Child abuse rate in the U.S. - victims 2021, by race/ethnicity

In 2021, the child abuse rate for children of Hispanic origin was at 7.7, indicating 7.7 out of every 1,000 Hispanic children in the U.S. suffered from some sort of abuse. This rate was highest among American Indian or Alaska Native children, with 15.2 children out of every 1,000 experiencing some form of abuse.

Child abuse in the U.S.

The child abuse rate in the United States is highest among American Indian or Alaska Native victims with a rate of 15.2 cases per 1,000 children. It is most common among children between two to five years of age, with about 138,128 cases reported in 2021. Child abuse cases are fairly evenly distributed between girls and boys. However, more boys than girls were victims of abuse resulting in death. The most common type of maltreatment was neglect, with about 470,297 cases in the country, followed by physical abuse with 101,961 cases.

Risk factors

Child abuse is often reported by teachers, law enforcement officers, or social service providers. In the large majority of cases, the perpetrators of abuse were a parent of the victim. Risk factors, such as teen pregnancy, violent crime, and poverty that are associated with abuse and neglect have been found to be quite high in the United States in comparison to other countries.