Police across the EU recorded 256,302 sexual violence offences in 2024, including 98,190 rape offences.
Sexual violence offences rose by 5% from 2023, up 12,097 cases, while rape offences increased by 7%, up 6,291, Eurostat informed on Wednesday.
Over the past decade, the number of police-recorded sexual violence offences nearly doubled, rising 94% between 2014 and 2024 to an additional 124,350 cases.
Rape offences increased by 150% over the same period, up 58,983 cases.
Eurostat said sexual violence offences increased continuously over the decade by nearly 10% a year on average, while rape offences rose by 7% a year on average.
The organisation added the higher number of police-recorded sexual violence offences may be linked to rising awareness in society, which can affect reporting rates.
Homicides fell compared with 2014
Police recorded 3,953 intentional homicides across the EU in 2024, a 1% increase of 56 offences compared with 2023, Eurostat said.
Despite the year-on-year rise, intentional homicides were 11% lower than in 2014, when 4,448 were recorded.
Intentional homicide counts peaked in 2015 at 4,616 offences, then generally declined to 3,735 in 2019 and hit a low of 3,645 in 2021, before rising each year from 2022 to 2024.
