37 Sex Stats You Need To Know
How many women have sex before marriage? (Photo:Getty Images)
No matter your particular preferences between the sheets, sexual behavior is unbelievably complex. All that goes into sex, happens during it, and can happen as a result can make for many questions for those who are curious. While some of this pondering may be purely entertaining, learning about sex can also be a meaningful endeavor. “Studying sex is important because our sexual lives affect our health, our relationships and marriages, and our general happiness,” says Debby Herbenick, associate professor at Indiana University and author of The Coregasm Workout. “It’s an important part of being human — not all the time, but for most of us at different points in life.”
Related: The 11 Health Benefits of Sex
The Average Age of First Sexual Intercourse is 17
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Although the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)reports that the average age of first (vaginal) sexual intercourse has remained fairly stable at about 17 years for both men and women, it looks like teens are increasingly holding off on losing their V-card. The percent of unmarried females ages 18-19 who ever had sex dropped from 68 percent in 1995 to 62.7 percent in 2006 to 2010. For men the numbers dropped from 75.4 to 63.9 percent.
74% of Women Engage in Sex BeforeMarriage
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Contrary to what you might think, sex before marriage hasbeen common for a long time. Looking at women specifically, a report from the GuttmacherInstitute showed that 48 percent of women who turned 15 during the years 1954 to 1963 had premarital sex by the age of 20. As you might expect, this number increased in subsequent years, with 74 percent of women who turned 15 in 1994 through 2003 engaging in sex before marriage by the age of 20.
Related: How Much Sex Is Too Much Sex?
60% of Men Masturbated this Month
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The NSSHB from 2010 also found that, among men ages 18 to 59, over 60 percent reported masturbating in the last month. Men aged 25-29 were the most likely to have reported this. Among men 70 and older, 27.9 percent reported masturbating in the last month.
37.8% of Women Masturbated This Month
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Among women ages 18 to 59, 37.8 percent reported masturbating in the last month. Women ages 25 to 29 were also the most likely to have done so. Women 70 and older were the least likely with only 11.5 percent reporting that they masturbated in the previous month.
40% of Women Ages 20 to 49 Reported Having Anal Sex
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Anal intercourse is still less common than other types of intercourse but it isn’t rare. Among men ages 25 to 59, over 40 percent reported having engaged in some kind of insertive anal sex at some point in their life, according to the NSSHB from 2010. Approximately, forty percent of women ages 20 to 49 reported having had anal sex.
Related: 10 Tips for Anal Sex
6% of Men Reported Having Sex with another Man
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Reports of sexual activity with a partner of the same sex are probably lower than you would think. According to the CDC’s National Health Statistics Reports from 2011, among people ages 25 to 44, only six percent of men and 12 percent of women said they engaged in any form of sex with a member of the same sex.
Most Women Need 10 to 20 Minutes of Stimulation to Reach Orgasm
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It has been shown time and again that women are much more likely to orgasm as a result of direct clitoral stimulation than from other sexual stimulation. But finding this so-called pleasure center isn’t enough, most women need about 10 to 20 minutes of adequate clitoral stimulation to reach orgasm.
Related: How to Give Oral Sex That Will Blow Her Mind
'Coregasms' Do Exist
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A study from Indiana University found that orgasms brought on by exercise are a real phenomenon. These are dubbed “coregasms” because they most commonly occur during abdominal exercises. In further study, Herbenick found that about 10 percent of both men and women experienced exercise-induced orgasm.
The Average Length of an Erect Penis is 5.16 Inches
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A new study that included data from over 15,000 men supported previous findings about penis size. They found that average length of a penis is 3.6 inches when flaccid and 5.16 inches when erect. Girth in these two states averages 3.7 inches and 4.6 inches.
Related: 12 Things Every Man Should Know About His Penis
25% of Men Who Seek ED Care Are Under the Age of 40
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Although erectile dysfunction becomes more common as men age, it is a problem that effects men of all ages. A study from The Journal of Sexual Medicine found that one in four men who seek medical care for erectile dysfunction is under the age of 40.
Related: 10 Ways to Prevent Erectile Dysfunction
110 Million People Have STDs
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Each year, the CDC estimates that there are 20 million new instances of sexually transmitted infections. The total number of infections is believed to be about 110 million, costing $16 billion.
Related: The 8 Most Common Myths About Sex, Pregnancy, and STDs
28.5% of People in the U.S. Have Genital Herpes
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As of 2013, the CDC reported 446.6 cases of chlamydia, 106.1 cases of gonorrhea, and 5.5 cases of syphilis per 100,000 people. In the US, the CDC estimates that one out of every six people ages 14 to 49 has genital herpes, which is incurable and often does not result in obvious symptoms.
The Average Age of a Pornhub Viewer is 35.3
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Vocativ teamed up with Pornhub to report on various porn stats. They found that the average age of their viewers was 35.3. Top searches varied by age but “step mom,” “lesbian,” “massage,” “milf,” and “teen” were often popular.
Related: Are You Watching Too Much Porn?
33% of Fetishes Have to Do with a Specific Body Part
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A 2007 study from Nature used Internet discussion groups to estimate the prevalence of fetishes in approximately 5,000 people. They found that preferences for certain body parts (like body weight or feet) were the most common type of fetish, with this accounting for 33 percent of the fetishes. Objects usually associated with the body (like headphones or shoes) came in second with 30 percent. Foot fetishes and fetishes relating to objects associated with the feet were the most common.
30% of Men Will Have an Extramarital Affair
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Data indicates that approximately 20 to 40 percent of men and 20 to 25 percent of women will have an extramarital affair at some point in their lives. Among married men and women, two to six percent are likely to have had an affair in the last year.
6% of the Population Struggles with Sex Addiction
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Whether or not sex addiction exists continues to be debated. If it does exist, it is defined as compulsive sexual behavior that has a negative impact on a person’s life. Around six percent of the population struggles with sex addiction, according to clinical psychologist Patrick Carnes of the University of Florida. He says that for every three men with a sex addiction, there is one women.
Related: Is Sex Addiction Real?
Men Think About Sex 188% More Than Women
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A 2012 study from the Ohio State University at Mansfield had 283 college students monitor how often they thought about sex in a week. Overall, men’s number of thoughts topped out at 388 (that’s 2.3 times an hour) with the median number of thoughts being 18.6. Women’s highest number was 140 and the median was 9.9.
By Taylor Kubota
