Sex is natural and one of most pleasurable activities that human beings can participate in.
Whether you’re getting rawdogged in a parking lot by 2 dozen people or having traditional missionary penis-in-vagina sex, it’s an activity that most of us can share.
With such a universal experience as sex, it’s unsurprising that there is also a bunch of wonderful or weird sex facts that paint the picture of this erotic affair from people’s experiences all over the world.
So, whether you’re looking to expand your sexual understanding or just gawk at some strange sex facts and statistics, here we present 32 fun sex facts!
1. 15% of cisgender women have never had an orgasm
Yes, approximately 1 in 6 cisgender women have never had an orgasm. However, orgasm can be achieved for every woman, though you may need to play around with different techniques and find what works for you. Most women most easily reach orgasm through clitoral stimulation with vibrators or other sex toys, so this may be worth a try for women who struggle to climax.Good luck!
2. One-third of marriages start as hookups
According to the National Marriage Project, one third of married couples began their relationship with a no-strings-attached hookup.
Beware - there may be more strings attached than you expected.
3. 1 in 5 people use their smartphones during sex
According to a survey by Harris Interactive, 1 in 5 adults aged 18-34 years old uses their smartphone during sex.
I’m not trying to pass judgement here, but if you’re scrolling through Uber Eats while getting railed, that’s probably not a good sign.
4. Sex can help stop migraines
If you suffer from regular headaches and migraines, sex may actually be a huge help. It turns out that 60% of migraine sufferers find sex can help reduce their migraines, according to one study.
If you’re all out of Aspirin, maybe try getting freaky?
5. Average male penis size is 5-7 inches
As you’d probably expect, the average erect cisgender male penis size is 5-7 inches. Despite what some guys may claim, a mere 15% of men have a penis longer than 7 inches when erect, and then just 3% of guys have a penis longer than 8 inches when erect!
But that doesn’t matter too much, because…
6. Penis girth matters more than penis length
When it comes to penis-in-vagina sex, penis girth matters much more than penis length for sexual pleasure. The vagina mainly is covered in stretch mechanoreceptors, meaning that a girthy penis tends to feel more pleasurable than a long penis.
7. Over 80s are still having sex regularly
One study found that almost one-third of women over the age of 80 are still having sex with their partners regularly.
Nice one, grandma!
8. The average ejaculation contains 15,875 GB of data
One single sperm contains around 37.5MB of DNA data, with the average ejaculation adding up to 15,875GB of DNA data in total. Every time a penis ejaculates, it’s releasing about 8 MacBook Pros’ worth of data. Disclaimer - we don’t recommend throwing 8 MacBooks at your partner during sex.
9. 31% of men have faked an orgasm
While 67% of straight women admit to faking orgasms, it may come as a surprise that 31% of men have also faked an orgasm too, according to Time Out New York.
No one is safe!
10. Travelers & Backpackers are having a lot of sex
According to HostelBookers.com, traveling makes both men and women more likely to hook up for one-night stands. Their study found that 52% of men and 41% of women have had hookups while traveling or backpacking.
I mean all of those young, attractive people in a 10-bed hostel dorm? It’s only a matter of time.
11. Period sex may lead to more powerful orgasms
Though period sex may be somewhat controversial, it turns out that women can actually experience more powerful orgasms if having sex or masturbating while on their period. The increased blood circulation around the genitals is thought to heighten stimulation of the area.
There’s always a silver lining, I guess?
12. Plus-size men last longer 4 times longer in bed
One Turkish study found that plus-size men last an average of 7 minutes 18 seconds in the bedroom, while much skinnier men lasted an average of just 1 minute 48 seconds.
While this doesn’t necessarily mean that the sex was better or more sexually fulfilling, it sure is a surprising sex fact.
13. Lesbian women orgasm more than straight women
Bad news for the straights - lesbian women have more orgasms than heterosexual women. A large-scale study found that gay women reach orgasm in 74.7% of their sexual encounters, while straight women orgasmed just 61.6% of the time.
You might expect bisexual women to fall somewhere in the middle, but they actually come in (get it?) last, reaching orgasm only 58% of the time. Go figure.
14. Only 25% of cisgender women orgasm from penis-in-vagina sex
It turns out that only 25% of cisgender women orgasm from “regular” penis-in-vagina sex. Most women require some kind of extra stimulation on their clitoris from hands, sex toys, or unusual sex positions in order to orgasm from PIV sex.
15. Vibrators were Victorian medical devices
Vibrators were invented in 1869 to treat “female disorders” and “hysteria” in women.
Back in Victorian times, a woman being upset or emotionally distressed was considered to be a mental illness. A large steam-powered massager was used to vibrate and massage her genitals, with doctors hoping to induce “hysterical paroxysm” - the incredibly clinical Victorian term for an orgasm.
So basically the 1800s were sexist AF - unsurprisingly - but at least you could get off if you were upset?
16. 4 orgasms a week keeps the prostate cancer away
Men (and those assigned male at birth) can reduce their chances of developing prostate cancer by having at least 4 orgasms a week.
Masturbation - self-care in more ways than one.
17. Nipple orgasms are a real thing
It’s possible to reach orgasm from nipple stimulation alone, especially for women. These orgasms are often referred to as “nipplegasms”. This isn’t too surprising, as nipple stimulation increases sexual arousal in 82% of women and 52% of men. Men who use prostate massagers to achieve multiple orgasms often do so with the assistance of nipple rubbing.
Don’t neglect the nipples!
18. At least 50% of people will get HPV
HPV is often joked about because of how common it is - and these jokes are founded in reality. At least 50% of sexually active people will have a genital HPV infection at some point in their lives. The good news? Your body’s immune system will fight away HPV within 2 years for 90% of cases.
Phew.
19. Men have more sex partners than women
How many sexual partners have you had? According to a survey of adults aged 20 to 59, women have had an average of 4 sexual partners in their lifetime, while men have had 7 sexual partners in their lifetime.
I feel like there are some maths there that isn’t adding up.... no?
20. Females wait longer to lose their virginity
The average male will lose his virginity at 16.9 years old, while the average female will lose her virginity at 17.4 years old.
21. You feel less pain during sex
If someone pulled your hair in a fight, you wouldn’t like it. In the bedroom, however, it’s less of an issue. This is because your pain threshold can increase during sexual arousal, allowing you to tolerate much more pain than normal. This is part of the reason why people enjoy spanking, BDSM, and other impact play fetishes.
Get a little masochistic!
22. You have more than 31 erogenous zones
Your body has more than 31 erogenous zones - not just the obvious ones that probably come to mind. For example, unexpected erogenous zones include the scalp, the inner wrist, the small of the back, and behind the knees.
There’s a LOT of ways you can be turned on. At least 31, apparently.
23. Vaginas expand by 200% when sexually aroused
The average vagina can expand by up to 200% when sexually aroused. Given the fact that vaginas regularly push full-on babies out of them, that’s maybe not so surprising.
Kudos to the vagina!
24. Female orgasms last 14 seconds longer than male orgasms
The average female orgasm lasts around 20 seconds, though the average male orgasm lasts just 6 seconds.
Although women tend to have a harder time climaxing than men do, they get to feel the pleasure for more than 3 times longer, so that’s pretty cool at least.
25. Men can reach orgasm without ejaculating
Men (and people with penises) can actually achieve orgasm without ejaculating at all - orgasm and ejaculation are two different body processes entirely.
This is most easily explained with prostate milking - where those with a prostate can use sex toys or fingers to massage their prostate (anal P-spot) and experience multiple orgasms (like women do) without a drop of semen in sight.
Fun sex facts aside - guys, if you’re reading this, you need to try prostate milking. Believe us.
26. Sex dreams make up 10% of ALL dreams
Nearly 10% of all dreams are sexual or arousing in some nature, for both men and women alike. However, there are some slight differences as to the content of the sex dreams. Women are more likely to have sex dreams about celebrities, politicians, or their exes. Meanwhile, men are more likely to have sex dreams about group sex.
It’s good to know we’re all a little horny in the land of nod.
27. Most sexual fantasies will never be acted out in real life
Less than 33% of people surveyed have ever acted out their most prominent sexual fantasy, suggesting that most of us lack the will and/or means to act out our sexual fantasies in real life.
As someone who fantasizes about group sex regularly, I kind of imagine that it would actually be a tricky logistical task that wasn’t that sexy at all. Like I’d be in the middle of a group of naked people taking names and going through the risk assessment.
28. Men watch a lot more porn than women
When it comes to amazing sex facts, this one probably isn’t too shocking - 70% of men watch porn regularly, compared to just 33% of women. Women also tend to watch porn as part of a couple for foreplay reasons, while men tend to watch porn alone most of the time.
Who’d of thunk it?
29. The average sex session has 100 to 500 thrusts
The average sex session last for anywhere up to 100 - 500 thrusts, according to a report by the Royal Society Open Science journal.
I can’t say I’d ever even considered how many thrusts happen in a sex session, but that’s what fun sex facts are for.
30. Erectile dysfunction isn’t as common as you’d think (maybe)
While erectile dysfunction is a significant problem for men, it’s not maybe as common as you’d expect. One study suggests that around 5% of 40-year-old men experience the problem, which jumps to 15-25% of 65-year-old men.
If I’m putting my “devil’s advocate” hat on, I’m going to guess that this was a self-reporting study… and plenty of men won’t want to admit that they have erectile dysfunction? Just a thought. Call me skeptical.
31. Gay men have the most anal sex, by FAR
Although not all gay and LGBTQ+ men participate in anal sex, it’s probably no surprise that they’re WAY more likely to have anal sex than their heterosexual counterparts. Around 90% of men who have sex with men have indulged in anal sex, with just 5-10% of women participating in anal sex, regardless of sexuality.
I mean, guys literally have a G-spot in their ass, so it makes sense.
32. Dildos were invented 28,000 years ago
While vibrators were crafted by the Victorians, the world’s oldest dildo dates back around 28,000 years. Discovered in a cave in Germany, the 7.87-inch long siltstone dildo is the oldest known dildo in the world.
We imagine people back in the day as being all coy, but apparently they were screwing themselves with phallic rocks. So yeah.
Random Facts About Sex - Conclusion
Well, that concludes our 32 random facts about sex. We hope you enjoyed these fun sex facts and sex stats, whether you’re researching sex or just procrastinating on your lunch break.
To find out more about sex toys, kinks, advice, and basically everything you’ll ever need to know about sex… feel free to explore the SexToyCollective website!
It’s really interesting, we promise.