United Nations, Femicide Report 2024 Every 10 Minutes, a Woman or Girl Is Killed

On the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, 25 November, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and UN Women jointly released a global report emphasizing that violence against women and girls is entirely preventable, yet femicide rates remain alarmingly high.

According to the report, in 2024, 50,000 women and girls were killed by an intimate partner or a family member. This figure represents approximately 60 per cent of all intentional femicides. In 2023, the number was 51,100. The observed decrease is attributed to inequalities or discrepancies in country-specific data and does not reflect a genuine reduction. Today, every 10 minutes, a woman or girl is killed by someone close to her.

The report states that, on average, 137 women and girls killed every day by intimate partners or family members. In contrast, only 11 per cent of male homicides occur in private settings.

Regional Overview: Africa Has the Highest Rate, Europe Remains at Risk

In 2024, Africa recorded the highest rate of intimate partner or family-related femicides, with 3 victims per 100,000 population. The Americas and Oceania follow at 1.5 and 1.4 victims per 100,000, respectively. While Asia (0.7 per 100,000) and Europe (0.5 per 100,000) reported lower rates compared to the global average, the proportion of women killed by intimate partners in Europe is striking: in 2024, 64 per cent of women killed in Europe were murdered by their intimate partners.

Examples from Europe and Central Asia reveal that many women face digital forms of violence before being killed, such as catfishing, doxing, online defamation, and cross-platform harassment. Some women are killed shortly after the perpetrator is released from prison. According to UNFPA data, the situation in Türkiye is similarly concerning. One in four young internet users in Türkiye experiences digital violence, and women are 27 times more likely than men to be affected.

Digital Violence Kills: Hate Online Harms Offline

The report highlights that online violence is not merely a “virtual” threat; rather, it is a tangible form of violence that leaves women and girls highly vulnerable to physical abuse and homicide. Research from the United Kingdom indicates that 60 per cent of women killed in domestic settings were monitored online before their deaths. Women with high public profiles, such as journalists, politicians, and activists, are among the groups most exposed to digital violence. Globally, one in four women journalists and, in many regions, 1 in 3 to 4 women politicians report receiving online threats, including death threats. Digital technologies facilitate the spread of violence against women in virtual environments, and women and girls are sometimes killed as a result of images and videos shared online. In certain cases, these murders are even broadcast live on social media, revealing the direct link between digital violence and deadly real-world consequences.

Women are exposed to numerous forms of technology-facilitated violence, including catfishing, doxing, cyberflashing, online defamation, cross-platform harassment, sealioning, sextortion, and the misuse of image-based content.

The joint 16 Days of Activism campaign by UN Women and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) this year is themed “End Digital Violence against Women and Girls. Full Stop!” highlighting the relationship between digital and physical violence.

Statement from UN Women Türkiye Country Director Maryse Guimond

“This report reminds us of a clear reality: femicide is not inevitable, it is preventable. Violence often begins in the digital sphere, continues through threats, pressure, and harassment, and, without timely intervention, ends in fatal outcomes. Everyone needs practical tools for online safety. Women and girls must know how to protect their accounts, recognize abusive behaviour, report incidents quickly, and support targeted individuals. To safeguard the right to life of every woman and girl, we must take early warning signs seriously and establish robust justice and effective protection mechanisms in both online and offline spaces.”

Data-Driven Policy is Essential

The report stresses that femicide data is underreported in many countries, resulting in invisibility that demands urgent action.

UN Women and UNODC continue to work with countries to implement the international statistical framework adopted in 2022.

The full report is available here: https://www.unwomen.org/en/digital-library/publications/2025/11/femicides-in-2024-global-estimates-of-intimate-partner-family-member-femicides