How Many & How Often Do Women Masturbate? (2023 Statistics)

Female masturbation is more common than many realize. Our newest data reveals how many and how often women masturbate, showing patterns across ages and relationships.

Read on to discover the latest trends and frequencies worldwide.

Table of Contents

How Many & How Often Do Women Masturbate (Editor’s Picks)

Globally, 65% of women masturbate.
Women around the world masturbate 49 times per year, or roughly once per week.
0.5% of women masturbate daily.
On average, women masturbate 68% less than men.
91.5% of women who masturbate still do so when in a relationship/married.
Teenagers are the most active masturbators. 6.7% of females ages 14-17 masturbate 4+ times per week.

Source: Womanizer, Archives of Pediatric Adolescent Medicine

What Percentage of Women Masturbate?

When we talk about masturbation, we mean reaching orgasm. After all, that is the whole point.

Globally, 65% of women masturbate.
35% of women worldwide claim they have never masturbated.
48% of Chinese women admit that they have masturbated at least once.
70% of South African women have masturbated.
77% of Australian women have masturbated.
68% of French women have masturbated.
83% of Brazilian women have masturbated – this is the highest percentage of any country surveyed.
78.2% of American women have masturbated at least once.

Source: Womanizer, TENGA, PLoS One, Archives of Sexual Behavior, Journal of Sexual Medicine

How Often Do Women Masturbate and for How Long?

The latest data shows that of women who masturbate,

43.5% of women have not masturbated in the past year.
24.6% masturbated a few times in the past year.
9.5% masturbated once a month.
13.3% masturbated a few times a month.
4.3% masturbated once a week.
4% masturbated 2-3 times per week.
0.5% masturbate almost every day.
The average female masturbation session lasts 13 minutes.
The world masturbation record is 134 orgasms in one hour. It is held by a woman in California who wished to remain anonymous.

Masturbation is completely normal, and several factors affect if and when women masturbate.

On average, women masturbate 49 times per year – about once per week.
Unless you are hurting yourself, there are no real health risks to masturbation.
It is healthy to masturbate as much as you like, and it has benefits such as:
- Improved confidence and sleep
- Stress relief
- Period cramp relief
- Can increase happiness by increasing dopamine and oxytocin
- Can increase estrogen, leading to healthier skin and hair
- Can increase libido
- Can improve cognitive function, and
- Can teach you about your sexuality and what turns you on.
Excessive masturbation can lead to:
- Desensitization
- Problems with your partner
- Issues with work and relationships

It is rare to have any adverse side effects from masturbation. If you are desensitized, take a break and let your body recover. If you are having other problems, talk to a sex therapist.

It is also normal not to masturbate often or at all. Here are some reasons that may happen:

Nearly 1 in 3 women have been victims of physical or sexual violence. Sexual trauma can make someone avoid sexual activity.
Some women believe they are supposed to be less sexual than men.
Sexual stigma and slut-shaming
Low libido

Source: Archives of Sexual Behavior, OnlineDoctor, LELO, Womanizer, MindBodyGreen, MindBodyGreen, Socioaffective Neuroscience and Psychology, The Journals of Gerontology, WomensHealth, World Health Organization, NZ Herald

Frequency of Female Masturbation by Age

This graphic breaks down female masturbation by age:

Not in the past year

A few times per year to monthly

A few times per month to weekly

2-3 times per week

More than 4 times per week

18-24

36.4%

28.6%

24.5%

7.3%

3.1%

25-29

28.5%

37.2%

21.5%

7.9%

30-39

37%

30.5%

22%

1.5%

40-49

35.3%

38.3%

19.8%

5.2%

1.5%

50-59

46.2%

36.7%

13.9%

2.6%

0.7%

60-69

54%

35.7%

9.8%

0.3%

70+

68.6%

26.1%

4.8%

0.5%

Masturbation typically starts in adolescence, and teenagers masturbate more than any other age group:

Most women start masturbating between the ages of 13 and 14.
20% of women said they did not start masturbating until their early twenties.
Most women masturbate less often as they get older.
58% of females aged 14-17 report masturbating at least once. Of these,
- 45.5% masturbate a few times per year.
- 32.1% do it a few times per month.
- 15.8% do it 2-3 times per week.
- 6.7% do it 4 or more times per week.

Source: National Survey of Sexual Health and Behavior, Archives of Pediatric Adolescent Medicine, The Journal of Sex Research, We-Vibe

Do Women Masturbate as much as Men? (by Age and Frequency)

This graphic shows how often men masturbate by age. Spoiler alert: It is significantly more than women.

Not in the past year

A few times per year to monthly

A few times per month to weekly

2-3 times per week

More than 4 times per week

18-24

18.5%

16.9%

25%

20.8%

18.8%

25-29

16.5%

14.7%

25.4%

23.4%

20.1%

30-39

20.1%

18.8%

27%

20.6%

13.5%

40-49

24%

19.8%

25%

16.8%

14.4%

50-59

28.1%

24.3%

23.7%

17.5%

6.4%

60-69

38.8%

29.3%

18%

10.1%

3.8%

70+

53.6%

23.5%

14%

7.3%

1.7%

The average woman masturbates 68% less than the average man.

Source: National Survey of Sexual Health and Behavior, Womanizer

How Often Do Married Women Masturbate?

91.5% of women who masturbate still do so when in a relationship.
Happily-married women are more likely to masturbate than unhappily married women.
Frequent sex increases the likelihood of masturbation in women.
Masturbation is about autonomy and sexual independence. Some women in relationships masturbate to relieve sexual tension with expectation or pressure.

Source: The Journal of Sexual Medicine, AlloHealth

Why Do Women Masturbate?

Aside from pleasure, there are several reasons that women masturbate:

“I find it pleasurable” – 63.6%
“If I am feeling horny” – 49%
“To relieve stress” – 36.2%
“If I want to relax” – 25.8%
“To help me fall asleep” – 25.7%
“If I am not getting as much sex as I want” – 19.8%
“I enjoy my fantasies during masturbation” – 16.6%
“Out of sexual frustration” – 13.9%
“To explore my sexuality” – 12.5%
“If I am so aroused that it is interfering with other things I want or need to do” – 9.1%
“If there is nothing else to do” – 7%
“Because – even though I try – I just cannot stop myself” – 1.7%
Other reasons – 2.2%

In addition to self-reported reasons, some other factors influence masturbation:

Women with ADHD report higher sexual desire and masturbation frequency.
Masturbation releases dopamine; this can make you want to masturbate even if you are not aroused.
Some conditions like Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD, Bipolar Disorder, or Pick’s Disease make people more prone to compulsive sexual behavior, including masturbation.

Source: Archives of Sexual Behavior (2023), Frontiers in Psychiatry, Healthline, MedicalNewsToday

Where and When Do Women Masturbate?

80% of people prefer to masturbate in their bedroom.
31% prefer the shower or bathroom.
19% of women have masturbated in their car.
82% of people masturbate more in the winter.
Roughly a quarter of women prefer to masturbate in the afternoon.

Source: We-Vibe

How Do Women Masturbate?

As long as it is safe and pleasurable, there is no right or wrong way to masturbate.

Women are over twice as likely as men to listen to music while masturbating.
Women are only half as likely as men to watch porn while masturbating.
52.5% of American women use vibrators.
82% of American women own at least one sex toy, whether for masturbation or partnered sex.

When masturbating:

60% of women masturbate with their hands, while 40% use toys.
38% watch porn.
14% fantasize about their partner.
14% read erotic literature.
12% fantasize about a stranger.
6% fantasize about a friend.
2% watch live-stream porn
3% fantasize about an ex.

There are different types of female masturbation:

Clitoral – using the finger, vibrator, or other toys to stimulate the clitoris.
Vaginal – penetrating the vagina with fingers or a toy
Anal- penetrating the anus with fingers or a toy
Erogenous zones – touching, squeezing, or pinching the inner thigh, nipples, neck, ears, or other areas to increase arousal.
Combination – Many women combine methods to achieve greater pleasure.

Source: We-Vibe, Journal of Sexual Medicine, Statista, OnlineDoctor, Healthline

While many people are still afraid to discuss masturbation, the data does not lie – most women are getting off and enjoying it.