In Australia people with disability are more likely to experience violence than people without disability.

It is known from previous analyses in Australia that adults with disability are two to three times as likely to experience all forms of violence (eg. physical and sexual violence, emotional abuse, intimate partner violence), compared to the general population.

In mid-2020, we released new analyses on the prevalence of violence and abuse among people with disability. We used data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics’ Personal Safety Survey, the only Australian population-based survey of violence and abuse which includes information on disability. The analyses are available in a series of fact sheets that detail experiences of violence against all Australians with disability, as well as young people’s experiences of violence, and differences in how men and women (18 to 64 years) experience violence, based on recent experiences and throughout their lives.

Data sourced from national surveys include where people reported on their most recent experience of violence (the last 12 months) and across the lifetime (since they were 15 years). We recognise that not all people with disability are represented in these surveys, and that rates of violence may be under-reported.

This first fact sheet is an overall summary of the prevalence of physical violence, sexual violence and stalking and harassment against people with disability. It's based on the Personal Safety Survey and the Household Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia, for trends over time.

The additional fact sheets in the series include:

• Violence against young people with disability
• Intimate partner violence and people with disability
• Violence against people with disability by impairment