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Fact check: What is the percentage of men that commit rape and women percentage

Checked on August 25, 2025

1. Summary of the results

The analyses reveal a critical distinction that the original question fails to make: the sources provide data on victimization rates rather than perpetration rates. The available statistics focus on who experiences sexual violence, not who commits it.

Victimization Statistics:

  • Women as victims: Approximately 1 in 5 women (21.3% or 25.5 million) in the U.S. have experienced completed or attempted rape in their lifetime [1]
  • Men as victims: About 1 in 33 men (3% or 2.8 million) have experienced attempted or completed rape [2] [1]
  • Gender distribution of victims: 91% of rape victims are female, while 9% are male [2] [3]
  • Broader sexual violence: Nearly 24.8% of men experienced some form of contact sexual violence in their lifetime [4]

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

The original question seeks perpetration data that is notably absent from available public statistics. Several critical gaps emerge:

  • Underreporting among male victims: Statistics show that 75,000 men are victims of sexual assault annually, but only 3,000 offenses are reported [5], indicating a 95% underreporting rate among male victims
  • Focus on child victims: 370 million girls and women globally experienced rape or sexual assault before age 18 [6], highlighting the prevalence of childhood sexual violence
  • Data collection bias: The emphasis on victimization rather than perpetration statistics may reflect societal priorities in addressing sexual violence from a victim support perspective rather than offender accountability

Organizations and researchers who focus on victim advocacy and support services benefit from maintaining attention on victimization statistics, as this data supports funding for victim services and awareness campaigns.

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

The original question contains a fundamental conceptual error by assuming that perpetration statistics by gender are readily available and comparable to victimization data. This framing could perpetuate several problematic assumptions:

  • False equivalency: The question implies that perpetration rates should mirror victimization rates, which is not necessarily accurate
  • Oversimplification: Sexual violence involves complex dynamics that cannot be reduced to simple gender-based percentages
  • Missing intersectionality: The question ignores factors such as repeat offenders, unreported crimes, and the reality that male victims are significantly underrepresented in official statistics [5]

The absence of perpetration data in the analyses suggests that such statistics are either not systematically collected or not publicly available, which itself represents a significant gap in our understanding of sexual violence patterns.

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