A new United Nations (UN) report has revealed the staggering scale of violence faced by women and girls across the globe, confirming that 37 women and girls were killed every day in 2024 by intimate partners or family members. The data, released jointly by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and UN Women on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, shows that despite global advocacy, pledges and campaigns, there has been almost no progress in reducing femicide.
According to the report, 50,000 women and girls were killed by individuals close to them in 2024, based on data from 117 countries. This translates to 137 women per day, or roughly one life lost every 10 minutes. While men account for about 80 per cent of all homicide victims worldwide, only 11 per cent of male murder victims were killed by someone close to them. The comparison underscores the deeply gendered nature of violence within homes and families. In total, 83,000 females were intentionally killed worldwide last year.
Nearly 60 per cent of these deaths occurred in domestic settings at the hands of partners or relatives. Many experts say these numbers expose how homes, which should be safe spaces, continue to pose severe risks for millions of women and girls. UNODC’s acting Executive Director, John Brandolino, said the findings show that current prevention and justice mechanisms remain inadequate. He called the numbers a stark reminder that “the home remains a dangerous and sometimes lethal place for too many women and girls.” He stressed the need for stronger prevention strategies and more effective criminal justice responses capable of addressing the underlying factors that enable such violence.
The report confirms that femicide remains a global problem with no region spared. The highest recorded rate of femicide by intimate partners or family members was in Africa, with three cases per 100,000 women. This was followed by the Americas with 1.5 per 100,000, Oceania with 1.4, Asia with 0.7, and Europe with 0.5. Experts caution that while reporting systems vary by country, the figures reflect entrenched social norms and structural inequalities that place women at heightened risk worldwide.
UN Women’s Policy Division Director, Sarah Hendriks, noted that femicide rarely occurs suddenly. Instead, it often follows a long and escalating pattern of violence. She said femicides “sit on a continuum of violence that can start with controlling behaviour, threats, and harassment, including online.” Hendriks warned that digital violence increasingly spills into real-life harm, stressing that early intervention is essential.
UN Women says stopping femicide requires coordinated efforts involving schools, workplaces, public institutions and community networks working together to identify early warning signs. It also calls for comprehensive laws that address violence in both online and offline environments and ensure that perpetrators are held accountable before abuse escalates into lethal harm.
The report also highlights significant gaps in global data. Killings of women and girls outside the home remain severely underreported, largely because many countries lack adequate systems to identify or classify gender-related killings.
UN Women and UNODC are working with governments to implement the 2022 Statistical Framework for Gender-Related Killings to improve the accuracy and consistency of global data. The slight decline in domestic femicide numbers from 51,100 in 2023 to 50,000 in 2024 does not reflect a real decrease, the UN said, but rather changes in data availability.
The report was released alongside the annual 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence, a global campaign held from 25 November to 10 December. Launched by civil society in 1991 and expanded globally through the UN Secretary-General’s UNiTE campaign, the initiative mobilizes governments, organisations, communities and individuals to take action to prevent and eliminate violence against women and girls.
UN Women is the United Nations entity dedicated to promoting gender equality and empowering women and girls worldwide. The agency works to reform laws and institutions, challenge harmful social norms and strengthen support systems that protect women. It places the rights and well-being of women and girls at the center of global development and human rights efforts.
With little evidence of improvement and thousands of women still losing their lives each year, experts say the latest UN findings should serve as an urgent call for governments and societies to act decisively. Strengthening legal protections, improving data collection, addressing digital and offline abuse together and expanding support services remain pressing priorities.
As the world marks the 16 Days of Activism, the UN’s message is clear: ending femicide requires early intervention, firm laws, accountable institutions and sustained political will. For millions of women and girls, it is not just a matter of justice but of survival. 50,000 women and girls were killed by individuals close to them in 2024, based on data from 117 countries: Report.