What is the sexual assault ratio?

• A. 1 in 10 people will be sexually assaulted in their lifetime.
• B. 1 in 50 people will be sexually assaulted in their lifetime.
• C. 1 in 5 people will be sexually assaulted in their lifetime.
• D. 1 in 3 people will be sexually assaulted in their lifetime.

Answer: (C)

This question focuses on how common sexual assault is over a person’s lifetime, a statistic often used in training to gauge risk and inform response.

The widely cited figure is that about one in five women will experience some form of sexual assault in their lifetime. That means roughly 20% of women, which helps explain why officers frequently encounter sexual violence cases and why trauma-informed approaches and proper victim support are essential.

Definitions and populations matter, so statistics can vary by study and whether they include rape, attempted rape, or other types of sexual violence, and they also differ for men. Among the options given, one in five best matches the commonly taught lifetime prevalence for women in many academy contexts. The other options—one in ten, one in fifty, or one in three—do not align with this standard figure.