In the United States, 1.3 women are raped every minute. That results in 78 rapes each hour, 1,872 rapes each day, 56,160 rapes each month, and 683,280 rapes each year.

The United States has the world's highest rape rate of the countries which publish such statistics - 4 times higher than Germany, 13 times higher than England, and 20 times higher than Japan.

• 1 out of every 3 American women will be sexually assaulted in her lifetime.
• 1 in 7 women will be raped by her husband.
• 61% of all rape cases are victims less than 18 years old. 22% are between the ages of 18 and 24.
• 78% of rape victims know the attacker.
• In a survey of college women, 38% reported sexual victimization which met the legal definition of a rape or attempted rape, yet only 1 out of every 25 reported their assault to the police.
• 1 in 4 college women have either been raped or suffered attempted rape.
• In a study of college students, 35% of men indicated some likelihood that they would commit a violent rape of a woman who had fended off an advance if they were assured of getting away with it.
• 1 in 12 male students surveyed had committed acts that met the legal definition of rape. Furthermore, 84% of the men who had committed such acts said what they had done was definitely not rape.
• 75% of male students and 55% of female students involved in acquaintance rape had been drinking or using drugs.
• Rape has a devastating impact on the mental health of victims. 31% of all victims develop Rape-Related Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (RR-PTSD) at some time during their lifetime. Based upon U.S. census reports on the number of women in the United States, 1.3 million women currently have RR-PTSD, 3.8 million women have previously had RR-PTSD, and roughly 211,000 will develop RR-PTSD each year.
• When compared with non-victims, rape victims have been found to be 8.7 times more likely to attempt suicide.
• Only 16% of rapes are ever reported to the police. In a survey of victims who did not report rape or attempted rape to the police, the following was found as to why no report was made: 43% though nothing could be done; 27% felt it was a private matter; 12% were afraid of police response; and 12% felt it was not important enough.

The information on this page is provided by the United States Department of Justice-Violence Against Women Office.