Gay, lesbian or bisexual people are more than twice as likely to suffer from sexual violence or family harm than the average New Zealander.
The Ministry of Justice figures from the Crime and Victims Survey shows gay, lesbian or bisexual people are more likely to experience crime, but also less likely to report it.
The justice sector is trying to address the numbers, and said having concrete data is a good place to start.
On average, 16 per cent of New Zealanders are likely to experience intimate partner violence at some point in their life, while 24 per cent will experience sexual violence.
Lesbian or gay people are more than twice as likely to have experienced that kind of violence, and bisexual adults are almost three times as likely to suffer from sexual violence as the average New Zealander.
Tim Hampton, deputy secretary at the Ministry of Justice, said the survey has put a concrete number on the harm caused to those communities.
"These groups are 50 per cent more likely to become victims of crime, and more concerningly, the survey showed that two-thirds of bisexual adults had been victims of sexual violence at some stage of their lifetime.
"That compares to a quarter for all New Zealanders, and 52 per cent for gay or lesbian adults."
Hampton said the survey helps officials to understand what sort of support communities need.
He said crime has a huge financial cost, which is why it is so important to improve the outcomes for those communities.
"It's into the billions of dollars every year that just family violence and sexual violence alone is costing the economy and costing the people here.
"From the financial side the need for investment is there, and hence the $200 million investment the Government put in in Budget20."
Reasons behind scale of violence unclear
The question of why lesbian, gay and bisexual people are so likely to suffer from sexual or domestic violence has not been answered, but it is something officials want to understand.
Police assistant commissioner Sue Schwalger said they were dedicated to preventing crime, and were working with the lesbian, gay and bisexual community to understand their needs.
Police assistant commissioner Sue Schwalger. Photo / RNZ
"Police are aware of the low numbers of reporting in terms of these types of crimes and these communities.
"We have recently held workshops with vulnerable communities, asking for their help in understanding what they are facing and how best to report, and how best we can support them."
Schwalger urged victims of crimes to come forward, and insisted there will be no judgment or stigma from officers dealing with lesbian, gay or bisexual victims.
"If you are a victim of any type of crime, including a sexual assault, I would encourage you to report it.
"We will do our very best to make sure that your experience going through the reporting and the process will be sensitive to your needs, and we'll support you in every way we can."
The survey showed just 25 per cent of people generally report crimes to police, but that drops to just 14 per cent for bisexual people, and 23 per cent for lesbian or gay people.
It also showed those victims are almost five times more likely to feel a crime is motivated by attitudes towards their sexual orientation than the national average.
The ministry didn't have enough data to include transgender and other identities.
