The facts about violence
Injuries, both unintentional and violence related, take the lives of 4.4 million people around the world each year and constitute nearly 8% of all deaths. 1.25 million of these are violence related.
In year ending September 2025, people aged 16 years and over experienced an estimated 1.1 million incidents of violence with or without injury. No statistically significant change compared with the previous year.
There were approximately 1.94 million violence against the person crime offences recorded by the police in England and Wales in 2024/2025, compared with almost 2.01 million offences in the previous reporting year.
The number of recorded violent crime offences in England and Wales has increased considerably in the last decade, with only around 600,000 violent crimes recorded in 2013/2014
Early childhood enrichment programmes (3-5 yrs), life skills training and social development (6-18 yrs), and supporting high-risk adolescents to fullfill their education and goals are effective ways to end violence.
Knife Crime
The police recorded 499 homicide offences in September 2025, a 7% decrease from 539 offences in the previous years. This was because of a 23% fall in knife or sharp instrument homicides to 174 offences compared with the previous year (277 offences).
In 2024/2025, there were 205 murders involving a knife or other sharp instrument in England and Wales, compared with 261 in the previous reporting year (21% decrease). There were 282 murders from March 2021-2022, this is sadly the highest total since 1946.
52 of these deaths were young people under the age of 25, this is the lowest number since 2015.
NHS hospital data shows a corresponding decrease in serious injuries, with total hospital admission for assaults by a sharp object dropping by roughly 9-10% in the year ending March 2025
Bullying
40% of young people were bullied in the last 12 months, 1 in 4 young people with special educated needs (SEN) experienced violence
24% of children bullied most days are also most likely to be kept off school by their parents
21% of children who experience bullying daily had truanted in the last 12 months – 3 times the proportion of those who were not bullied. It was found that girls are almost twice as likely to truant because of bullying than boys.
The most common form of bullying was name calling (including via text and email) at 26%, followed by exclusion from social groups at 18%
Domestic Violence
1 in 5 adults experience Domestic Abuse during their lifetime. This equates to: 1 in 4 women and 1 in 6-7 men.
One in five children in the UK experience domestic abuse.
13.6 million people aged 18 years and over (29.0%) had experienced "any abuse" before the age of 18 years.
The probability of child abuse by a violent husband increases from 5% with one act of marital violence to near certainty with 50 or more acts of marital violence.
Children who witness domestic violence are at increased risk of dating violence and have a more difficult time with partnerships and parenting.
In the year ending March 2024, it is estimated 2.3 million people aged 16 and over were victims of domestic abuse (1.6 million women and 712,000 men).
Women are more likely to experience repeat victimisation, be physically injured or killed and experience sexual violence.
A domestic abuse related call is made to the police every 30 seconds.
On average high-risk victims live with domestic abuse for 2.3 years and medium risk victims for 3 years before getting help.
85% of victims sought help on average five times from professionals in the year before they got effective help to stop the abuse.
On average victims experience 50 incidents of abuse before getting effective help.
Gangs and county lines
46,000 children in England are thought to be involved in criminal groups. There are likely many more.
Covering the period from April 2024 to March 2025, the latest County Lines Strategic Threat Assessment found that there are over 6,500 County Lines in operation across England, Scotland and Wales.
A 2026 report by the National Crime Agency estimated the total turnover of county lines activities throughout the UK to be roughly £500 million.
Home Office estimates show that approximately 15,500 children were identified as at risk or involved in child criminal exploitation in the year ending March 2025.County Lines is the most violent model of drug supply and a harmful form of child criminal exploitation.
Alcohol and substance misuse
Around 1.3 million aged between 16 and 59 used a class Around 3.3% of people (approximately 1.1 million people) reported using a Class A drug in the last 12 months; there was no statistically significant change from the previous year.
An estimated 2.6 million children in the UK are currently living with a parent who drinks to hazardous levels, while a further 478,000 live with a parent dependent on alcohol or drugs – equivalent to 40 children per 1,000.
Any drug use in the last 12 months has decreased for people aged 16 to 24 years compared with year ending March 2015.
Recreational use of (for example) illicit drugs can lead to the traumatic release of memories, resulting in more extreme forms of disassociation during the ‘come down’ or withdrawal.
