Statement of purpose Angola is still an under-explored country in the context of domestic violence and was therefore chosen as our focus of interest. The objective of our study was to identify socio- demographic determinants of IPV against women in Angola.

Methods/Approach We used nationally representative data from female respondents of the 2015 Angolan Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS). Simple bivariate and multiple logistic regression analyses were used to assess the relationship between the experience of IPV and the womens’ individual and contextual characteristics.

Results Out of the 7,699 respondents, 3,070 (41.1%) reported having experienced at least one form of violence by their partners, with physical violence being more prevalent (32.5%) than emotional (27.7%) and sexual violence (7.2%). The partner’s use of alcohol, the respondent’s tendency to hurt her partner, her having witnessed her father beating her mother and being the first wife showed significantly higher odds of experiencing one or more types of IPV, whereas being older than the partner appears to have protective effects.

Conclusion Our results reflect the widespread prevalence rates of violence against women in African countries. Future intervention programs should focus on women with risky background characteristics to help decrease domestic abuse in Angola.

Significance Our findings can help to identify women at risk more easily and to create more effective prevention programs against IPV in Angola.