Legislation on domestic violence by country
The law on domestic violence may punish offenders, provide protection orders for victims, or address harassment that causes physical or mental harm.
Countries reporting
163
Highest
1 (1=yes; 0=no)
Angola
Lowest
1 (1=yes; 0=no)
Zimbabwe
Median
1 (1=yes; 0=no)
Years covered
54
1970–2023
Data points
10,152
What the numbers show
Legislation on domestic violence is currently reported for 163 countries. The highest value is 1 (1=yes; 0=no) in Angola; the lowest is 1 (1=yes; 0=no) in Zimbabwe.
The median across all reporting countries is 1 (1=yes; 0=no), and the mean is 1 (1=yes; 0=no).
Legislation on domestic violence: full country ranking
| # | Country | Latest | Year | 10-year change | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Angola | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | unchanged | volatile |
| 1 | Albania | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | unchanged | volatile |
| 1 | United Arab Emirates | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | — | volatile |
| 1 | Argentina | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | unchanged | volatile |
| 1 | Armenia | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | — | volatile |
| 1 | Antigua and Barbuda | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | unchanged | volatile |
| 1 | Australia | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | unchanged | volatile |
| 1 | Austria | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | unchanged | volatile |
| 1 | Azerbaijan | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | unchanged | volatile |
| 1 | Burundi | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | unchanged | volatile |
| 1 | Belgium | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | unchanged | volatile |
| 1 | Benin | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | unchanged | volatile |
| 1 | Burkina Faso | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | — | volatile |
| 1 | Bangladesh | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | unchanged | volatile |
| 1 | Bulgaria | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | unchanged | volatile |
| 1 | Bahrain | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | — | volatile |
| 1 | Bahamas | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | unchanged | volatile |
| 1 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | unchanged | volatile |
| 1 | Belarus | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | — | volatile |
| 1 | Belize | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | unchanged | volatile |
| 1 | Bolivia | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | unchanged | volatile |
| 1 | Brazil | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | unchanged | volatile |
| 1 | Barbados | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | unchanged | volatile |
| 1 | Brunei | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | unchanged | volatile |
| 1 | Bhutan | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | unchanged | volatile |
| 1 | Botswana | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | unchanged | volatile |
| 1 | Central African Republic | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | unchanged | volatile |
| 1 | Canada | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | unchanged | volatile |
| 1 | Switzerland | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | unchanged | volatile |
| 1 | Chile | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | unchanged | volatile |
| 1 | China | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | unchanged | volatile |
| 1 | Cote d'Ivoire | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | — | volatile |
| 1 | Congo | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | — | volatile |
| 1 | Colombia | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | unchanged | volatile |
| 1 | Comoros | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | — | volatile |
| 1 | Cape Verde | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | unchanged | volatile |
| 1 | Costa Rica | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | unchanged | volatile |
| 1 | Cyprus | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | unchanged | volatile |
| 1 | Czechia | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | unchanged | volatile |
| 1 | Germany | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | unchanged | volatile |
| 1 | Djibouti | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | — | volatile |
| 1 | Dominica | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | unchanged | volatile |
| 1 | Denmark | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | unchanged | volatile |
| 1 | Dominican Republic | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | unchanged | volatile |
| 1 | Algeria | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | — | volatile |
| 1 | Ecuador | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | unchanged | volatile |
| 1 | Egypt | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | — | volatile |
| 1 | Spain | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | unchanged | volatile |
| 1 | Ethiopia | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | unchanged | volatile |
| 1 | Finland | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | unchanged | volatile |
| 1 | Fiji | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | unchanged | volatile |
| 1 | France | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | unchanged | volatile |
| 1 | Micronesia (country) | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | — | volatile |
| 1 | Gabon | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | — | volatile |
| 1 | United Kingdom | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | unchanged | volatile |
| 1 | Georgia | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | unchanged | volatile |
| 1 | Ghana | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | unchanged | volatile |
| 1 | Gambia | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | — | volatile |
| 1 | Guinea-Bissau | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | — | volatile |
| 1 | Greece | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | unchanged | volatile |
| 1 | Grenada | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | unchanged | volatile |
| 1 | Guatemala | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | unchanged | volatile |
| 1 | Guyana | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | unchanged | volatile |
| 1 | Hong Kong | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | unchanged | volatile |
| 1 | Honduras | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | unchanged | volatile |
| 1 | Croatia | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | unchanged | volatile |
| 1 | Hungary | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | unchanged | volatile |
| 1 | Indonesia | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | unchanged | volatile |
| 1 | India | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | unchanged | volatile |
| 1 | Ireland | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | unchanged | volatile |
| 1 | Iceland | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | unchanged | volatile |
| 1 | Israel | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | unchanged | volatile |
| 1 | Italy | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | — | volatile |
| 1 | Jamaica | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | unchanged | volatile |
| 1 | Jordan | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | unchanged | volatile |
| 1 | Japan | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | unchanged | volatile |
| 1 | Kazakhstan | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | unchanged | volatile |
| 1 | Kenya | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | — | volatile |
| 1 | Kyrgyzstan | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | unchanged | volatile |
| 1 | Cambodia | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | unchanged | volatile |
| 1 | Kiribati | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | — | volatile |
| 1 | Saint Kitts and Nevis | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | unchanged | volatile |
| 1 | South Korea | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | unchanged | volatile |
| 1 | Kuwait | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | — | volatile |
| 1 | Laos | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | unchanged | volatile |
| 1 | Lebanon | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | — | volatile |
| 1 | Liberia | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | — | volatile |
| 1 | Saint Lucia | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | unchanged | volatile |
| 1 | Sri Lanka | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | unchanged | volatile |
| 1 | Lesotho | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | — | volatile |
| 1 | Lithuania | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | unchanged | volatile |
| 1 | Luxembourg | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | unchanged | volatile |
| 1 | Latvia | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | — | volatile |
| 1 | Morocco | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | — | volatile |
| 1 | Moldova | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | unchanged | volatile |
| 1 | Madagascar | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | — | volatile |
| 1 | Maldives | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | unchanged | volatile |
| 1 | Mexico | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | unchanged | volatile |
| 1 | Marshall Islands | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | unchanged | volatile |
| 1 | North Macedonia | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | — | volatile |
| 1 | Malta | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | unchanged | volatile |
| 1 | Montenegro | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | unchanged | volatile |
| 1 | Mongolia | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | — | volatile |
| 1 | Mozambique | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | unchanged | volatile |
| 1 | Mauritius | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | unchanged | volatile |
| 1 | Malawi | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | unchanged | volatile |
| 1 | Malaysia | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | unchanged | volatile |
| 1 | Namibia | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | unchanged | volatile |
| 1 | Nigeria | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | unchanged | volatile |
| 1 | Nicaragua | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | unchanged | volatile |
| 1 | Netherlands | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | — | volatile |
| 1 | Norway | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | unchanged | volatile |
| 1 | Nepal | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | unchanged | volatile |
| 1 | New Zealand | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | unchanged | volatile |
| 1 | Pakistan | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | unchanged | volatile |
| 1 | Panama | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | unchanged | volatile |
| 1 | Peru | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | unchanged | volatile |
| 1 | Philippines | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | unchanged | volatile |
| 1 | Palau | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | unchanged | volatile |
| 1 | Papua New Guinea | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | — | volatile |
| 1 | Poland | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | unchanged | volatile |
| 1 | Puerto Rico | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | unchanged | volatile |
| 1 | Portugal | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | unchanged | volatile |
| 1 | Paraguay | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | unchanged | volatile |
| 1 | Romania | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | unchanged | volatile |
| 1 | Rwanda | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | unchanged | volatile |
| 1 | Saudi Arabia | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | — | volatile |
| 1 | Senegal | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | unchanged | volatile |
| 1 | Singapore | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | unchanged | volatile |
| 1 | Solomon Islands | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | — | volatile |
| 1 | Sierra Leone | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | unchanged | volatile |
| 1 | El Salvador | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | unchanged | volatile |
| 1 | San Marino | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | unchanged | volatile |
| 1 | Serbia | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | unchanged | volatile |
| 1 | Sao Tome and Principe | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | unchanged | volatile |
| 1 | Suriname | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | unchanged | volatile |
| 1 | Slovakia | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | unchanged | volatile |
| 1 | Slovenia | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | unchanged | volatile |
| 1 | Sweden | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | unchanged | volatile |
| 1 | Eswatini | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | — | volatile |
| 1 | Seychelles | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | unchanged | volatile |
| 1 | Chad | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | — | volatile |
| 1 | Togo | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | — | volatile |
| 1 | Thailand | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | unchanged | volatile |
| 1 | Tajikistan | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | unchanged | volatile |
| 1 | East Timor | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | unchanged | volatile |
| 1 | Tonga | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | — | volatile |
| 1 | Trinidad and Tobago | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | unchanged | volatile |
| 1 | Tunisia | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | — | volatile |
| 1 | Turkey | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | unchanged | volatile |
| 1 | Uganda | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | unchanged | volatile |
| 1 | Ukraine | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | unchanged | volatile |
| 1 | Uruguay | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | unchanged | volatile |
| 1 | United States | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | unchanged | volatile |
| 1 | Uzbekistan | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | — | volatile |
| 1 | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | unchanged | volatile |
| 1 | Venezuela | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | unchanged | volatile |
| 1 | Vietnam | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | unchanged | volatile |
| 1 | Vanuatu | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | unchanged | volatile |
| 1 | Samoa | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | unchanged | volatile |
| 1 | South Africa | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | unchanged | volatile |
| 1 | Zambia | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | unchanged | volatile |
| 1 | Zimbabwe | 1 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | unchanged | volatile |
About this data
The law on domestic violence may punish offenders, provide protection orders for victims, or address harassment that causes physical or mental harm.