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UNFPA Bangladesh

2024 violence against women survey

Background

Violence against women (VAW) is a grave human rights violation and public health concern with far-reaching consequences. To understand its prevalence and nature, Bangladesh conducted its national VAW survey in 2024, interviewing 27,476 women aged 15 and older. Building on studies from 2011 and 2015, this is the largest and most comprehensive survey to date, achieving a 95.4% response rate.

The 2024 survey provides the most comprehensive measures of the prevalence, causes, and consequences of violence against women in Bangladesh. This third national survey offers a critical look at both progress made and challenges that persist.

The full report was published on 13 October 2025.

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Key statistics from VAW 2024

Intimate Partner Violence

of women have experienced

intimate partner violence (IPV) in their lifetime

of women faced IPV

in the past 12 months

of women have experienced

controlling behaviors by their husbands

of women have faced

emotional violence in their lifetime

of women have experienced

physical and/or sexual violence in their lifetime

of women reported

physical and/or sexual violence in the past year

of recent IPV survivors

are adolescent married girls

of women in disaster-prone areas

have experienced IPV in their lifetime

of survivors of physical and/or

sexual violence never told anyone

of women have faced physical or

sexual violence during pregnancy in their lifetime

Non-Partner Violence

of women experienced physical or sexual violence by non-partners in their lifetime.

faced NPV in the past year.

are most perpetrators — mothers-in-law (35%), brothers/sisters-in-law (29%), mothers (20.5%), other male relatives (34%).

face the highest risk of non-partner violence.

Technology-Facilitated Gender-Based Violence

of women with technology access experienced TFGBV in their lifetime.

faced such violence in the past year.

of women aged 20–24 faced TFGBV (highest among younger and urban women).

of perpetrators are strangers — the largest share among all TFGBV cases.

SURVEY FINDINGS

Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) Remains Widespread

For many women in Bangladesh, home is not a place of safety. Seventy-six percent (76%) of women have experienced some form of intimate partner violence (IPV) in their lifetime—whether physical, sexual, emotional, economic, or through controlling behaviors.

In the past year alone, 16 per cent of women reported facing IPV. The most common forms are controlling behaviors and emotional violence, affecting 68 per cent and 37 per cent of women, respectively. Yet, physical and sexual violence remain widespread. More than 54 per cent of women have been physically or sexually abused by their husbands at some point, and 49 per cent experienced such violence in the past year.

Signs of Progress: A Decline in Recent Violence

The findings reveal a 17 percentage point drop in recent IPV, declining from 66 per cent in 2015 to 49 per cent in 2024—still affecting millions of women.

Women in Disaster-Prone Areas Face Higher Risks

For women living in disaster-prone regions, violence is even more pervasive. 81 per cent of women in these areas have experienced IPV in their lifetime, compared to 68 per cent in non-disaster regions.

Any effort to address gender-based violence must also consider the impact of the climate crisis.

Young Married Women Are the Most Vulnerable

Among all women, young married girls aged 15-19 face the highest risk. More than 62 per cent have experienced IPV in the past year, making them the most at-risk group.

Barriers to Seeking Help Persist

Despite the scale of the problem, most survivors remain silent. 64 per cent of women who faced physical or sexual violence from their husbands never told anyone. Lack of awareness can be a barrier. Knowledge of government hotlines remains low, with only 45 per cent aware of 999 and 12 per cent aware of 109.

For those who seek help, the cost can be overwhelming. On average, survivors pay 2,512 BDT (US$21) for medical treatment and 4,104 BDT (US$35) for legal action.

NON-PARTNER VIOLENCE REMAINS CRITICAL CONCERN

Non-partner violence, which includes physical and sexual violence against women by individuals other than a current or former husband, has been experienced by 16 percent of women.

Women in disaster-prone areas experience a higher prevalence of non-partner violence compared to those in areas not prone to disasters, and adolescents are disproportionately vulnerable to this type of violence. At least 300,000 women and girls have been directly affected by non-partner sexual violence in the 12 months preceding the survey.