One in 20 infants physically abused in first two years, global review finds
Mar 6th 2026
A pooled review of anonymous caregiver reports found about 4.8% of infants under 24 months experienced at least one act of physical aggression, revealing higher rates than official statistics and supporting calls for prevention and parent support.
- Pooled analysis of 20 studies covering more than 220,000 infants found 4.8% of caregivers reported at least one act of physical aggression toward infants under 24 months.
- When milder actions such as spanking were excluded the prevalence was 3.9%.
- Shaking was reported in about 2 to 3% of cases.
- Anonymous caregiver surveys captured behaviours that often do not appear in official child protection records.
- Authors point to parenting supports such as education about crying, helplines and home visiting, plus policies banning physical punishment, as possible prevention measures.
- The review was published in eClinicalMedicine and the authors call for more data from underrepresented regions to better target interventions.