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    Updated:07/02/2024

    Sindex by Sinful - Britons and Sex

    What does a 'normal sex life' look like in the United Kingdom? Is it just women, who fake orgasms? Will my fantasies and desires scare away potential sex partners? Do I masturbate too often?

    For a long time, sex has been a topic that we didn’t speak openly about. Therefore, Britons have many ideas about what makes up a 'normal sex life' – and perhaps they are not always entirely close to reality.

    Most Britons say they have had 10 or less sex partners in their life. The majority of us have been sexually active within the last month and just over a quarter of us fantasise about having sex on a special location such as an airplane or in nature while a third of us have in fact already tried it.

    Unfortunately, the numbers also confirm what other studies about sexual inequality have shown: The orgasm gap is evident. While 78% of British men have an orgasm often or every time during sex with others, this only goes for 58% of British women.

    Delve into the numbers here to see all the nuances of the 'normal sex life' in the United Kingdom.

    16 % of Britons have not had sex  in the past year

    How often do Britons have sex?

    4%

    One to several times a day

    25%

    1-2 times a week

    15%

    3-6 times a week

    18%

    1-3 times a month

    7%

    3-5 times every 6 months

    9%

    Less than 6 times in the past year

    16%

    I have not had sex at all within the past year

    6%

    I don’t know/I don’t want to answer

    A couple lying in bed on top of each other smiling
    59% of Britons dream about having more sex with their partner

    60% of Britons have had maximum 10 sex partners 

    2%

    0 partners

    37%

    1-5 partners

    21%

    6-10 partners

    11%

    11-15 partners

    8%

    16-20 partners

    3%

    21-25 partners

    3%

    26-30 partners

    3%

    31-40 partners

    2%

    41-50 partners

    5%

    More than 50 partners

    6%

    I don’t know/I don’t want to answer

    The Orgasm Gap

    78%
    of men say they have an orgasm every time or often when they have sex with others 
    58%
    of women say they have an orgasm every time or often when they have sex with others 
    Two drawn people and heart above them
    45% of Britons say they have faked an orgasm
    22%
    of men say they have faked an orgasm
    68%
    of men say they have faked an orgasm
    arrow pointing to the graph

    Reasons why Britons stop faking orgasms

    They have started to tell their sex partner what they liked
    0%
    Their partner began to pay more attention to their desires and preferences
    0%
    They have become more comfortable with not having an orgasm
    0%
    They started to feel more confident
    0%
    They started to explore how they could get an orgasm on their own
    0%
    Men masturbate more often than women
    How often have you masturbated in the past year?
    Men
    Women

    Daily

    0%
    0%

    Weekly

    0%
    0%

    Monthly

    0%
    0%

    Less than monthly

    0%
    0%

    Hasn’t masturbated in the past year

    0%
    0%

    Do not know / do not want to answer

    0%
    0%
    A couple showering together smiling
    28% of Britons fantasise about having sex in a special location such as an airplane or in nature, and 32% have already tried it

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