Costs of Sexual Violence

Economic Costs

Sexual violence costs more than $858 million in lost productivity each year, more than $4 billion in health care and mental health services for victims and close to $6 billion to incarcerate convicted perpetrators.¹⁸

The National Institute of Justice's The Extent and Costs of Crime Victimization: A New Look provides cost estimates for various types of violent crime that include longer range costs and intangibles such as pain, suffering, fear, and lost quality of life. The findings for sexual assault include the following:¹⁹

• Total costs per incident of nonfatal rape and sexual assault are estimated at $87,000, including $2,200 in productivity losses, $500 for medical expenses, $2,200 for mental health care, and $81,400 associated with reduced quality of life.
• Total annual losses associated with rape and sexual assaults of adults are estimated at $127 billion, including $4 billion in medical costs, $3.5 billion in other tangible costs, and $119 billion in quality-of-life effects.