A significant amount of gender based violence (GBV) experienced by women is not reported or officially recorded, as outlined in UN studies. The results of the last survey conducted in 2013, showed that just one-third of victims of domestic abuse and one-quarter of victims of non-domestic violence contacted authorities or a support agency. In an attempt to quantify and methodologically record GBV, the EU conducts an ongoing survey, collecting data in the timeframe 2020-2023 in member states. Preliminary results from 2021 display a similar trend, as reports to the police of partner violence towards females is still less than one quarter. Furthermore, the survey highlighted the high rates of GBV and sexual violence experienced in the Netherlands. In 2021, compared to 12% of women in Bulgaria, 41% of women in the Netherlands reported having experienced sexual or physical violence during their adulthood. Another important result of the survey is that it does not cover the topic of femicide, as the term is not mentioned in the report or discussed in relation to violence against women. 

However, when making direct comparisons between countries considering different national contexts, such as cultural differences, trust in governmental institutions and “tolerance” to specific types of violence is essential. Hence, non-partner violence may be more prevalent in some nations because women in these countries are more aware of what is appropriate behavior. These contextual factors and more detailed results will be described in the in-depth survey published  by Eurostats by the end of 2023.