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A report by UN Women and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) reveals that approximately 140 women and girls were killed each day in 2023 by intimate partners or family members, which means one woman or girl is killed every 10 minutes.
The scope of femicide
The study dubbed 'Femicides in 2023: Global Estimates of Intimate Partner/Family Member Femicides', highlights the pervasive and deeply rooted issue of femicide, which continues to disproportionately affect women and girls worldwide.
What is femicide?
Femicide is defined as the intentional killing of women and girls based on gender-related motives. It often stems from entrenched societal norms, discrimination, and unequal power dynamics that perpetuate violence against women.
The UNODC and UN Women’s joint statistical framework identifies three main types of femicide:
While men make up the majority of overall homicide victims globally, women are disproportionately victimised in domestic settings. In 2023, 60% of the approximately 85,000 intentional killings of women and girls were committed by intimate partners or family members.
- Intimate partner killings
- Family member killings
- Gender-motivated killings by unrelated perpetrators
Africa recorded the highest number of femicide victims in 2023, with an estimated 21,700 women and girls killed by intimate partners or family members. Asia followed with 18,500 victims, while the Americas reported 8,300, Europe 2,300, and Oceania 300.
Regional disparities in femicide
When adjusted for population, Africa also had the highest rate of intimate partner or family member killings at 2.9 per 100,000 female population. This was followed by the Americas (1.6), Oceania (1.5), Asia (0.8), and Europe (0.6).
The home: A dangerous place for women & girls
The report underscores that the home remains the most dangerous place for women and girls. An overwhelming majority of femicide cases occur in domestic settings, with intimate partners or family members being the primary perpetrators.
In Europe and the Americas, most victims were killed by their intimate partners—64% and 58%, respectively. In contrast, data from Africa, Asia, and Oceania reveal that the majority of femicides in these regions were committed by family members rather than intimate partners.
Key risk factors
For killings by intimate partners, several risk factors have been identified, including history of violence between the victim and perpetrator, previous threats, and pending or actual separation.
Global gender-based violence
While the dynamics of intimate partner killings are well-studied, less is known about murders committed by other family members. The report emphasises the need for targeted prevention strategies to address these differing contexts.
While 80% of all homicide victims in 2023 were men, violence within the family sphere disproportionately affected women and girls.
An estimated 60% of women killed in 2023 lost their lives to intimate partner or family member violence, compared to just 12% of male homicide victims.
Regional variations further illustrate this disparity. Oceania reported the highest proportion of women killed by intimate partners or family members at 80%, followed by Africa (74%), Asia (56%), Europe (53%), and the Americas (47%).
Call for action
The report calls for urgent, targeted interventions to address the systemic nature of femicide. This includes strengthening legal protections, improving data collection to better understand victim-perpetrator dynamics, and addressing societal norms that perpetuate gender-based violence.
While progress has been made in raising awareness, the statistics from 2023 highlight the critical need for governments and societies to prioritise the safety and well-being of women and girls. Ending femicide requires a collective effort to dismantle the structural inequalities that make such violence possible.