In 2021/22, there were a total of 15,049 sexual crimes reported to the police in Scotland. Of these, 2,498 (17%) were reports of rape or attempted rape and 5,359 (36%) were reports of sexual assault (Recorded Crime in Scotland 2021-22).
While figures for many crimes in Scotland are going down, for sexual offences they continue to rise. Sexual crimes have been on a long-term upward trend since the mid-1970s. Between 2020-21 and 2021-22, recorded sexual crimes increased by 15%.
Despite marked increases in the number of sexual crimes recorded by the police over time, most experiences of sexual violence remain unreported.