In 2024, around 50,000 women and girls were killed by intimate partners or family members, according to data released by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and UN Women.
In 2024, approximately 50,000 women and girls worldwide were killed by an intimate partner or family member. This is according to the 2024 UNODC–UN Women research report on femicide, which was published yesterday, November 24, to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, taking place today, November 25. An average of 137 women and girls are killed by a partner or family member each day - meaning that one woman or girl is killed by a partner or family member almost every 10 minutes.
Around 83,000 women and girls were killed intentionally in 2024, indicating that 60% of all such deaths globally occurred at the hands of intimate partners or family members. In contrast, 11% of male homicides were perpetrated by intimate partners or family members. The UN report states that, “The home continues to be the most dangerous place for women and girls in terms of the risk of homicide.”
277 women have died violently in Ireland since 1996 to November 2025, according to Women’s Aid Ireland. Out of the 223 cases that have been resolved, 87% of women were killed by a man known to them. 55% were killed by a current or former male intimate partner.
This data collected by Women’s Aid is the closest estimate of the number of cases of femicide occurring in Ireland up to 2025, despite it being a non-official source - its data is compiled via the use of newspaper records and court reports. There currently exists no definition of femicide in the Irish legal and criminal systems. A RSCI study on femicide cases in Ireland from 2012 to 2020 noted that, “The true scale of gender-based violence against women remains largely hidden due to a lack of focused official statistics and a clear definition of femicide.”
To mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, a protest will occur in Dublin city centre this evening. Organised by Rosa Ireland, the ‘March Against Gender Based Violence’ will take place at 5:30pm today, Tuesday 25 November, at Dublin City Hall, Dame Street.