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
185
Highest
1 (1=yes; 0=no)
Angola
Lowest
0 (1=yes; 0=no)
Yemen
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 185 countries. The highest value is 1 (1=yes; 0=no) in Angola; the lowest is 0 (1=yes; 0=no) in Yemen.
The median across all reporting countries is 1 (1=yes; 0=no), and the mean is 0.8649 (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 | 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 | 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 | 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 |
| 164 | Afghanistan | 0 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | — | flat |
| 164 | Cameroon | 0 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | — | flat |
| 164 | Democratic Republic of Congo | 0 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | — | flat |
| 164 | Eritrea | 0 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | — | flat |
| 164 | Estonia | 0 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | — | flat |
| 164 | Guinea | 0 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | — | flat |
| 164 | Equatorial Guinea | 0 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | — | flat |
| 164 | Haiti | 0 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | — | flat |
| 164 | Iran | 0 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | — | flat |
| 164 | Iraq | 0 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | — | flat |
| 164 | Libya | 0 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | — | flat |
| 164 | Mali | 0 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | — | flat |
| 164 | Myanmar | 0 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | — | flat |
| 164 | Mauritania | 0 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | — | flat |
| 164 | Niger | 0 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | — | flat |
| 164 | Oman | 0 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | — | flat |
| 164 | Palestine | 0 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | — | flat |
| 164 | Qatar | 0 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | — | flat |
| 164 | Russia | 0 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | — | flat |
| 164 | Sudan | 0 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | — | flat |
| 164 | Somalia | 0 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | — | flat |
| 164 | South Sudan | 0 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | — | flat |
| 164 | Syria | 0 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | — | flat |
| 164 | Tanzania | 0 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | — | flat |
| 164 | Yemen | 0 (1=yes; 0=no) | 2023 | — | flat |
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.