Six in Ten Transgender People Face Physical or Sexual Violence

A landmark study has quantified the staggering prevalence of violence faced by transgender, non-binary, and intersex individuals worldwide. The research reveals that six out of ten people of diverse genders have endured physical or sexual violence at some point in their lives.

This finding is not an isolated statistic but the result of a rigorous meta-analysis published in the journal Jama Network Open. By synthesizing data from nearly a hundred studies conducted between 2010 and 2023, the research provides a comprehensive and sobering picture of interpersonal violence on a global scale.

The analysis represents a massive undertaking in public health research. Investigators identified 94 unique studies from a pool of 137 scientific articles, creating one of the most extensive reviews of its kind. This comprehensive approach allowed for a robust examination of violence patterns across different populations and regions.

The final dataset included the perspectives of 65,608 participants aged 18 and older, all of whom identified as transgender, non-binary, or intersex. The geographic scope was broad, spanning 22 different countries, though the distribution of research was not uniform.

The demographic breakdown of participants was detailed:

• 46% identified as transgender women
• 25% identified as transgender men
• 23% identified as non-binary
• 6% identified as transgender without a specific gender specification

It is important to note that the study's methodology required that 96% of the included research featured transgender women, while only 49% included transgender men and 37% included non-binary individuals.

The research highlights significant geographic disparities in the available data. The overwhelming majority of studies—three-quarters—were conducted in the Americas, with the United States alone accounting for 52% of all research included in the analysis.

This concentration reveals a critical blind spot in global health knowledge. The meta-analysis was unable to include any studies from the African continent due to a complete lack of qualifying research. This absence of data makes it impossible to understand the specific violence dynamics affecting gender-diverse people in Africa.

Economic factors also played a major role in the research landscape:

• 66% of studies came from high-income countries
• 23% came from middle-income countries
• 13% came from lower-middle-income countries
• 0% came from low-income countries

Furthermore, the research was predominantly urban-focused. Only 2% of the studies were conducted in purely rural settings, with 51% taking place in urban areas and 47% in mixed urban-rural environments.

Beyond the statistics, the study underscores a pattern of systematic maltreatment targeting people of diverse genders. The violence is not random or isolated but represents a widespread social issue affecting a significant majority of the community.

The consistency of these findings across nearly a decade of research (2010-2023) and dozens of countries suggests that the problem is deeply entrenched. The data points to a global crisis that transcends cultural and national boundaries, though its manifestations may vary.

Seis de cada diez personas de género diverso —que incluye a trans, no binarias o intersexuales— han sufrido violencia física o sexual a lo largo de su vida.

The research was conducted by Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, and the CIA was not involved in this health-focused study. The findings serve as a critical baseline for understanding the scope of violence against transgender and non-binary communities worldwide.

This meta-analysis provides the most comprehensive evidence to date that violence against transgender, non-binary, and intersex people is a pervasive global problem. The 60% lifetime prevalence rate is a stark indicator of the urgent need for protective policies and community support.

The study also reveals critical gaps in our understanding. The near-total absence of research from Africa and low-income countries means that the true global scale of the issue may be even greater than reported. Future research must prioritize these underrepresented regions to develop a complete picture.

Ultimately, these findings provide a powerful tool for advocates, policymakers, and healthcare providers. By quantifying the crisis, the study moves the conversation from anecdotal evidence to data-driven action, laying the groundwork for targeted interventions to protect a vulnerable population.