Perpetrators of Domestic Abuse in the UK: Who Are They?

Domestic abuse remains one of the most pressing social issues in the UK, impacting millions of lives each year. While survivors and their needs rightly receive the bulk of attention, understanding the profiles of perpetrators is equally important for shaping prevention strategies, designing effective interventions, and holding abusers accountable.

Yet, when it comes to demographics—particularly around ethnicity and race—the evidence is patchy, inconsistent, and politically sensitive. This post explores what we do know, what remains unclear, and why careful interpretation of statistics is essential.

Domestic Abuse in the UK: The Bigger Picture

In the year ending March 2024, an estimated 2.3 million adults experienced domestic abuse in England and Wales—1.6 million women and 712,000 men (ONS, 2024a).

Women remain disproportionately affected: 6.6% of women compared to 3.0% of men reported abuse in that period (ONS, 2024a).

Police-recorded domestic abuse-related crimes also show that 72.5% of victims were female (ONS, 2024b).

This establishes the clear gendered nature of domestic abuse in the UK—the majority of perpetrators are men, and the majority of victims are women.

Perpetrator Characteristics

Gender and Age

Local studies confirm that perpetrators are overwhelmingly male. For example, in a detailed review of London cases, 78% of suspects were men with an average age of 36 (Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime, 2022).

Repeat Offending

Domestic abuse is rarely a one-off. Women’s Aid analysis showed that 83% of perpetrators had more than one recorded incident, and a significant proportion were chronic reoffenders (Women’s Aid, 2021).

Race and Ethnicity: What the Data Shows (and Doesn’t)

Victim Data for Context

The government’s Ethnicity Facts and Figures service (drawing on Crime Survey data) found in 2023:

Mixed ethnic group: 7.9% reported domestic abuse victimisation.

Black ethnic group: 3.5%.

Asian ethnic group: 2.0%.

White ethnic group: 4.4% (the national average) (Gov.uk, 2023).

While this relates to victims, not perpetrators, it shows disparities in exposure and reporting across ethnic groups.

Homicide and Serious Abuse

The VKPP Domestic Homicide Project (2022) analysed 294 domestic homicide cases. 80% of victims were White, but Asian and Black victims were proportionally over-represented compared to population share. In adult family homicide cases, 33% of suspects were Black (VKPP, 2022).

This suggests possible ethnic disproportionality in the most severe forms of abuse, though caution is needed given small sample sizes.

Policing and Justice Bias

The Lammy Review (2017) highlighted disparities in the criminal justice system, noting that Black men are three times more likely to be arrested than White men. In domestic abuse contexts, this raises questions about whether recorded perpetrator ethnicity reflects actual prevalence or structural bias (Lammy, 2017).

Key Challenges in Interpreting the Data

1. Underreporting: Domestic abuse is chronically underreported across all groups, but cultural stigma, immigration status, and language barriers may make minority groups even less likely to engage with police or services.

2. Recording Gaps: Many police forces fail to record ethnicity consistently, and large proportions of “unknown” entries limit reliability of the stats.

3. Overrepresentation vs. Structural Bias: Where minority groups appear overrepresented in arrests or prosecutions, it is often unclear whether this reflects higher perpetration or differential policing.

4. Risk of Stereotyping: Focusing on ethnicity without nuance risks fuelling harmful racial stereotypes, which can silence victims and reduce trust in services.

Moving Forward

What is clear is that domestic abuse in the UK is primarily perpetrated by men, and that while ethnicity data points to some disproportionalities, it is incomplete and fraught with biases. The most urgent priorities are:

• Improving recording practices across police and courts.

• Investing in culturally competent services for survivors.

• Developing perpetrator programmes that are accessible and effective for men from all backgrounds.

Ultimately, perpetrators must be understood as individuals, shaped by gender norms, inequality, and personal responsibility—not reduced to simplistic demographic labels.

References

Gov.uk (2023) Domestic abuse victims by ethnicity. Available at: https://www.ethnicity-facts-figures.service.gov.uk/crime-justice-and-the-law/crime-and-reoffending/domestic-abuse-victims/latest (Accessed: 28 September 2025).

Lammy, D. (2017) The Lammy Review: An independent review into the treatment of, and outcomes for, Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic individuals in the criminal justice system. London: HM Government.

Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime (2022) A deep dive into domestic abuse in London. London: MOPAC.

Office for National Statistics (ONS) (2024a) Domestic abuse prevalence and trends, England and Wales: year ending March 2024. Newport: ONS.

Office for National Statistics (ONS) (2024b) Domestic abuse victim characteristics, England and Wales: year ending March 2024. Newport: ONS.

VKPP (2022) Domestic Homicide Project: Spotlight briefing on ethnicity. London: Vulnerability Knowledge and Practice Programme.

Women’s Aid (2021) The Domestic Abuse Report 2021: The Annual Audit. London: Women’s Aid.