Crime and justice

An estimated 8 million Australians (41%) have experienced violence (physical and/or sexual) since the age of 15, including:

• 31% of women and 42% of men who have experienced physical violence
• 22% of women and 6.1% of men who have experienced sexual violence

In 2024–25, 379,265 clients received legal assistance, a 2% (6,297) increase in clients from 2023–24.

• Over half were female (51% or 192,428).
• Over a quarter identified as an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander person (28% or 103,089).
• Over a third (39% or 146,318) received services on more than one occasion.

As at 30 June 2025:

• there were 46,998 adult prisoners in Australia, up 6% (2,595 prisoners) from 2024
• the imprisonment rate was 216 prisoners per 100,000 adult population, up from 208 prisoners in 2024
• prisoners with a most serious offence/charge of acts intended to cause injury accounted for 29% of the prisoner population
• there were 17,432 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander prisoners, up 10% (1,561) from 2024.

In 2024-25:

• 1.8% of persons (395,100) experienced physical assault
• 2.1% of persons (463,400) experienced face-to-face threatened assault
• 1.8% of households (196,600) experienced a break-in
• 0.6% of households (64,400) experienced motor vehicle theft.

In 2024–25:

• there were 344,620 offenders proceeded against by police across Australia
• the number of family and domestic violence offenders increased by 8% to 97,800 offenders
• the number of youth offenders decreased by 5% to 44,583 offenders.

• 10% of Australians experienced card fraud in 2024-25, which was similar to the rate in 2023-24
• Scam victimisation decreased from 3.1% in 2023-24 to 2.7% in 2024-25.

In the December quarter 2025:

• there were 47,379 persons in custody, up 1% (443 persons) from the September quarter 2025 and up 7% (3,117 persons) from the December quarter 2024
• sentenced prisoners increased by 1% (351 persons) from the September quarter 2025 to 27,585 persons
• the imprisonment rate was 217 persons per 100,000 adult population, up from 216 persons in the September quarter 2025.

• Other theft increased to the highest number recorded in 21 years (595,660 victims).
• Almost half of all other theft occurred in a retail location (45%).
• Sexual assault recorded by police increased to the highest number recorded in the time series (40,087 victims).

• 8,723 federal defendants finalised in 2023–24, down 6%
• Harassment and threatening behaviour remained the most common principal federal offence (57%)
• Most judgements resulted in a guilty outcome (93%)
• Around one third of those with a guilty outcome received a fine (30%) and a further 18% were sentenced to custody in a correctional institution

• 515,460 defendants finalised in Criminal Courts in 2023–24, down 3%
• Traffic and vehicle regulatory offences accounted for 34%
• Most judgements resulted in a guilty outcome (97%)
• Just over half of those with a guilty outcome received a fine (52%)

• 1 in 5 women (2 million) and 1 in 15 men (653,400) have experienced stalking since age 15
• Women were more likely to experience stalking by a male (19%) than by a female (2.5%)
• Men were about as likely to experience stalking by a male (3.5%) as by a female (3.6%)

An estimated 4.2 million adults (21%) have experienced partner violence or abuse since the age of 15, including:

• 17% of women and 5.5% of men have experienced partner violence
• 23% of women and 14% of men have experienced partner emotional abuse
• 16% of women and 7.8% of men have experienced partner economic abuse

An estimated 22% of adults have experienced childhood abuse and/or witnessed parental violence before the age of 15, including:

• 7.5% who experienced sexual abuse
• 9.1% who experienced physical abuse
• 13% who witnessed violence towards a parent by a partner

1.3 million women have experienced sexual harassment in the last 12 months. Of these women:

• 70% experienced face-to-face harassment 
• 57% experienced harassment electronically
• 97% were harassed by a male perpetrator

426,800 men have experienced sexual harassment in the last 12 months.

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

In women’s most recent incident of sexual assault by a male:

• 53% of the perpetrators were an intimate partner
• 69% of the incidents occurred in a home
• 67% of women experienced anxiety or fear after the incident
• 57% of women sought advice or support after the incident, most often from family and friends

In 2021-22:

• 77% of women and 93% of men who used public transport alone after dark felt safe
• 85% of women and 94% of men who walked alone in their local area after dark felt safe
• 93% of women and 99% of men who were home alone after dark felt safe

• 5.9% of women and 5.6% of men living with disability or a long-term health condition experienced violence in 2016
• The risk of violence was greater for adults with intellectual/psychological disability than those with physical disability

A report on findings exploring potential options to develop national family and domestic violence statistics for correctional services agencies

Identifies the key data items and recording formats required to improve reporting of family, domestic and sexual violence in Australia

Outlines the strategies and actions required to address critical data gaps and improve the evidence base for family, domestic, and sexual violence

Presents statistical conceptual information relating to family, domestic and sexual violence and describes the main concepts, sources and priorities