Prevalence of intimate partner violence and non-partner sexual violence against adolescent girls aged 15–19 years
October 13, 2026
Violence against adolescent girls is a serious public health problem and human rights violation. This technical brief presents global, regional and national estimates of intimate partner violence and non-partner sexual violence against adolescent girls aged 15–19 years. These estimates draw on the 2023 violence against women prevalence estimates produced by WHO with and on behalf of the co-custodian agencies, including UNICEF, for SDG indicators under Target 5.2.
Globally, more than one in five (23 per cent) of ever-married/partnered adolescent girls aged 15–19 years are estimated to have been subjected to physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence at least once in their lives. A further 8 per cent of girls this age have been subjected to sexual violence by someone other than a partner at least once since age 15. Altogether, nearly 30 per cent of adolescent girls aged 15–19 years, or 43 million, have been subjected to one or both forms of violence at least once in their lives.
The brief examines the multiple, intersecting factors that drive this violence, including child marriage, lower levels of education, conflict and climate change and sets out implications for policy, programmes and research. With no country currently on track to eliminate violence against women and girls by 2030, the findings underscore the urgent need to accelerate action to prevent and respond to violence against girls.