Safety · police statistics
Sexual violence
Sexual violence offences recorded by the police, as published in the police crime statistics (Federal Police), from Belgium down to the municipality. These are recorded offences, not victims or convictions, and much sexual violence is never reported. There is no score or ranking.
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Data as of 24/04/2026 · See the page for Belgium
Key figures · Belgium
4,993
Rapes in 2025
compared with 3,231 in 2015
16,626
Sexual offences (total) in 2025
compared with 11,505 in 2015
181
Gang rapes in 2025
compared with 194 in 2015
The latest year is still incomplete: offences are recorded after the fact, and a year's figures keep rising for several months. A fall in the latest year should therefore be read with caution.
Rapes and sexual offences
Belgium
Rapes · 2025 : 4,993
Recorded rapes, completed and attempted, all victims combined (sum of the "Rape" headings published by the police in the sexual offences annex).
The vertical axis does not start at 0.
| 2000 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2,698 | 3,231 | 3,442 | 3,727 | 3,867 | 4,220 | 4,000 | 4,686 | 4,960 | 5,034 | 5,207 | 4,993 |
Sexual offences (total) · 2025 : 16,626
Total published by the police: rape, indecent assault, public indecency, child sexual abuse material, procuring and prostitution, voyeurism, grooming, etc.
The vertical axis does not start at 0.
| 2000 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11,011 | 11,505 | 12,535 | 13,663 | 13,903 | 15,574 | 15,670 | 17,103 | 16,494 | 16,793 | 17,879 | 16,626 |
Gang rapes · 2025 : 181
"Gang rape" heading published by the police (separate thematic table). These offences are also included in rapes.
The vertical axis does not start at 0.
| 2000 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 173 | 194 | 226 | 222 | 229 | 229 | 201 | 254 | 217 | 208 | 184 | 181 |
Sexual violence in public space
Recorded sexual violence by type of public place, as published by the police. The four headings are not added up here: each is shown as is. Belgium.
Sexual violence on the public road · 2025 : 1,923
Street, pavement, square.
The vertical axis does not start at 0.
| 2000 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2,050 | 1,836 | 1,725 | 1,845 | 1,859 | 1,919 | 1,745 | 1,758 | 1,952 | 1,821 | 1,973 | 1,923 |
Sexual violence on public transport · 2025 : 443
Train, tram, metro, bus, stations and stops.
The vertical axis does not start at 0.
| 2000 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 239 | 266 | 371 | 367 | 411 | 447 | 385 | 533 | 562 | 560 | 543 | 443 |
Sexual violence in a place open to the public · 2025 : 1,820
Shops, cafés, venues, establishments open to the public.
The vertical axis does not start at 0.
| 2000 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,034 | 1,082 | 1,300 | 1,299 | 1,434 | 1,587 | 1,119 | 1,449 | 1,898 | 1,958 | 1,939 | 1,820 |
Sexual violence in another public place · 2025 : 490
Parks, woods, car parks and other public places.
The vertical axis does not start at 0.
| 2000 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 515 | 429 | 458 | 500 | 494 | 499 | 565 | 599 | 529 | 472 | 513 | 490 |
Suspects by sex and age · 2025
An identified suspect is not a convicted person.
These are the people the police identified as suspects in their reports. Some will never be prosecuted, and others will be acquitted. For many offences, no suspect is identified.
Sexual offences (total)
- Total
- 3,014
- Men
- 2,860
- Women
- 201
- Minors
- 380
- Adults
- 2,643
Gang rapes
- Total
- 38
- Men
- 37
- Women
- 5
- Minors
- 10
- Adults
- 30
Sexual violence on public transport
- Total
- 100
- Men
- 98
- Women
- 4
- Minors
- 5
- Adults
- 95
Sexual violence on the public road
- Total
- 437
- Men
- 419
- Women
- 30
- Minors
- 28
- Adults
- 409
Sexual violence in another public place
- Total
- 140
- Men
- 133
- Women
- 8
- Minors
- 12
- Adults
- 128
Sexual violence in a place open to the public
- Total
- 396
- Men
- 388
- Women
- 10
- Minors
- 26
- Adults
- 371
- A person is counted once per heading, even if suspected of several offences. The police publish no suspects table for rapes alone: they are included in the sexual offences row.
- Men and women, minors and adults are shown as published: their sum may differ from the total (unknown sex or age, or different recording from one offence to another).
- This page shows no nationality data.
What the data do not say
Nationality does not mean illegal stay.
The police database records a suspect's nationality, not their residence status. The government confirmed this in the Senate:
« It is not possible, on the basis of the variables available in the BNG [General National Database], to specify whether, within this total, suspects hold a residence permit or are staying in the country illegally. »
Answer from the Minister of Security and Home Affairs, written question 8-121 (Klaas Slootmans), received on 17/04/2025 (our translation) : senate.be
Suspect does not mean guilty.
Suspects are identified by the police during the investigation. Only a court establishes guilt, and these figures say nothing about convictions.
Most sexual violence is never reported.
According to the national survey UN-MENAMAIS (UGent, ULiège, INCC (Belspo)), 4 % only of the victims surveyed had reported the offence to the police. A rise in recorded offences may therefore also reflect more complaints, not only more violence.
UGent, ULiège, INCC (Belspo), press release of 15/06/2021 (French) : belspo.be
A recorded offence is not a victim.
One case may include several offences, and one victim may be involved in several offences. The place is where the offence was committed, not where the victim or suspect lives.
Sources and method
- Police crime statistics, Federal Police (reports by area), data as of 24/04/2026 : police.be/statistiques
- Figures are taken as published, with no estimate or correction. Only the rape series adds up the published "Rape" headings (completed and attempted). Country, regions, provinces and districts match exactly; zones and municipalities are published separately by the police.
- The same year can show different figures depending on the cut-off date: the police update their data with each release. Example: for rapes in the Brussels Region in 2024, safe.brussels publishes 654 (data as of 25/04/2025), this page 720 (data as of 24/04/2026). The gap comes from offences recorded between the two dates.
- No nationality data, no per-capita rates and no ranking between areas: offences are recorded where they were committed, and small numbers vary too much from one year to the next.