Latest figures show domestic violence still major problem in France

Domestic violence is abuse committed by a partner or ex-partner. It is not limited to physical attacks. The figures matter because they show how many people are affected and how different forms of abuse appear in official records.

Physical abuse made up 63 percent of recorded reports in 2025. Verbal or psychological violence accounted for 31 percent, including harassment, threats, and violations of privacy or intimacy. Sexual violence represented 5 percent of recorded victims.

These categories can overlap, and police records capture only part of the problem. Only 13 percent of survivors filed a police complaint, according to a government survey. Better reporting and stronger protection systems may reveal more abuse, while unreported cases can leave victims without formal support or legal protection.

France recorded 284,681 victims of domestic violence in 2025. That was a 5 percent increase in one year. The figure is striking because it has more than doubled since 2016, according to the Interior Ministry’s statistics service, SSMSI.

The total counts victims known to authorities, not every person experiencing abuse. It includes reports involving physical, psychological, verbal, sexual, and other forms of violence. The number therefore reflects both the scale of recorded abuse and changes in reporting and official responses.

The rise does not prove that violence itself doubled. SSMSI links part of the increase to more victims reporting abuse, improved case management, and protection and sanction mechanisms introduced in recent years. Many incidents still go unreported or are reported much later.

Women are most affected in France’s recorded domestic-violence figures. They represented 84 percent of victims in 2025. The pattern is especially strong in sexual violence: women made up 97 percent of recorded rape victims.

Men were most often accused, representing 85 percent of people accused of domestic violence. Among those accused, 84 percent were French nationals. These figures describe recorded cases and do not mean every incident or every perpetrator is known to authorities.

Age is another important part of the picture. Nearly three-quarters of victims, or 73 percent, were between 20 and 45 years old. The figures underline who appears most often in official records, while low reporting means the full pattern of abuse remains partly hidden.

Physical violence was the most common category in France’s 2025 domestic-violence records. It represented 63 percent of reports. Verbal or psychological violence followed at 31 percent, showing that recorded abuse is not limited to visible injuries.

The psychological category included harassment in 17 percent of reports, threats in 12 percent, and violations of privacy or intimacy in 2 percent. Sexual violence accounted for 5 percent of victims, or about 15,100 people. In 82 percent of those cases, the alleged offence was rape or attempted rape.

Sexual violence increased fastest, rising 12 percent from the previous year. Women made up 97 percent of rape victims. Since many people do not report abuse, these categories reflect recorded cases rather than the complete level of violence.

A recorded victim is someone who comes to the attention of authorities. The number can rise because more abuse occurs, but it can also rise because more survivors report it. SSMSI warns that the figures do not necessarily show an equivalent increase in violence itself.

Several mechanisms can increase official totals. Victims may feel more able to report, police may manage cases better, and protection and sanction systems may encourage people to seek help. In 2025, 31 percent of people who went to police reported incidents from earlier years, compared with 19 percent in 2016.

The figures therefore show both recorded harm and changing visibility. They remain incomplete because many incidents are never reported or are reported late. A larger total can signal greater reporting, continuing violence, or both.

When victims do not report abuse, authorities cannot record the incident or easily investigate it. Official totals then understate the number of people affected. The SSMSI says police-registered victims represent only a fraction of survivors, because incidents may never be reported or may be reported much later.

Reporting also affects access to formal protection and justice. A complaint can bring a case into police and prosecution systems, where authorities can manage the case and consider protective or punitive measures. Without that contact, the abuse may remain invisible to those systems.

The reporting gap is especially large for sexual and psychological abuse. Only 13 percent of survivors filed a complaint. The rate was 27 percent for physical violence, 13 percent for verbal or psychological violence, and just 9 percent for sexual violence by a partner.

These parts form a chain. A victim’s report brings an alleged offence to police attention. Investigation gathers information and supports case management. Prosecution can lead to indictment, sanctions, and protective measures. If victims do not report, the chain often cannot begin.

The article records nearly 218,000 people indicted in 2025, a 2 percent increase. Yet campaigners say repeat offenders can continue free despite long criminal records. That criticism points to a gap between having laws and enforcing protection effectively.

France is overhauling its response through a comprehensive bill against gender-based and sexual violence. The National Assembly adopted it on 13 October, and the Senate is due to examine it in January. The government hopes for adoption by the end of February, before parliament recesses for presidential elections.