What percentage of reported rapes in the UK lead to charge and prosecution each year?

1. What the official numbers say: a tiny charge rate for recorded rape

Government crime-outcome tables show the proportion of recorded rape offences assigned a charged/summonsed outcome is under 3% in the latest reporting year: 2.6% in the year to March 2024 and 2.8% in the year to March 2025 (2,040 charge/summonses for rape in the year to March 2025) ^[1]. These figures refer to outcomes recorded against police-recorded rape offences; they do not capture unreported offences or later charges added as investigations close ^[1].

2. How that translates to the frequently cited “one in X” figures

Members of the House of Lords and other commentators have framed the gap starkly: Hansard records a claim that “only one in 50 [reported rapes] leads to a charge” and also cites that “only one in six rapes is reported” ^[2]. The 1-in-50 figure aligns with the low charge/summons rate (about 2–3%) in official outcomes ^{[1] [2]}. Note: the “one in six reported” claim refers to estimated reporting rates and is quoted in parliamentary debate rather than in the crime-outcomes dataset provided here ^[2].

3. Why so few charges? Systemic explanations from official reviews

Official reviews and parliamentary library material highlight multiple systemic reasons for low prosecution volumes: falling prosecution numbers since 2016/17, long delays in the criminal justice process, lack of specialist support, case attrition when victims withdraw support, and investigative complexity — including digital evidence burdens ^{[3] [4]}. The House of Lords Library and CPS documents stress delays and the victim’s experience as key factors in attrition ^{[3] [4]}.

4. Geographic and operational variation: charge rates differ locally

CPS quarterly data reveal wide local variation in charge rates for pre‑charge decisions and broader criminal cases — not only for rape but across offences — with pre-charge charge rates cited in area-level tables varying substantially (examples include charge rates for all crime between around 65%–88% in different areas) ^{[5] [4] [6]}. For rape specifically, the national charge/summons percentage is very low (2–3%), but CPS area tables and “rape flagged” datasets are published quarterly for local scrutiny ^{[4] [6]}.

5. Trends and short‑term movements: slight recent uptick in charges but continuing concern

The crime-outcomes release notes a very small increase in the proportion of rape offences receiving a charge/summons outcome from 2.6% to 2.8% year-on-year; the CPS has reported increases in people charged with rape in some quarters even as court backlogs and strikes affected finalisations ^{[1] [7]}. Parliamentarians and campaigners nonetheless say prosecution and conviction rates remain far short of public expectations ^{[2] [3]}.

6. Limitations and what the sources do not resolve

Available sources make clear the low charge/summons percentage for recorded rape, but they do not in these excerpts reconcile the different denominators used in public discussion (e.g., reported rapes vs. prevalence estimates from victim surveys) or provide a single, simple “percentage of all rapes (including unreported)” that lead to prosecution — that would require combining Crime Survey estimates of prevalence and reporting rates not contained here ^{[1] [2]}. Detailed CPS “rape flagged” tables and pre‑charge spreadsheets are published quarterly and could be interrogated for force-level and pathway data, but the summary snippets here do not list a single definitive annual charge-percentage broken down by stage beyond the national charge/summons rate ^{[4] [6]}.

7. Competing perspectives and political framing

Labour’s 2024 manifesto described prosecutions as “shamefully low” and proposed specialist teams and courts; government and CPS materials point to reforms and case-work changes but accept prosecutions have fallen since 2016/17 ^{[3] [7]}. Parliamentarians emphasise victims’ experience and systemic failings; CPS statements highlight gradual improvements in how rape cases are managed even while acknowledging operational pressures and queueing effects from strikes and digital evidence workloads ^{[2] [7] [3]}.

8. Where to look next if you want the raw data

For a precise, up‑to‑date figure by year and force, consult the CPS “Rape Flagged Quarterly Data Tables” and the ONS/GOV.UK “Crime outcomes in England and Wales” release; both publish the charge/summons counts and rates used in the summaries cited above ^{[4] [1]}. These raw tables are referenced in CPS quarterly summaries and the government outcomes release ^{[4] [1]}.