Sexual offending
Please remember that free, confidential and non-judgmental support is there 24/7 for anyone affected by sexual violence, including family and friends of victims and survivors, on the National Helpline at 1800 778888.
Irish sexual crime statistics
Number of sexual offences reported to An Garda Siochana annually
(Source: Central Statistics Office/An Garda Siochana)
Note that the number in any given year may change as more people report sexual crimes.
"Sexual crimes” as recorded in Garda Pulse data and under the Irish Crime Classification System, include:
021 Rape and Sexual Assault | 0213 Sexual offence involving a mentally impaired person | 022 Other sexual offences | 0223 Child pornography - obstruction of warrant |
| 0211 Rape of a male or female | 0214 Aggravated sexual assault | 0221 Incest | 0224 Gross indecency |
0212 Defilement of a boy or girl less than 17 years old | 0215 Sexual assault | 0222 Child pornography [child sexual abuse materials] offences |
Number of sexual offences reported annually by type
(Source: CSO/AGS)
Offence | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 |
Rape | 908 | 949 | 936 | 802 | 852 |
Defilement of U17 | 71 | 142 | 156 | 226 | 199 |
Sexual offence involving a mentally impaired person | 10 | 9 | 14 | 12 | 21 |
Aggravated sexual assault | 7 | 8 | 4 | 5 | 11 |
Sexual assault | 1,906 | 2,081 | 1,875 | 1,572 | 1,774 |
Other sexual offences | 452 | 600 | 541 | 456 | 506 |
Note that the number in any given year may change as more people report sexual crimes.
Detection of sexual crime
A crime is considered “detected” if it has led to a charge or summons - see CSO site for more.
A crime can also be recorded as “detected” if a decision has been taken not to prosecute for several specific reasons, such as that the victim or an essential witness refuses or is permanently unable, the perpetrator dies before proceedings can start, or where the Director of Public Prosecutions or relevant District Officer decides that the public interest would not be well served by proceeding.
In general, just over a fifth of reported sexual offences led to a charge or summons between 2018 and 2022. Figures for the more recent years are currently lower, at 19% for 2021 and 9% for 2022, but would be expected to increase with time as investigations conclude and charges are issued.
Sexual offences detected and number of suspected offenders, 2019-2022
| Year | Number of sexual offences detected | Number of suspected offenders |
| 2022 | 346 | 351 |
| 2021 | 661 | 666 |
| 2020 | 749 | 772 |
| 2019 | 846 | 858 |
Proportion of sexual crimes reported that have been marked as “detected”
Year | Number of reported sexual offences | Number of detected sexual offences | The proportion of sexual crimes reported that have been marked as “detected” |
2022 | 3789 | 346 | 9% |
2021 | 3526 | 661 | 19% |
2020 | 3073 | 749 | 24% |
2019 | 3363 | 846 | 25% |
Detected and non-detected sexual offences, 2022-2019
This means that between 70% and 80% of sexual offences reported to the police between 2018 and 2022 have remained “undetected", i.e. no charge or summons has been issued connected to a reported sexual violence crime.
Percentage of detected sexual offences by year & sanction type
Attendance at Sexual Assault Treatment Units in Ireland
(Data from SATU annual reports - links to reports in years below)
| Year | Garda forensic exam | Garda forensic exam & stored evidence |
| 2022 | 594 | 146 |
| 2021 | 539 | 120 |
| 2020 | 456 | 74 |
| 2019 | 596 | 101 |
Sexual Assault Treatment Units provide specialised medical care after sexual violence and offer forensic examinations where evidence is gathered following a sexual assault or rape. There are two options open to anyone having a forensic examination: they can have the evidence gathered and passed directly to Gardaí, or if they are not sure whether they wish to report the incident to Gardaí, they can store the evidence for up to one year in the SATU unit.
DRCC accompaniment support
Dublin Rape Crisis Centre provides accompaniment support to those attending the Dublin SATU based in the Rotunda Hospital, giving emotional support both to victims/survivors and family, friends and other supporters with them. In 2022, DRCC supported 291 victims and survivors as well as 233 individuals supporting them.
