Does the average person have 7 sexual partners? What culture is most promiscuous? Is 12 sexual partners a lot?
The average number of partners varies by age, location, and gender, but there is no such thing as a normal amount. Having a high body count can add to the image of being promiscuous, but the stigma surrounding promiscuity is different between locations and generations.
Let’s dive in!
Key Promiscuity Statistics
- 6.4 is the average number of sexual partners for men
- 7 is the average number of sexual partners for women
- 16.8 is the average number of sexual partners in New York
- 8% of people say that they’d end a relationship if their partner had sex with too few partners.
- 30% of people say that they’d end a relationship if their partner had sex with too many partners.
- Men believe that having more than 10 sexual partners would make a woman seem promiscuous.
- 2% of women from any orientation have had more than 50 sexual partners.
- 16% of people have only had one sexual partner in the span of their lifetime.
- 5 sexual partners is the average number for college students.
- 31% of sexually active people say that they have had overlapping sexual partners.
- In the LGBTQ community, gay men reported having an average of 30 sexual partners.
- The number of sexual partners from men was double the women’s count due to men inflating their numbers and women worried their real number was too high.
- What Is The Average Number Of Sexual Partners?
- How many sexual partners has the average man had?
- How many sexual partners is average for a woman?
- How Often Do People Lie About Their Number?
- Average Number Of Sexual Partners For Each Generation
- What Country is the Most Promiscuous?
- Average Number Of Sexual Partners by State
- What Is The Average Number Of Sexual Partners For Homosexuals?
- What Kind Of Sex Counts As Having A Sexual Partner?
- Do You Have To Tell Someone How Many Sexual Partners You’ve Had?
- How Many Partners Is Too Much?
- Is It Possible To Be Too ‘Conservative’ or ‘Promiscuous’?
- When Should You Discuss Your Sexual History With Your Partner?
- Is It Healthy To Have Multiple Sexual Partners?
- Are People With More Sexual Partners Happier?
- How Many Dates Before Having Sex?
What Is The Average Number Of Sexual Partners?
It turns out that the number of sexual partners changes when you look at the type of sex as well, because the numbers for oral, vaginal, and anal sex partners vary.
- The average number of oral sex partners is 8.5
- 2.4% of people reported that they had more than 50 oral sex partners
- The average number of vaginal sex partners is 11.4
- 3.9% of people reported that they had more than 50 vaginal sex partners
- The average number of anal sex partners is 2.1
- 3.6% of people reported that they had more than 15 anal sex partners
How many sexual partners has the average man had?
- 6.4 is the average number of sexual partners for straight men
How many sexual partners is average for a woman?
- 7 is the average number of sexual partners for straight women
How Often Do People Lie About Their Number?
Men have been found to inflate their sexual body count to inflate their own egos, and women seem to say that their number is much lower than it is due to not wanting to come across as promiscuous.
While this pattern is slowly starting to die out, it is still a stigma that surrounds the courting process, and it leads to issues when the real number comes out.
- 41.3% of men lie about their sexual partner count.
- 32.6% of women lie about their sexual partner count.
- 5.8% of women increase and decrease their sexual partner count.
- 10.1% of men increase and decrease their sexual partner count.
Average Number Of Sexual Partners For Each Generation
Many people believe that the younger generations have amassed the biggest numbers when it comes to sexual partners, but that’s not necessarily the case.
Looking at the average number between each generation, it looks like the difference isn’t as big as one might think.
- The average sexual body count for Baby Boomers is 10.7 sexual partners.
- The average sexual partners for women is 7.4
- The average sexual partners for men is 12.9
- The average sexual body count for Generation X is 13.1 sexual partners.
- The average sexual partners for women is 10.1
- The average sexual partners for men is 16.1
- The average sexual body count for Millennials is 11.6 sexual partners.
- The average sexual partners for women is 10.8
- The average sexual partners for men is 13.4
- The average sexual body count for Generation Z is 5.6 sexual partners.
- The average sexual partners for women is 2.6
- The average sexual partners for men is 7.6
Which Country is the Most Promiscuous?
The number of average sexual partners definitely changes depending on location, and the differences are considerably large.
While some countries are more conservative in their marriage and sexual laws, other countries are extremely liberal and welcome the practice of multiple partners.
- The average amount of sexual partners in Turkey is 14.5
- The average amount of sexual partners in Australia is 13.3
- The average amount of sexual partners in New Zealand is 13.2
- The average amount of sexual partners in Iceland is 13
- The average amount of sexual partners in South Africa is 12.5
- The average amount of sexual partners in Finland is 12.4
- The average amount of sexual partners in Norway is 12.1
Average Number Of Sexual Partners by State
While the USA didn’t make it onto the list of highest country averages, that doesn’t mean that the individual states didn’t have their own statistics to go off of.
According to our own in-house survey the states on this list actually have higher averages than all of the countries with the highest numbers.
- The average amount of sexual partners in New York is 16.8
- The average amount of sexual partners in Washington is 16.5
- The average amount of sexual partners in California is 16.2
- The average amount of sexual partners in New Jersey is 16.1
- The average amount of sexual partners in Georgia is 15.5
- The average amount of sexual partners in Texas is 15.1
- The average amount of sexual partners in Maryland is 14.9
- The average amount of sexual partners in Kansas is 13.7
- The average amount of sexual partners in Michigan is 13.5
- The average amount of sexual partners in Florida is 12.2
What Is The Average Number Of Sexual Partners For Homosexuals?
The average number of sexual partners typically varies depending on what values we look at, but the homosexual community seems pretty close to heterosexual numbers.
According to a study, while the average seems to be close to the general average, the homosexual community seems to have even more people with a higher average.
- 52% of homosexuals have between 0-10 lifetime sexual partners.
- 22% of homosexuals have between 11-30 lifetime sexual partners.
- 17% of homosexuals have between 31-100 lifetime sexual partners.
- 10% of homosexuals have over 100 lifetime sexual partners.
What Kind Of Sex Counts As Having A Sexual Partner?
When it comes to sexual body counts, some people feel the need to only count certain encounters instead of every individual one.
While most people only count traditional sexual encounters, others don’t seem to count some of those if certain conditions aren’t met.
- 59.8% of people only count penetrative sex.
- 43.2% of people count penetrative and non-penetrative sex.
- 15.7% of people don’t count hookups if they don’t orgasm.
Do You Have To Tell Someone How Many Sexual Partners You’ve Had?
When talking to a potential partner, the question of ‘what someone’s sexual body count is’ gets asked quite a bit, but that doesn’t mean you have to tell them.
In fact, quite a few people lie about their numbers or don’t disclose that information at all when talking to someone.
- 11.6% of men don’t discuss how many sexual partners they’ve had
- 10.3% of women don’t discuss how many sexual partners they’ve had
- 35% of women want to know how many people their significant other had as sexual partners
- 30% of men want to know how many people their significant other had as sexual partners
How Many Partners Is Too Much?
Everyone believes that there’s a magic number that is set as a guideline for how many lovers is too much, but there isn’t a “normal” number at all.
It turns out that quite a few people actually think that they’re number is already too high, but this is based on their own self reflection.
- 40% of women believe that their sexual partner count is too high.
- 21.8% of men believe that their sexual partner count is too high.
Is It Possible To Be Too ‘Conservative’ or ‘Promiscuous’?
Most of the time when talking about previous sexual partners, people focus on whether or not someone has had too many lovers.
The other side of the spectrum is crucial to observe as well since some people don’t want to be with someone that’s too conservative.
- 30% of people ended their relationship when their partner had too many sexual partners.
- Women say that an average of 15.2 partners is too promiscuous.
- Men say that an average of 14 partners is too promiscuous.
- 8% of people ended their relationship when their partner had too few sexual partners.
- Women say that an average of 1.9 partners is too conservative.
- Men say that an average of 2.3 partners is too conservative.
When Should You Discuss Your Sexual History With Your Partner?
In relationships that are open about their sexual past, it seems to be a big question of when they should open up about the topic.
Some people believe that it’s the best idea to open up early on so that you can discuss the possibility of STIs, and some people are too scared to talk about it.
- Over 30% of people believe that you should talk about previous sexual partners within the first month.
- 81% of people believe that you should talk about previous sexual partners within the first eight months.
Is It Healthy To Have Multiple Sexual Partners?
With a higher amount of sexual partners comes the greater risk of contracting and STI or other ailments.
Many people believe that this is the main reason that one should always be truthful with their sexual body count when speaking to a new partner.
- Having 10 or more sexual partners will greatly increase your risk for a cancer diagnosis
- Cervical cancer
- Mouth cancer
- Anal cancer
- Penile cancer
- Prostate cancer
- Males with 20 sexual partners were at a higher risk of getting prostate cancer.
Are People With More Sexual Partners Happier?
One might think that a higher body count would mean a happier life, but a higher body count can also have a negative effect on one’s relationships.
While more sexual partners isn’t the only factor when it comes to happiness, it definitely adds or detracts for some people.
- Couples who only sleep with their partners in their lifetime, are more likely to be happy in their marriage.
- Women who have slept with 6-10 people are the least satisfied in their marriages.
How Many Dates Before Having Sex?
Everyone has their own personal standard for how many dates it would take before sleeping with someone, and that number varies from person to person.
One of the most obvious divisions is male versus female, but the gap might not be as big as you’d think.
- 47.9% of people in relationships wait a few weeks before having sex .
- 35% of people in relationships have sex either on the first date or the first few dates.
- Men typically wait 5 dates before having sex.
- Women typically wait 9 dates before having sex.
There may not be a perfect number when it comes to sexual partners, but each person has their limit and preferences.
The best way to find out is to simply ask and be open about it, and it looks as though quite a few people prefer to know before doing anything else with anyone.