Number of women killed by partner or ex unchanged in 15 years

Between 2020 and 2024, the number of women killed annually by their (ex)partner remained stable, according to CBS research.

28-11-2025 06:30

Between 2020 and 2024, an average of 22 women killed annually had their (suspected) perpetrator as their partner or ex-partner. This has not changed in the past fifteen years. The number of women killed by other perpetrators has decreased. Murder or manslaughter by a (ex-)partner occurs most often among divorced women. The figure for the Netherlands is in the middle range compared to other European countries. This emerges from research by Statistics Netherlands (CBS).

In the past five years, an average of 43 women per year in the Netherlands were victims of murder or manslaughter. That is one murdered woman every eight days. In about half of the cases, a partner or ex-partner was the (suspected) perpetrator.

Since 2010, an average of 2.7 per 1 million women are killed annually by their partner or ex. The number of women killed by other or unknown perpetrators decreased from 3 per million women in 2010/2014 to just over 2 per million in subsequent years.

By other or
unknown perpetrator

Murder by partner more common among divorced women

Of the women killed by their (ex-)partner in the past fifteen years, the majority were married (38 percent) or unmarried (37 percent) at the time of death. 19 percent were divorced and 7 percent widowed. The civil status of the victim does not necessarily reflect the relationship between victim and perpetrator. For example, a victim may have been widowed and subsequently entered a non-official relationship.

Proportionally, murder by a partner occurs most often among divorced women, with 5.6 victims per million women. Among married women, this is 2.5 per million. Among unmarried women and widows, murder by a partner or ex occurs least often, with just over 2 per million.

Women aged 20 to 40 most often victims of (ex-)partner

Murder by a partner occurs most often among women aged 20 to 40. In the past fifteen years, an average of 4.5 per 1 million women in that age group were killed by a (ex-)partner. Among women aged 40 to 60, this is 3.5 per 1 million.

Among women aged 60 and older, the share is lower. It is lowest in the youngest age group, with 0.4 per 1 million women up to and including 20 years old. In total, there were 11 victims younger than 20 in the past fifteen years.

Finland and Lithuania report most partner murders

The number of women killed by a partner or ex in the Netherlands is in the middle range compared to other European countries from 2017 to 2023. Slovakia reports the lowest number, while Finland and Lithuania have the highest figures.

Many countries do not have (reliable) data on this subject, for example because they lack information about the perpetrator. The available figures should be interpreted with caution, as registrations and definitions vary between countries. Differences exist. Not all countries include manslaughter in the reported figures.

²⁾figure for 2023 missing

³⁾figure for 2018 missing