How Many & How Often Do Men Masturbate? (New 2023 Stats)

Masturbation is a regular part of life for many men around the world.

Below, we will dive into global male masturbation habits, including patterns across life stages, frequency comparisons with women, and more.

Table of Contents

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

Globally, 82% of men masturbate.
On average, men masturbate 154 times per year or about 3 times per week.
9.9% of men masturbate almost every day.
Men masturbate 68% more than women.
67% of heterosexual men in a relationship masturbate at least once per week.
Men over the age of 70 masturbate less than any other age group.

Source: Womanizer, Archives of Sexual Behavior, National Survey of Sexual Health and Behavior, Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy

How Often Do Men Masturbate and for How Long?

The average man masturbates 154 times per year or about 3 times per week.
About 1 in 10 men masturbate nearly every day.
The average masturbation time for a man is 14 minutes.
Masanobu Sato holds the record for the longest masturbation session – 9 hours and 58 minutes.

Of men who masturbate:

24.2% have not masturbated in the past year.
17.2% masturbated a few times in the past year.
6.4% masturbated once a month.
16.1% masturbated a few times a month.
8.9% masturbated once a week.
17.1% masturbated 2-3 times per week.
9.9% masturbate almost every day.

Masturbation is normal, and several reasons affect how often a man will masturbate:

Unless you are hurting yourself, there are no real health risks to masturbation.
It is healthy for men to masturbate, and there are numerous benefits such as:
- Decreased risk of prostate cancer
- Can increase libido
- Can help men last longer in bed
- Can improve sleep
- Can improve cognitive function
- Can relieve stress
- Can improve sensitivity and connectedness with your boy
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, but it can happen. It is also normal to rarely or never masturbate. Here are some reasons that may happen:

About 1 in 10 American men have experienced physical or sexual violence from an intimate partner. Sexual trauma can cause someone to avoid sexual activity.
Some men may feel ashamed due to religion or problems with their relationships.
Some men choose not to masturbate because of sites like NoFap that claim it will improve their lives.

Source: Archives of Sexual Behavior, OnlineDoctor VICE, Womanizer, MindBodyGreen, Socioaffective Neuroscience and Psychology, The Journals of Gerontology, CDC, NYMag

Do Married Men Masturbate? How Often?

67% of heterosexual men in a relationship (with a partner or spouse) masturbate at least once per week.
Men who have more partnered sex are less likely to masturbate.
For men, masturbation is often used to compensate for a lack of sex. Lower sexual satisfaction often leads to increased masturbation.

Source: Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy

Frequency of Male Masturbation by Age

This graphic breaks down male 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

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%

Masturbation typically starts in adolescence. 80% of boys aged 14-17 admit to masturbating at least once. Of these:
- 26.4% masturbate a few times per year.
- 24.5% do it a few times per month
- 28.9% do it 2-3 times per week.
- 20.2% do it 4 or more times per week.
Men aged 20-25 masturbate more frequently than any other age group.
As men get older, they masturbate less.
Most men start masturbating at ages 12-13.

Source: National Survey of Sexual Health and Behavior, Archives of Pediatric Adolescent Medicine, GHC Health

Do Men or Women Masturbate More?

Unsurprisingly, men masturbate far more often than women. Here is the data on female masturbation by age:

Not in the past year

A few times per year – monthly

A few times per month – 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%

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

Source: National Survey of Sexual Health and Behavior, Womanizer

What Percentage of Men Masturbate?

Globally, 82% of men masturbate.
80% of Chinese men masturbate.
92% of American men masturbate.
98% of Brazilian men masturbate, which is the highest percentage of any country surveyed.
91% of Indian men masturbate.

Source: Womanizer, TENGA, TENGA

Where and When Do Men Masturbate?

82% of people masturbate more in the winter.
Most men prefer to masturbate in the evening.
23% of men say the couch is their favorite place to masturbate.
80% of people prefer to masturbate in their bedroom.
31% prefer the shower or bathroom.
6% of men report masturbating at work.
Some men can masturbate in their sleep if they have Sexsomnia, but it is more common to have wet dreams.
Some men call phone sex lines to masturbate for an average of 18 minutes.

Source: We-Vibe, Sleep Foundation, SheKnows

Why Do Men Masturbate?

Men masturbate for several reasons aside from pleasure:

“I find it pleasurable” – 65.6%
“If I am feeling horny” – 54.3%
“To relieve stress” – 36.7%
“If I want to relax” – 26.6%
“To help me fall asleep” – 21.4%
“If I am not getting as much sex as I want” – 31.6%
“I enjoy my fantasies during masturbation” – 27.6%
“Out of sexual frustration” – 16.9%
“To explore my sexuality” – 7.4%

Other factors can influence masturbation as well:

ADHD can cause increased 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, Frontiers in Psychiatry, Healthline, MedicalNewsToday

How Do Men Masturbate?

11% of men listen to music while they masturbate.
73% of men watch porn while masturbating.
42% of men masturbate with their imagination
8% of men use a penetrative toy for masturbation.
90% of men use their hands to masturbate, while 10% use a toy.

According to Pornhub, these are men’s five favorite categories to watch while masturbating:

1. Japanese
2. Ebony
3. Mature
4. MILF
5. Lesbian

When masturbating, men:

67% watch porn.
6% fantasize about their partner.
5% read erotic literature.
3% fantasize about a stranger.
7% fantasize about a friend.
5% watch live-stream porn
2% fantasize about an ex.

Male masturbation is fairly simple:

Most men simply rub their penis until they have an orgasm and ejaculate semen.
Some men also stimulate their anus with a penetrative toy.
Men may also use a vibrator or other toy to stimulate their penis or other erogenous zones.

Source: We-Vibe, OnlineDoctor, TENGA, Pornhub, Havering

How Often Should a Man Masturbate?

Men of all ages masturbate. However, less than 20% of men do so more than 4 times per week.
Abstaining from ejaculation can improve testosterone, which can help men who feel low libido. Many use the following equation from ancient Taoism:
- (Age – 7)/4 = X days between ejaculations.
- This means, for example, that a 45-year-old man should ejaculate about every 9 days.
As long as you feel fine, you cannot masturbate too much or too little. However, men who ejaculate at least 21 times per month lower their risk of prostate cancer by 31%.
You may be masturbating too much if:
- It feels compulsive
- It interferes with your work and social relationships
- It irritates your genitals.

Source: Center for Female and Male Sexual Medicine, Dave Asprey, Harvard Health

Most men masturbate, and there is no shame in it. Frequency changes from person to person, but it is a healthy part of life.