UN: 140 Women Killed Daily in 2023 by Partners or Relatives “`

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A new report from two U.N. agencies reveals that homes are the most dangerous places for women, with an average of 140 women and girls killed daily by intimate partners or family members in 2023.

Approximately 51,100 women and girls globally were killed by intimate partners or family members in 2023, a slight increase from the estimated 48,800 in 2022. U.N. Women and the U.N. Office of Drugs and Crime attribute this rise primarily to improved data collection, not a surge in killings.

Released on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, the report emphasizes that this extreme form of gender-based violence affects women and girls worldwide, with no region exempt. The report underscores the home as the most perilous environment for women and girls.

Africa reported the highest number of intimate partner and family killings, with an estimated 21,700 victims in 2023, also representing the highest rate relative to population size—2.9 victims per 100,000 people.

High rates were also observed in the Americas (1.6 victims per 100,000) and Oceania (1.5 per 100,000), while rates were considerably lower in Asia (0.8 victims per 100,000) and Europe (0.6 per 100,000).

In Europe and the Americas, intimate partners are largely responsible for the intentional killings of women in the private sphere, according to the report.

In contrast, the report notes that the majority of male homicides occur outside the home and family context.

The report highlights the disproportionate impact of lethal violence within the private sphere on women and girls, despite men and boys accounting for the vast majority of homicide victims overall. While approximately 80% of all homicide victims in 2023 were men, and 20% were women, almost 60% of women intentionally killed were victims of intimate partner/family member homicide.

Despite national efforts to prevent these killings, the report concludes that they remain at alarmingly high levels. The agencies involved state that these killings are often the culmination of repeated gender-based violence and therefore preventable through timely and effective interventions.