Violence Against Women Statistics in Canada 2026 | Dec 6 Remembrance, Family Violence, Provinces & Key Facts

Police in Canada recorded 133,256 victims of intimate partner violence in 2025, a record rate of 366 per 100,000 people, and women and girls made up 78% of those victims. Family violence reached 147,030 victims, intimate partner homicide fell 29% to 75 victims, and Canada marks the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women on December 6, 2026.

Violence Against Women Statistics in Canada 2026 – Introduction

Violence against women in Canada reached a record police-reported level in the latest data. Statistics Canada released its 2025 figures on November 10, 2026. The intimate partner violence rate hit 366 victims per 100,000 people, the highest since comparable data began in 2009. Nearly 8 in 10 victims were women and girls. Family violence also reached a record rate of 357 victims per 100,000, and police recorded 147,030 family violence victims in 2025.

The release lands weeks before December 6, 2026, the 37th anniversary of the École Polytechnique massacre. This report covers the police-reported trend, the gender gap, provincial rates, femicide, relationship patterns and the Remembrance Day facts. Police data counts only crimes that reach police, so every number here is a floor, not a ceiling. Survey research suggests many survivors never call police, so the true scale is larger than any table shows.

Violence Against Women in Canada 2026 Interesting Facts

Share of intimate partner violence victims, 2025
Women and girls | ██████████████████████████ 78%
Men and boys    | ███████ 22%

Source: Statistics Canada, police-reported family violence and intimate partner violence release (November 10, 2026); Canadian Femicide Observatory for Justice and Accountability.

Statistics Canada counts victims of crimes that police record, including physical and sexual assault, harassment and threats. The 366 rate is the highest in the series, and the 133,256 count is up 2% from 2024. Intimate partner homicide moved the other way and fell to its lowest level since 1974. Together the two measures show why readers should look at several data sources before judging trends.

The Femicide Observatory tracks killings of women and girls using public records and media reports, so its counts differ from police homicide data. It listed 147 women and girls killed in 2025 and 30 killed by mid-March 2026. Both sources show that violence against women remains a daily reality in Canada. Neither source captures abuse that goes unreported, which survey research shows is common.

Violence Against Women in Canada 2026: Police-Reported Trend From 2018 to 2025

Intimate partner violence rate per 100,000 (each block = 10)
2018 | ███████████████████████████████ 311
2023 | ███████████████████████████████████ 354
2024 | ███████████████████████████████████ 356
2025 | █████████████████████████████████████ 366

Source: Statistics Canada, The Daily, police-reported family violence and intimate partner violence releases for 2023, 2024 and 2025.

Victim counts rose each year from 2023 to 2025. Intimate partner victims climbed from 123,319 to 133,256, a gain of nearly 10,000. That is an extra 9,937 victims in two years. The rate rose from 354 to 366. Family violence victims reached 147,030, up 1.1% from 2024 and 19% since 2018. Provinces differ widely, and the national figure hides sharp gaps between regions. The count rose 15% since 2018 for intimate partner violence while the rate rose 18%, because the population grew too.

Statistics Canada warns that a 2018 change to how police define founded crimes may explain part of the climb. More reporting can also raise the numbers. A higher count does not prove that more abuse occurred. It does prove that more cases reached police. Readers who track violence against women in Canada should watch both the count and the rate. The count grows with the population, while the rate adjusts for it.

Family Violence Against Women and Girls in Canada 2026: Gender Gap by the Numbers

Family violence rate per 100,000, 2025 (each block = 20)
Women and girls | ████████████████████████ 482
Men and boys    | ████████████ 232

Source: Statistics Canada, The Daily, 2024 and 2025 releases on police-reported family violence and intimate partner violence.

Women and girls faced family violence at 482 per 100,000 in 2025, more than double the 232 rate for men and boys. For intimate partner violence, the 2024 data showed women and girls 3.5 times more likely to be victims. The rate peaked at age 30 for women at 1,146 per 100,000.

Men and boys saw faster growth since 2018, at +22% for intimate partner violence against +13% for women and girls. Statistics Canada ties that shift to changes in reporting and policing, not only to abuse. Police data cannot say how much of that growth reflects new cases and how much reflects more reporting. The gap remains wide. Both groups need services, and police data for each group shows different patterns of age, setting and relationship. Women and girls still account for about 78% of intimate partner victims, a share that has stayed stable across the series. That stability across many years makes it one of the most consistent findings in Canadian crime data.

Violence Against Women by Province in Canada 2026: Highest and Lowest Rates

Intimate partner violence rate per 100,000, 2025 (each block = 10)
New Brunswick | ████████████████████████████████████████████ 443
Newfoundland  | ██████████████████████████████████████████ 425
Quebec        | ████████████████████████████████████████ 402
Alberta       | ███████████████████████████████████████ 392
Canada        | █████████████████████████████████████ 366

Source: Statistics Canada Table 35-10-0219-01 and The Daily, 2024 and 2025 releases.

Saskatchewan and Manitoba post the highest provincial rates, at close to twice the national average. The 2025 release names New Brunswick at 443, Newfoundland and Labrador at 425 and Quebec at 402 as the next highest, all above Canada’s 366. Ontario has the lowest large-province rate at 278 in 2024. Ontario’s rate sits well below the national figure.

The territories record the highest rates anywhere, from 3 to 19 times the national figure. Among cities, Lethbridge posted 616 per 100,000 in 2025. Calgary stood at 285 and Edmonton at 332. Small populations make city rates swing widely, so read single-year city figures with care. Rates for the northern territories also rest on small populations and sit far above the national figure. Provincial rates for 2025 may shift when Statistics Canada publishes full tables, so check the source before quoting a ranking.

Femicide and Homicide of Women in Canada 2026: Latest Statistics

Killings reported, 2025 (each block = 5)
Women and girls killed (Observatory) | █████████████████████████████ 147
Family homicide victims (StatCan)    | ██████████████████████████ 132
Intimate partner homicide (StatCan)  | ███████████████ 75

Source: Canadian Femicide Observatory for Justice and Accountability; Statistics Canada, The Daily, 2024 and 2025 releases.

The Observatory counted 147 women and girls killed in 2025. Police had named a current or former partner in 34% of cases at the time, and the observatory says the share averages 55% once investigations finish. About 72% died in a private place such as a home. That pattern shows why homes can be the most dangerous place for some women. Statistics Canada counted 75 intimate partner homicide victims of all genders in 2025. Its counts cover every victim, while the Observatory focuses on women and girls.

That figure fell 29%, the lowest since 1974. Over 2014 to 2024, 79% of the 963 intimate partner homicide victims were women and girls. Women and girls were 59% of the 1,755 family homicide victims. Women and girls were 59% of the 1,755 family homicide victims, so family settings carry a heavy toll beyond partner violence. A fall in homicide does not cancel the rise in reported violence, since the two measures move separately.

Intimate Partner Violence in Canada 2026: Who the Accused Are

Intimate partner violence details, 2025 (each block = 3)
Accused was current partner | █████████████████████ 63%
Victim lived with accused   | ███████████████ 46%
Accused was former partner  | ████████████ 35%

Source: Statistics Canada, The Daily, 2024 and 2025 releases on police-reported intimate partner violence.

A current partner was the accused in 63% of intimate partner cases in 2025, and a former partner in 35%. Living arrangements matter. Where police knew the setting, 46% of victims lived with the accused, which can make leaving harder and reporting riskier. Safety planning, housing and legal support all shape whether survivors can leave. Intimate partners harmed 28% of all violent crime victims in 2024. That means more than one in four violent crime victims faced harm from a partner.

Children also appear in the family violence data. Police recorded 27,256 victims aged 17 and under in 2025. These cases often sit in the same homes as intimate partner violence. These cases often sit in the same homes as intimate partner violence, so the two datasets overlap. Shelters and safety planning matter as much as arrests for families in these situations.

December 6 National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women 2026

December 6 by the numbers
Women killed in 1989        | ██████████████ 14
Days of activism            | ████████████████ 16
Years since 1989            | █████████████████████████████████████ 37

Source: Government of Canada; Women and Gender Equality Canada; United Nations 16 Days of Activism campaign.

On December 6, 1989, a gunman killed 14 women at École Polytechnique de Montréal. Parliament set December 6 as the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women in 1991. In 2026, Canada marks the 37th anniversary. The day falls on a Sunday, so many events run the week before.

The date also sits inside the 16 Days of Activism, which run from November 25 to December 10. Vigils, lowered flags and community events honour the victims. Schools, unions, universities and community groups also hold events across the country. The day asks for action as well as memory, and this year’s record reporting rate gives that call fresh weight. Organizers urge people to support shelters, learn the warning signs of abuse and press governments for funding.

Lifetime Intimate Partner Violence Against Women in Canada 2026: Indigenous Women

Lifetime intimate partner violence (each block = 3)
Indigenous women | ████████████████████ 61%
Women overall    | ███████████████ 44%
Men              | ████████████ 36%

Source: Statistics Canada survey data on violence in public and private spaces, as cited by Justice Canada.

Survey data goes beyond police reports. About 44% of women in Canada report intimate partner violence of some kind in their lifetime, against 36% of men. Indigenous women report 61%, which is 17 points above women overall. That gap shows how far police data understates the problem. Police data captures only a slice of what survivors live through.

Indigenous women also face more severe forms of violence. Survey results show Indigenous women also report severe forms of violence at higher rates. These lifetime figures come from older survey waves, so check for newer releases. They still give the best picture of abuse that never reaches police. Services built for Indigenous women and run by Indigenous communities remain a priority for advocates.

Violence Against Women in Canada 2026 FAQ

How many women are victims of violence in Canada in 2026?

Police recorded 133,256 intimate partner violence victims in 2025, and 78% were women and girls. Newer national counts come with each Statistics Canada release. The next release will update this figure for 2026 and show whether the record rate continued to rise across the country. Always check Statistics Canada for the latest tables.

What is the intimate partner violence rate in Canada?

The 2025 rate was 366 victims per 100,000 people, the highest since 2009.

How many women were killed in Canada in 2025?

The Femicide Observatory counted 147 women and girls killed in 2025. Police named a partner or former partner in 34% of cases at first, and that share rises after investigations.

How many women have been killed in Canada in 2026?

The Observatory counted 30 women and girls killed by mid-March 2026. Check its site for later counts.

What is December 6 in Canada?

It is the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women. It honours the 14 women killed at École Polytechnique in 1989.

What is the date of the 2026 Remembrance Day?

December 6, 2026, a Sunday. It marks the 37th anniversary.

Which province has the highest rate of violence against women in Canada?

Saskatchewan had the highest intimate partner rate at 714 per 100,000 in 2024, followed by Manitoba at 607. The territories record higher rates still.

Is violence against women rising in Canada?

Police-reported rates rose 18% from 2018 to 2025. Statistics Canada says part of that rise comes from definition and reporting changes.

What percentage of intimate partner violence victims are women?

Women and girls were 78% of victims in 2025, and men and boys were 22%.

How many victims of family violence were there in Canada in 2025?

Police recorded 147,030 family violence victims, up 19% since 2018.

Did intimate partner homicide fall in 2025?

Yes. It fell 29% to 75 victims, the lowest level since 1974, even as reported violence rose.

Where can women in Canada get help?

Call 911 in an emergency or if someone is in immediate danger. Provinces and territories run 24-hour crisis lines, and ShelterSafe, run by Women’s Shelters Canada, helps locate shelters.

What percentage of women in Canada experience intimate partner violence in their lifetime?

Survey data shows about 44% of women report intimate partner violence of some kind in their lifetime, and 61% of Indigenous women.

What is femicide in Canada?

Femicide means the killing of women and girls, often tied to gender. The Canadian Femicide Observatory for Justice and Accountability tracks these cases each year.

Why are police-reported numbers for violence against women in Canada so high in 2025?

Rates rose because more cases reached police and because definitions changed in 2018, and abuse may also have increased. Statistics Canada does not give one single cause, and the data cannot separate these effects.

Does Canada have lower rates of violence against women than the United States?

Some outlets say so, but countries count crimes differently. Compare national rates only when both use the same definitions and survey methods.

How many family violence victims were children and youth in 2025?

Police recorded 27,256 family violence victims aged 17 and under in 2025. Many of these cases involve parents, siblings or other relatives.

Disclaimer: This research report is compiled from publicly available sources. While reasonable efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, no representation or warranty, express or implied, is given as to the completeness or reliability of the information. We accept no liability for any errors, omissions, losses, or damages of any kind arising from the use of this report.