Just the Stats
Female Murder Victims and Victim-Oender
Relationship, 2021
DECEMBER 2022
NCJ 305613
Erica L. Smith, BJS Statistician
e percentage of females murdered by an intimate partner was ve times higher than for males
Of the estimated 4,970 female victims of murder and nonnegligent manslaughter in 2021, data reported by law
enforcement agencies indicate that one-third (34%) were killed by an intimate partner (gure 1). By comparison,
a
bout 6% of the 17,970 males murdered that year were victims of intimate partner homicide.
Overall, three-quarters (76%) of female murders and more than half (56%) of male murders were perpetrated
by someone known to the victim. About 16% of female murder victims were killed by a nonintimate family
member—parent, grandparent, sibling, in-law, and other family member—compared to 10% of male
murder victims.
A larger percentage of males (21%) than females (12%) were murdered by a stranger. For 1 out of every 3 male
murder victims and 1 out of every 5 female murder victims, the relationship between the victim and the oender
was unknown.
FIGURE 1
Percent of murder victims, by victim sex and relationship of victim to alleged oender, 2021
Percent
Relationship of victim to offender
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
50
Relationship
unknown
StrangerFriend or other
known person
Nonintimate
family
Intimate
partner
Female
Male
Note: Bars indicate the condence interval around each point estimate. For example, the estimated percentage of female
murders perpetrated by an intimate partner in 2021 was 34%, plus or minus 1.8%. Findings are based on national estimates
derived from the National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS). See Estimation Procedures for Crimes in the United States
Based on NIBRS Data (NCJ 305108, BJS/FBI, August 2022) for more information.
Source: National crime estimates based on data from the FBI's National Incident-Based Reporting System, 2021.
