1.1. Contact organisation
Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union
1.2. Contact organisation unit
E2: Environmental statistics and accounts; sustainable development
1.3. Contact name
Confidential because of GDPR
1.4. Contact person function
Confidential because of GDPR
1.5. Contact mail address
e-mail contact : ESTAT-SDG-MONITORING@ec.europa.eu
1.6. Contact email address
Confidential because of GDPR
1.7. Contact phone number
Confidential because of GDPR
1.8. Contact fax number
Confidential because of GDPR
2.1. Metadata last certified
26 May 2025
2.2. Metadata last posted
26 May 2025
2.3. Metadata last update
26 May 2025
The indicator is part of the EU Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) indicator set. It is used to monitor progress towards SDG 5 on gender equality and SDG 16 on promoting peace and access to justice for all, which are embedded in the European Commission’s Priorities under 'Supporting people, strenghtening our societes and our social model'.
The EU Gender Equality Strategy commits to achieving a Union of Equality and presents policy objectives and actions to make significant progress by 2025 towards a gender-equal Europe, where women and men, girls and boys, are free to pursue their chosen path in life and have equal opportunities to thrive. The key objectives are ending gender-based violence; challenging gender stereotypes; closing gender gaps in the labour market; achieving equal participation across different sectors of the economy; addressing the gender pay and pension gaps; closing the gender care gap and achieving gender balance in decision-making and in politics.
SDG 5 aims at achieving gender equality by, among other things, ending all forms of discrimination, violence, and any harmful practices against women and girls in the public and private spheres. SDG 16 calls for peaceful and inclusive societies, also based on respect for human rights and the protection of the most vulnerable.
Indicator can be considered as similar to global SDG indicator 5.2.1 "Proportion of ever-partnered women and girls aged 15 years and older subjected to physical, sexual or psychological violence by a current or former intimate partner, in the previous 12 months, by form of violence and by age" and global SDG indicator 5.2.2 "Proportion of women and girls aged 15 years and older subjected to sexual violence by persons other than an intimate partner, in the previous 12 months, by age and place of occurrence".
Gender-based violence is a brutal form of discrimination and a violation of fundamental human rights. It is both a cause and a consequence of inequalities between women and men. Besides the harmful impact on health and well-being, it can hamper women's access to employment with negative effects on their financial independence and the economy overall.
The EU protects women and children from gender-based violence through awareness raising as well as legislation and practical measures on victims' rights. The Council Framework Decision on the standing of victims in criminal proceedings from 2001 establishes basic rights for victims of crime within the EU.
4.1. Data description
The aim of the EU-GBV survey is to measure gender-based violence as defined in the Istanbul Convention. To collect the data according to this definition, the survey focuses on different types of violence experienced and the relationship between victim and perpetrator. Thus, the survey also includes other forms of inter-personal violence in addition to gender-based violence against women.
Gender-based violence against women is defined as ‘violence that is directed against a woman because she is a woman or violence that affects women disproportionately’ (Istanbul Convention, Article 3,d).
Domestic violence is defined as ‘all acts of physical, sexual, psychological or economic violence that occur within the family or domestic unit or between former or current spouses or partners, whether the perpetrator shares or has shared the same residence with the victim’ (Istanbul Convention, Article 3,d).
Inter-personal violence refers to violence between individuals, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO). It is subdivided into family and intimate partner violence and community violence.
The data collection was carried out in the EU countries based on their national timetable between September 2020 and March 2024.
Eurostat coordinated data collection in 18 EU countries (Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Spain), where the survey was implemented by national statistical authorities. Italy shared comparable data for the main indicators based on its national survey. For 8 EU countries (Czechia, Cyprus, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Luxembourg, Romania, Sweden) the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) and the European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE) coordinated the data collection, which was carried out by private companies in accordance with the EU-GBV survey guidelines.
The results of the EU-GBV survey wave 2021, which were under the responsibility of Eurostat, were published between November 2022 and June 2024 together with a statistical report on the first results from the survey. A release of EU-wide data by Eurostat, FRA and EIGE, including a joint publication, took place on 25 November 2024.
4.2. Unit of measure
% of women by age group.
4.3. Reference Period
The 12 months before the interview.
4.4. Accuracy - overall
Indicator from EU-GBV survey.
4.5. Source data
4.5.1. Source data - Organisation
Eurostat
4.5.2. Source data - Comment
Data source: EU-Gender based violence survey
5.1. Frequency of dissemination
5.1.1. Frequency of dissemination - Grade
Not Applicable5.1.2. Frequency of dissemination - Comment
Frequency of indicator update is not specified.
5.2. Timeliness
5.2.1. Timeliness - Grade
> T+2 years5.2.2. Timeliness - Comment
Timeliness of indicator dissemination is not specified.
6.1. Reference area
6.1.1. Reference Area - Grade
All EU MS6.1.2. Reference Area - Comment
Data are presented for all EU Member States.
6.2. Comparability - geographical
6.2.1. Comparability - geographical - Grade
All EU MS6.2.2. Comparability - geographical - Comment
Data are comparable between all EU Member States.
6.3. Coverage - Time
6.3.1. Time Coverage - Grade
Not Applicable6.3.2. Time Coverage - Comment
Indicator with only one data point (2021)
6.4. Comparability - over time
6.4.1. Comparability - over time - Grade
Not Applicable6.4.2. Comparability - over time - Comment
Indicator with only one data point (2021)
7.1. Dissemination format - Publications
Analysis of indicator is presented in Eurostat's annual monitoring report on Sustainable development in the EU (progress towards SDGs in the EU context).
7.2. Dissemination format - online database
See table sdg_05_11
7.3. Dissemination format - other
Eurostat dedicated section on SDGs.
Copyrights: Eurostat Copyright/Licence Policy is applicable.
