 24 years and/or non-dependent children.

Labour force status

Women who were unemployed were more likely to have experienced physical violence (15%) than women who were employed (5.3%) or not in the labour force (3.1%).

Current study status

The rate of physical violence was higher for women who were currently studying (11%) compared with women who were not currently studying (3.9%).

Housing - Tenure type

Women who were renting were more likely to have experienced physical violence (8.3%) than women who were a homeowner with a mortgage (4.6%) or without a mortgage (2.3%).

Capital city/balance of state

The rate of physical violence was similar for women living in a capital city (4.7%) and women living outside of a capital city (4.9%).

Financial stress

The rate of physical violence was higher for women living in households that:

  • experienced one or more cash flow problems in the last 12 months (14%) compared with households that did not experience cash flow problems (3.4%)
  • were unable to raise $2,000 within a week for something important (11%) compared with households that could raise the money (4.0%)

Women’s experiences of physical assault by a male

The 2021-22 Personal Safety Survey collected information from women aged 18 years and over about the characteristics of their most recent incident of physical assault by a male that occurred within the last 10 years.

When the incident occurred

Relationship to perpetrator

Assault behaviours, location and alcohol contribution

Support-seeking and police reporting

Perception of the incident as a crime

Impacts (anxiety or fear, time off work, injuries, changes to routine)

Women’s experiences of physical assault by a female

The 2021-22 Personal Safety Survey collected information from women aged 18 years and over about the characteristics of their most recent incident of physical assault by a female that occurred within the last 10 years.

When the incident occurred

Relationship to perpetrator, assault behaviours, location and alcohol contribution

Support seeking and police reporting

Perception of the incident as a crime

Impacts (anxiety or fear, injuries)

Men’s experiences of physical assault by a male

The 2021-22 Personal Safety Survey collected information from men aged 18 years and over about the characteristics of their most recent incident of physical assault by a male that occurred within the last 10 years.

When the incident occurred

Relationship to perpetrator, assault behaviours, location and alcohol contribution

Support-seeking and police reporting

Perception of the incident as a crime

Impacts (anxiety or fear, injuries)

Glossary

Show all

Data downloads

Physical violence prevalence and socio-demographic characteristics (Tables 1 to 5)

National physical violence prevalence, time series and socio-demographic characteristic statistics for men and women.

Data files
Download xlsx [158.04 KB]

Women’s experiences of physical assault by a male (Tables 6 to 11)

Characteristics of the most recent incident of physical assault by a male, including relationship to perpetrator, location and support seeking behaviours.

Data files
Download xlsx [104.64 KB]

Women’s experiences of physical assault by a female (Tables 12 to 15)

Characteristics of the most recent incident of physical assault by a female, including relationship to perpetrator, location and support seeking behaviours.

Data files
Download xlsx [83.24 KB]

Men’s experiences of physical assault by a male (Tables 16 to 18)

Characteristics of the most recent incident of physical assault by a male, including relationship to perpetrator, location and support seeking behaviours.

Data files
Download xlsx [74.7 KB]

All data downloads

All Physical violence data download files.

Data files
Download zip [340.92 KB]

Methodology

Personal Safety, Australia methodology, 2021-22 financial year

Media releases