63+ Interesting Sex Facts & Stats You Should Know [2024]

If you’ve been wanting to get your hands on interesting sex facts, look no further as we give you all you need to know about sex! All in one place! Read on:

If you’ve ever wondered whether sex is good for you, how big the average dick is, or if your orgasms are normal – this article is for you.

We’ve compiled sex facts and statistics from across the globe so you can enjoy sex more, understand your partner, and more.

Table of Contents

Top Sex Facts You Should Know:

Sex can decrease a man’s risk for a fatal heart attack. Men who had sex 2+ times per week were less likely to die from a heart attack than men who had sex less often.
Men don’t think about sex every 7 seconds.
The average erect penis is just 5.57 inches long.
50% to 75% of women who have an orgasm require clitoral stimulation. Most women are unable to have an orgasm through intercourse alone.
Women frequently think about and want sex, too. 53% of women were not having sex as much as they would have liked.
56% of men watched porn every few days, compared with just 25% of women.
20% of men admit to watching porn online at work. About 13% of women do.
36.6% of women said that they need oral to reach climax.
46.8% of all high school students reported ever having sex.
Married people have only 6.9 more sexual encounters every year than those who are not married or have never been married.
17% of Americans have had an extramarital affair.

Interesting Facts About Sex

Is sex good for your health and work-life balance? Here’s what these studies have shown:

Sex reduces stress
- Those who had penile-vaginal intercourse had better stress response (less reactivity and/or lower baseline levels) than those who reported other or no sexual behaviors. (Science Direct, 2006)¹
Less sex, more work
- People with a worse sex life tend to take on more work to compensate for their lack of fulfillment in the bedroom.
- 36% of men and 35% of women who have sex only once a week plunge themselves into their work.
  (Spiegel International, 2007)²
Sex is good for your heart:
- Sex can decrease a man’s risk for a fatal heart attack.
- Men who had sex 2+ times per week were less likely to die from a heart attack than men who had sex less often.
- The study found no relationship between the frequency of intercourse and the likelihood of dying from a stroke.
  (National Library of Medicine, 2002)³
Improves self-esteem:
- One of the most common driving factors of sex is the self-esteem boost many get from doing the deed.
- Sex makes you feel powerful and more attractive.
- Some people also had more altruistic intentions and wanted their partners to feel good about themselves.
  (Archive of Sexual Behavior, 2007)⁴
Sex relieves pain

- Sex can make you feel good in more than one way. During arousal and orgasm, the hypothalamus in the brain releases the feel-good hormone oxytocin, which can act as a natural pain reliever.
- This surge of oxytocin may actually help women feel less pain, especially during menstruation. (Healthline, 2016)⁵
- Oxytocin in men cuts pain perception by 56.5%, according to a study from the Bulletin of Experimental Biology and Medicine.
  (Bulletin of Experimental Biology and Medicine, 1996)⁶

Sex protects against cancer
- Men age 50+ who have frequent sex are less likely to be diagnosed with prostate cancer than men their same age who do not have sex often.
- Intercourse and masturbation may reduce the risk of prostate cancer in older men. (National Library of Medicine, 2009)⁷
- Men in their ’20s who ejaculate frequently have a decreased risk of prostate cancer.
  (National Library of Medicine, 2004)⁸
Orgasms improve sperm quality
- Frequent sex may improve a man’s sperm quality, reduce DNA damage to sperm, and increase fertility.
- Men who had sex daily, or ejaculated daily, had more viable and higher quality semen than men who did not have sex.
  (Science Daily, 2009)⁹

Sex Facts by Gender

Men and women have several unique and interesting facts about how they have sex and their genitalia:

Men

Men don’t think about sex every 7 seconds.

- That would mean 8,000 thoughts in 16 waking hours!
- The young men in the study reported thoughts of sex 19 times per day on average.
  (Healthline, 2017)¹⁰
The Male G-spot exists
- The “male G-spot” is a nickname for a man’s prostate.
- The prostate can be stimulated via his perineum (the space between the anus and scrotum) or through the anus. It’s about two inches inside and is the size of a walnut.
- Stimulating the G-spot permits the prostate gland to be touched, leading to an intense orgasm without touching the penis. This is also known as a “prostate massage,” which targets the male G-spot, so it inevitably feels good.
  (Medical Daily, 2016)¹¹
Ejaculatory Inevitability is pretty common:
- Most men will inevitably achieve orgasm after receiving a certain amount of stimulation.
- 75% of men reach orgasm after two minutes or less of masturbation.
  (Medical Daily, 2016)¹¹
The refractory period lasts from half an hour or more:
- Men often need rest before achieving a second orgasm — this is known as the refractory period.
- During the refractory period, a man doesn’t think about sex or get aroused.
- It can take anywhere from 30 minutes or longer for the body to perform sexually again. Of course, this is all contingent on age, physical fitness, and lifestyle.
  (ISSM, n.d.)¹²
The average erect penis is just 5.57 inches long.

- The smallest average penis is 1.57 inches long, while the longest average is 10.23 inches long. (The Journal of Sexual Medicine, 2013)¹³

Oral sex makes men think their penis is bigger:
- Oral sex increased self-reported penis sizes for men. Those who received oral sex before self-reporting their size said they had significantly larger penises than men who measured after fantasizing or those who were masturbating. (Medical Daily, 2016)¹¹
There are two kinds of male penises:
- There are two kinds of male penises — colloquially known as “growers” or “showers.”
- 79% of men are growers, while 21% are showers.
  - Grower penises expand and get longer as they get erect. For example, if a penis was five inches before being stimulated, it could get as long as seven to eight when fully erect.
  - A shower penis looks bigger when it’s not erect. This type of penis does not increase too much after erection.
    (Men’s Health, 2015)¹⁴

Women

50% to 75% of women who have an orgasm require clitoral stimulation. Most women are unable to have an orgasm through intercourse alone. (Psychology Today, 2014)¹⁵

The clitoris contains 8,000 sensitive nerve endings, DOUBLE the number of nerve endings in the glans of a penis. (Psychology Today, 2014)¹⁵
Clitoral orgasms can bring about anywhere from 3 to 16 contractions and last from 10 to 30 seconds. Many women can also have multiple orgasms that can include pelvic contractions. (Psychology Today, 2014)¹⁵
Women frequently think about and want sex, too. 53% of women were not having sex as much as they would have liked.
- Almost three-quarters of women wished they had sex at least three times a week. (Medical Daily, 2015)¹⁶
Missionary is best for women with back pain. Researchers found missionary position while using a pillow for back support was best.
- For women who have pain touching their toes or after sitting for long periods of time, researchers recommended spooning or the doggy-style position. (Medical Daily, 2014)¹⁷

Porn Sex Facts

Pornography is one of the biggest industries in the world and lets many live out fantasies they might not otherwise be able to experience. But is it a good thing for society as a whole? Here are the porn facts we found:

The sex work industry is the largest and most profitable in the world. This includes everything from street prostitution, strip clubs, phone sex, and pornography. (List 25, 2018)¹⁸
13,000 adult videos are professionally produced annually, which generate over $13 billion in profit. By comparison, Hollywood released 507 movies and made $8.8 billion. (List 25, 2018)¹⁸
There are 68 million searches daily for pornography in the United States, which is about 25% of all searches. (List 25, 2018)¹⁸
Male porn performers do not make much money.
- They make up to 3 times more per film when performing in gay porn than in straight porn. (List 25, 2018)¹⁸
10% of adults say they have an online porn addiction. (List 25, 2018)¹⁸
Men watch porn a lot more often than women
- 56% of men watched porn every few days, compared with just 25% of women. (The Daily Edge, 2015)¹⁹
People like to keep it local when it comes to watching porn
- According to data released by Pornhub, the top search term in several countries was the country itself.
- For example, here are the top search terms in the following countries…
  - Mexico: Mexicana
  - Germany: German
  - France: French
  - Russia: Russian
  - Argentina: Argentinian
  - Sweden: Swedish
    (The Daily Edge, 2015)¹⁹
The porn industry worldwide generates over $100 billion. $10 billion and $12 billion of that come from the United States (Fact Retriever, 2016)²⁰
American’s porn-watching sessions are, on average, the longest in the world, according to PornHub.
- Americans spent an average of 10 minutes and 39 seconds on PornHub every time they visited. The U.K was second, with Germany taking third. (Fact Retriever, 2016)²⁰
20% of men admit to watching porn online at work. About 13% of women do. (Fact Retriever, 2016)²⁰

Oral Sex Facts

Oral sex is one of the most common kinds of sex and is enjoyed by more than half of all couples. Here are the statistics and facts about oral sex:

Women give oral more than they receive it:
- 59% of women vs. 52% of men reported giving oral sex to their partner.
- 63% of men versus 44% of women reported receiving oral sex.
- Men are also less likely to reciprocate after women go down on them.
  - 26% of women and only 10% of men reported giving oral sex but not receiving it.
    (The Canadian Journal of Human Sexuality, 2016)²¹
Oral sex helps couples feel more connected:
- Men were significantly more likely than women (52% vs. 28%) to report that giving oral sex was “very pleasurable.” (Health, 2018)²²
Oral can lead to amazing orgasms, especially for women:
- Nearly 70% of women described receiving oral as “very pleasurable.”
  - This could be because of the direct clitoral stimulation oral offers. (Health, 2018)²²
- 36.6% of women said that they need oral to reach climax. (Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy, 2017)²³

Anal Sex Facts

Anal sex is also much more common than you might think and appears to be growing in popularity:

Over 40% of women between the ages of 20 and 49 have had anal sex.
- Likewise, 40% of men have had anal, but the age bracket extends slightly higher to 20 and 59 years. (Fact Dr, 2012)²⁴
Sex toys are becoming more popular across the globe with innovations in the domain of anal penetration and pleasure, with a global market of $15 billion a year. (Fact Dr, 2012)²⁴
8% of couples who have anal sex without protection get pregnant. (Fact Dr, 2012)²⁴
You might encounter poop! So unless you are okay with this, don’t proceed with anal sex. (Fact Dr, 2012)²⁴

Having Sex for the First Time Facts

First loves can be exciting, awkward, and sometimes scary. Here are the top facts about first-time sex:

Your hymen doesn’t “pop” during vaginal penetration.
- A hymen can be torn during penetrative sex, exercise, or some other physical activity, depending on its size. But it won’t “pop,” despite the common slang. (Healthline, 2018)²⁵
An intact (or not intact) hymen has nothing to do with your virginity.
- The hymen is just a body part. It doesn’t determine whether or not someone is a virgin.
- Not everyone is born with a hymen, and some hymens are very small pieces of tissue.
  (Healthline, 2018)²⁵
Your body doesn’t change after sex.
- Your body doesn’t change after you have sex for the first time.
- You will experience certain physical reactions from sexual arousal. This may include:
  - Swollen vulva
  - Erect penis
  - Rapid breathing
  - Sweating
  - Flushed skin
    (Healthline, 2018)²⁵
First-time sex probably won’t look like it does in movies or porn:
- Of course, everyone’s first time is different, but you shouldn’t expect your first time to be like what you see in the movies.
- Sex scenes in film and television don’t happen in one take — actors often have to reposition themselves, and directors may reshoot certain parts so that the scene looks good on camera.
- This means that what you see on the silver screen typically isn’t a realistic picture of what sex is like for most people.
  (Healthline, 2018)²⁵
If you have a vagina, you may not orgasm the first time.
- Orgasms aren’t always a guarantee, and there’s a chance you may not climax the first time you have sex.
- Research suggests that 11% to 14% of people with a vagina have difficulty reaching orgasm with a partner.
  (National Library of Medicine, 2011a)²⁶
If you have a penis, you may orgasm faster than you expect.
- It’s not uncommon for a person with a penis to climax faster than they expected — or wanted — during sex.
- Premature ejaculation can affect as many as 1 out of 3 people.
  (Mayo Clinic, 2020)²⁷

Teen Sex Facts

Teen sex is common, and teens are far more likely to contract STIs and/or become pregnant than the general population. Whether due to poor decision-making from underdeveloped brains, or just plain accidents, here are the stats about teen sex:

46.8% of all high school students reported ever having sex. (CDC, 2011)²⁸
70% of teen females and 56% of teen males said that their first experience was with a steady partner.
- 16% of females and 28% of males report first having sex with someone they had just met or who was just a friend. (National Library of Medicine, 2011b)²⁹
Sexually active teens who don’t use contraceptives have a 90% chance of becoming pregnant within a year. (Do Something, n.d.)³⁰
15- to 24-year-olds represent only 1/4 of the sexually active population but account for nearly half (9.1 million) of the 18.9 million new cases of STIs each year. (Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health, 2004)³¹
Laws in 38 states require that a minor seeking an abortion involve her parents in the decision. (Do Something, n.d.)³⁰
418 public schools in the US make condoms available to students. (Do Something, n.d.)³⁰

Marriage Sex Facts

Do married couples have more sex or less? Here are the facts about married sex:

Most married couples have sex 5 times per month.
- On average, married couples have sex 58-68 times. (Health Research Funding, n.d.)³²
Married people under 30 are reported to have sex an average of 111 times per year. (Health Research Funding, n.d.)³²
Married people have only 6.9 more sexual encounters every year than those who are not married or have never been married. (Health Research Funding, n.d.)³²
84% of women say they have sex to get their husbands to help with housework. (Good Housekeeping, 2016)³³
17% of Americans have had an extramarital affair.
- 91% of adults consider extramarital sex wrong. That’s up from 40 years ago when less than 70% of survey takers felt adultery was “always wrong.” (Good Housekeeping, 2016)³³
Married women are twice as likely to orgasm.
- 75% of married women have orgasms, making them almost twice as likely to climax than casual hookups. (Good Housekeeping, 2016)³³
Less than half of women want regular sex after 4 years of marriage.
- Only 48% of married women want regular sex after four years of marriage.
- When controlling for age, couples who are married longer become more likely to be sexually active.
  (The Austin Institute for the Study of Family and Culture, n.d.)³⁴
12% of all married people haven’t had sex for at least 3 months.
- More than 6% of married women say it’s been over a year since they have had sex with their spouse. (Good Housekeeping, 2016)³³
More than a third of currently married women have had anal sex.
- 37.5% of currently married women aged 18-44 have had anal sex with an opposite-sex partner. (Good Housekeeping, 2016)³³
83% of married people aged 35-44 had premarital sex with their spouse. (Good Housekeeping, 2016)³³

Psychological Facts About Sex

Sex can have interesting effects on our psychology, both positively and negatively:

Post-sex sadness is real:
- Post-Coital Dysphoria (PCD) is characterized by intense feelings of sadness, anger, and distress after orgasm. (Private Therapy Clinic, n.d.)³⁵
A strong sense of smell can make you have more orgasms:
- People with a stronger sense of smell had better sexual experiences.
- Women who had a better sense of smell said they had more enjoyable orgasms than those who didn’t.
- Body odors like vaginal fluid and sweat can create a heightened state of pleasure.
  (Private Therapy Clinic, n.d.)³⁵
Sex can improve creativity:
- The act of sex itself is already a creative act intended to birth new life.
- There’s an added psychological effect that can help you in your creative pursuits, whether it’s art, design, music, writing, or even just creative thinking. And it’s that same chemical again. Oxytocin. (Private Therapy Clinic, n.d.)³⁵
Leaving your socks on can make you more likely to have an orgasm:
- According to The University of Groningen, if you want to increase your chance of having an orgasm, keep your socks on during sex. One theory suggests that cold feet can interfere with the ability to really get into sex, especially for women. (Private Therapy Clinic, n.d.)³⁵
People who have less sex overcompensate in their work:
- 36% of men and 35% of women who only had sex once a week also worked excessive hours at their jobs.
- Generally, the more work you have, the more stress you have. And the more stress you have, the less sex you have.
  (Private Therapy Clinic, n.d.)³⁵

Conclusion

Sex can be wild, funny, and fun. It’s experienced differently by everyone, and many are still learning what makes sex enjoyable for them. But overall, safe sex is good for you and your partner, so have at it!

Footnotes

Science Direct, 2006. Blood pressure reactivity to stress is better for people who recently had penile-vaginal intercourse than for people who had other or no sexual activity.
Spiegel International, 2007. No Sex Leads To Less Sex, Research Shows.
National Library of Medicine, 2002. A study of 914 men aged 45–59 years at the time of recruitment from 1979 to 1983.
Archive of Sexual Behavior, 2007. A published study on Why Humans Have Sex.
Healthline, 2016. An article on the Surprising Facts About Sex.
Bulletin of Experimental Biology and Medicine, 1996. A study on the effect of extremely low doses of oxytocin (vapor) on the perception of pain (pricking of the finger) is studied on 48 healthy volunteers.
National Library of Medicine, 2009. A study on 431 prostate cancer cases and 409 controls in men aged 20s, 30s, 40s, and 50s.
National Library of Medicine, 2004. A study of 29,342 US men aged 46 to 81 years who provided information on the history of ejaculation frequency.
Science Daily, 2009. A study of Daily Sex Helps Reduce Sperm DNA Damage And Improve Fertility.
Healthline, 2017. An article on All About the Male Sex Drive.
Medical Daily, 2016. An article on Sex Facts About Men: 6 Surprising Things That Could Improve Your Love Life.
ISSM, n.d. Definition of the refractory period reviewed by the medical professional of the ISSM’s Communication Committee.
The Journal of Sexual Medicine, 2013. A study on Erect Penile Length and Circumference Dimensions of 1,661 Sexually Active Men in the United States.
Men’s Health, 2015. An article on 15 Facts You Didn’t Know About Your Penis.
Psychology Today, 2014. An article on 14 Crazy Amazing Facts About Female Sexuality.
Medical Daily, 2015. An article on Women Report They’re Not Having Sex As Much As They’d Like; Study Knocks Down Gender Stereotypes.
Medical Daily, 2014.
List 25, 2018. An article on 25 Shocking Facts About Porn You Probably Didn’t Know.
The Daily Edge, 2015. An article on 8 facts about porn everyone should know.
Fact Retriever, 2016. An article on 81 Shocking Pornography Facts.
The Canadian Journal of Human Sexuality, 2016. A study of 899 heterosexual university students in Canada.
Health, 2018. An article on 14 Things Every Woman Needs to Know About Oral Sex.
Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy, 2017. A study of 1,055 women ages 18 to 94 from the nationally representative GfK KnowledgePanel.
Fact Dr, 2012. An article on Anal Sex: Tips from experts on how to be kinky yet safe.
Healthline, 2018. An article on 27 Things You Should Know Before You “Lose” Your Virginity.
National Library of Medicine, 2011a. A study on the female orgasmic disorder.
Mayo Clinic, 2020. An article discussing premature ejaculation.
CDC, 2011. Youth risk behavior surveillance—United States.
National Library of Medicine, 2011b. A study of 4,662 teenagers (2,284 females and 2,378 males) in the United States from 2006-2010.
Do Something, n.d. An article on 11 Facts About Sexual Health in Teens in the US.
Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health, 2004. A study of 15-24-year-olds in the United States in 2000.
Health Research Funding, n.d. Statistics on 30 Odd Sexless Marriage.
Good Housekeeping, 2016. An article on 10 Surprising Realities About Married Sex.
The Austin Institute for the Study of Family and Culture, n.d. An article on How common are sexually “inactive” marriages?
Private Therapy Clinic, n.d. An article on 8 Psychological Facts About Sex (You Didn’t Know…).