Porn Statistics in 2023 (Latest U.S. & Global Data)
The historical taboo associated with pornography is long gone.
Porn statistics show that online pornography is a common pastime and has a significant impact on personal relationships.
Porn Statistics
Overview of statistics on pornography:
- 1 in 5 smartphone search queries is related to porn.
- Approximately 1 million people are watching online pornography every minute.
- 46% of men and 16% of women in the U.S. consume porn regularly.
- Teens and young adults say “not recycling” is more immoral than viewing porn.
- About 7.7 million Americans struggle with pornography addiction.
- 1 in 4 men actively hides their pornography use from their partner.
- Porn is associated with a 30% decrease in commitment and lower relationship quality.
- Divorce rates double for married couples who start watching porn.
- Regular porn users feel lonelier, more insecure, and dissatisfied with their appearance.
1. One in 5 smartphone search queries is related to porn.
The fact is that trustworthy scientific data on pornography volume and traffic data is hard to come by.
But the latest pornography statistics are available from two studies by computational neuroscientists Ogas and Gaddam from Boston University and a joint study by Google and Columbia University. (1)
| Mobile Searches | Web Searches | Total Websites |
| 20% is Porn | 13% is Porn | 4% is Porn |
According to porn search statistics by these studies, 20% of smartphone search queries are related to porn. In addition, 13% of all web searches are related to pornography. (1)
The latest research also suggests that 4% of all websites are estimated to be porn. (1)
| Porn Sites 2022 | Active Sites 2022 | Porn Sites 2013 |
| 7.9 M | 197 M | 4.2 M |
According to the critical infrastructure provider Netcraft, there are about 197 million active websites in 2022. (2)
Based on this, the best estimation is that there are approximately 7.9 million (4%) websites related to pornography in 2022.
This estimation seems reasonable, according to the latest available numbers from 2013, there were about 4.2 million websites related to porn. (3)
The most popular day to view porn is Sunday, least is Friday.
According to Pornhub porn watching statistics, the most popular day worldwide to view pornography is Sunday. (4)
Interestingly enough, Friday has the lowest viewing rate.
| Peak Times | Peak Viewing | Lowest Viewing |
| 10 PM – 1 AM | Sunday | Friday |
Peak pornography viewing times are typically from 10 PM to 1 AM, but during the weekends, the viewing time shifts more into the morning hours. (4)
The porn viewing statistics also found that the lowest viewing time during the day is between 7 PM and 8 PM.
According to sex sociologist and Columbia professor Jessie Ford, porn is much connected to other aspects and rhythms in our social life. (4)
That’s why there’s a higher view rate at the end of the day.
2. Approximately 1 million people are watching online pornography every minute.
According to SimilarWeb porn website statistics, the top three most visited adult sites in the world are Pornhub, Xnxx, and Xvideos. (5)
According to Ahrefs data, the total combined global organic traffic of the top 3 adult sites is 4.7 billion search visits per month. (6)
| Organic Traffic | Total | U.S. | U.K. | Canada |
| pornhub.com | 1.9 B | 508 M | 114 M | 45.7 M |
| xnxx.com | 1.8 B | 229 M | 43.7 M | 16.5 M |
| xvideos.com | 1 B | 133 M | 20.6 M | 11.3 M |
| Per Month | 4.7 B | 870 M | 178.3 M | 73.5 M |
The top three adult sites receive approximately 870 million organic search visits from the U.S. each month. (6)
These traffic numbers involve only organic searches and the real numbers are larger when you add the direct and referral traffic.
| New Visits | Total | U.S. | U.K. | Canada |
| Per Day | 156.7 M | 29 M | 5.9 M | 2.5 M |
| Per Minute | 108,796 | 20,139 | 4,127 | 1,701 |
| Per Second | 1,813 | 336 | 69 | 28 |
| Time Spent | 9 min 55 sec | 9 min 44 sec | 9 min 52 sec | 9 min 48 sec |
According to Pornhub porn watcher statistics, the average porn site visit duration worldwide is 9 minutes and 55 seconds. (4)
Based on this, we can estimate that 108,796 new visitors * 9 min 55 sec (9.9 min) = 1,077,080 visitors during every minute.
| Globally /min | U.S. /min | U.K. /min | Canada /min |
| 1 M Visitors | 195,348 Visitors | 40,857 Visitors | 16,670 Visitors |
This means approximately 1 million people are watching online pornography every minute globally.
About 195,348 visitors are watching online pornography every minute in the U.S.
About 40,857 visitors are watching online pornography every minute in the U.K.
About 16,670 visitors are watching online pornography every minute in Canada.
3. 46% of men and 16% of women in the U.S. consume porn regularly.
The gender gap between men and women in pornography use is notable.
According to porn user statistics published in the Journal of Sex Research (Gordon & Price 2015), 46% of men and 16% of women in the U.S. consume porn on a weekly basis. (7)
| Consume Porn | Weekly | Monthly | Country |
| All Men | 46% | 92% | U.S. |
| All Women | 16% | 60% | U.S. |
Men versus women pornography use statistics show that men consume more than two times more porn on a weekly basis than women.
Another study on pornography consumption (Journal of Sex Research) found that 91.5% of men and 60.2% of women in the U.S. consume pornography monthly. (8)
Videos were consumed most often, but women were much more likely to consume written pornography than men.
1 in 5 men in a relationship report viewing porn together with their partner regularly.
A defining characteristic of modern pornography is the rise of couples who utilize pornography together as a couple.
According to Wheatley and Austin Institute couples watching porn statistics, 54% of men in a relationship report viewing porn together with their partner regularly, 20% on a weekly basis (U.S.). (9)
| View With Partner | Weekly | Monthly | Never |
| Dating Men | 20% | 34% | 46% |
| Dating Women | 9% | 36% | 55% |
| Married Men | 20% | 32% | 48% |
| Married Women | 5% | 28% | 67% |
There’s a stark difference in joint pornography viewing among married couples.
About 52% of married men report watching pornography with their spouse, while only about a third of married women report the same behavior. (9)
Also, read about online dating statistics in the U.S.
4. Teens and young adults say “not recycling” is more immoral than viewing porn.
A sobering reality is how accepted viewing porn has become in our culture.
According to Barna teenager pornography statistics, teens and young adults say “not recycling” is more immoral than viewing porn (U.S.). (10)
| Rank | Statement | Is Wrong |
| #1 | Stealing | 88% |
| #2 | Cheating | 75% |
| #3 | Lying | 71% |
| #4 | Not recycling | 56% |
| #5 | Not accepting others’ points of view | 55% |
| #6 | Overeating | 48% |
| #7 | Overconsumption of electricity or water | 38% |
| #8 | Envy | 32% |
| #9 | Viewing pornography | 32% |
| #10 | Reading pornography (no pictures) | 27% |
| #11 | Watching sexually explicit scenes on TV | 24% |
The pornography study found that, according to teens and young adults, stealing (88%), cheating (75%), and lying (71%) are overwhelmingly the most immoral activities one can do. (10)
While only 32% of teens and young adults report viewing pornography (32%), reading pornography (27%), and sexual scenes on TV (24%) being immoral.
9 in 10 teens and young adults are encouraging, accepting, or neutral about porn.
| Attitude | 13 to 24 yr. | 25+ yr. |
| Porn is Wrong | 32% | 54% |
| Porn is Accepted | 68% | 46% |
The internet porn statistics also found that the majority of conversations about porn are neutral, accepting, or even encouraging. (10)
Teens and young adults generally assume most people look at porn at least on occasion, and the morality of porn is rarely discussed or even considered.
5. About 7.7 million Americans struggle with pornography addiction.
Let’s first clarify that “porn addiction” isn’t an official diagnosable condition recognized by the American Psychiatric Association (APA). (11)
But, porn addiction has been described as “problematic pornographic use” (PPU) by scientific research. (11)
| Porn Addiction | Porn Addiction | U.S. Population |
| 7.7-15 M Americans | 3-6% of Adults | 258.3 M Adults |
According to porn addiction statistics (Alarcón & co 2019), porn addiction affects approximately 3-6% of adults in the U.S. (12, 13)
This means that about 7.7 million Americans struggle with pornography addiction.
Porn addiction affects more young adults and is likely characterized as a behavior disorder. (11)
Statistics on porn addiction also suggest that a person with a porn addiction can be so overtaken with the need that they may begin to watch it in public spaces like at work or on public transit.
6. 1 in 4 men actively hides their pornography use from their partner.
According to Wheatley and Austin Institute online pornography statistics, 25% of men actively hide their pornography use from their partners. (9)
While 13% of women actively hide their pornography use from their partners.
| Committed | Hide Their Own Porn Use | Worried About Partner Hiding |
| Men | 25% | 23% |
| Women | 13% | 27% |
About 27% of committed women (dating and married) report that they are worried that their partner is withholding some details about their pornography use. (9)
About 23% of committed men (dating and married) report that they are worried that their partner is withholding some details about their pornography use.
According to the statistics on watching porn, the most common reasons for withholding porn use is due to fear of negative reaction and lack of communication skills. (9)
1 in 5 couples reports conflict related to pornography.
According to Wheatley and Austin Institute online porn statistics, 1 in 5 couples reports that pornography causes conflicts in their relationship. (9)
| Reporting Conflict | One Partner Uses | Both Partner Use |
| Male Report | 24% | 21% |
| Female Report | 25% | 20% |
The porn study found that when one partner consumes pornography, then 25% of females and 24% of males report porn-related conflict in their relationship. (9)
Interestingly enough, when both partners consume pornography, the conflict rate is lower.
When both partners consume pornography, then 20% of females and 21% of males report porn-related conflict in their relationship.
7. Porn is associated with a 30% decrease in commitment and lower relationship quality.
According to Wheatley and Austin Institute porn statistics on couples, pornography is associated with a 30% decrease in commitment and lower relationship quality. (9)
The study found that pornography does not appear to increase or decrease a couple’s odds of being sexually satisfied.
| Qualities | Both Partners Daily Use | Female Monthy, Male Daily Use | Both Partners No Use |
| Relationship Stability | 58% | 74% | 94% |
| Commitment | 62% | 70% | 92% |
| Sexual Satisfaction | 76% | 72% | 76% |
| Relationship Satisfaction | 78% | 73% | 90% |
Instead, it was associated with significantly lower levels of stability, commitment, and satisfaction.
Couples where both partners view pornography on a daily basis, report a 45% decrease in stability and a 30% decrease in commitment levels compared to couples not using porn.
The study on pornography use in relationships found a consistent decline in relationship stability, commitment, and satisfaction where the frequency of pornography use increased, both for monthly and daily users. (9)
Couples in which both partners do not use pornography report the highest levels of over 90% of relationship stability, commitment, and relationship satisfaction.
8. Divorce rates double for married couples who start watching porn.
According to statistics on marriages ruined by porn (Perry & Schleifer 2017), the probability of divorce roughly doubles for married couples who start with pornography use. (14)
This relationship was statistically significant for both men and women.
| Divorce Probability | For Couples | For Men | For Women |
| With Porn | 11% | 10% | 16% |
| Without Porn | 6% | 5% | 6% |
Interestingly enough, discontinuing pornography use was associated with a lower probability of divorce, but only for women.
The statistics on how porn affects marriages also found that the increased divorce likelihood was especially strong among less religious, younger people, and those who reported greater initial marital happiness. (14)
56% of divorces in the U.S. involve one partner having an obsessive interest in pornography.
According to Dr. Jill Manning’s testimony to the U.S. Senate, 56% of divorces in the U.S. involve one partner having an obsessive interest in pornography. (15)
| Factors | In Divorces |
| One party meeting a new lover over the Internet. | 68% |
| One party having an obsessive interest in pornographic websites. | 56% |
| One party spending excessive time on the computer. | 47% |
| One party spending excessive time in chat rooms. | 33% |
About 68% of U.S. divorces involve a party who met a new lover over the Internet.
About 47% of U.S. divorces involve a party who spends excessive time on the computer.
The porn role in divorces report suggested that although the Internet isn’t causing more divorces, it does make it easier to engage in behaviors that may lead to divorce. (15)
Married men are 7x more likely to consume porn daily than married women.
Among dating individuals, men were more than two and a half times more likely to be viewing pornography alone in a monthly or weekly pattern compared to dating women. (9)
According to Wheatley and Austin Institute porn consumer statistics, 23.9% of dating men and 10.1% of dating women consume pornography weekly (U.S.). (9)
| Consume Porn | Weekly | Daily | Total |
| Dating Men | 23.9% | 9.6% | 33.5% |
| Dating Women | 10.1% | 3.3% | 13.4% |
| Married Men | 23.3% | 9.8% | 33.1% |
| Married Women | 5.3% | 1% | 6.3% |
For married individuals, the gap of frequent pornography use alone is even greater.
Married men are seven times more likely to consume porn daily compared to 1% of married women. (9)
About 23.3% of married men and 5.3% of married women consume pornography weekly.
9. Regular porn users feel lonelier, more insecure, and dissatisfied with their appearance.
According to The Survey Center on American Life porn psychology statistics (2022), regular users of pornography feel lonelier, more insecure, and dissatisfied with their appearance (U.S.). 16)
Men who have watched pornography in the past 24 hours report the highest rates (60%) of loneliness.
| After Watching Porn | Past 24h | Past Week | Never Watched |
| Lonely or Isolated | 60% | 49% | 38% |
| Insecure or Self-Conscious | 74% | 58% | 45% |
| Unhappy About How They Look | 78% | 61% | 44% |
In contrast, only 38% of men who have never watched pornography and 49% of men who have watched it in the past week report feeling lonely in the past week. (16)
Statistics on porn being harmful suggest that men who have watched pornography in the past 24 hours report the highest rates (74%) of feeling self-conscious or insecure.
In contrast, only 45% of men who have never watched pornography and 58% of men who have watched it in the past week report feeling self-conscious or insecure in the past week.
Men who have watched pornography in the past 24 hours report the highest rates (78%) of feeling unhappy about their appearance.
In contrast, only 44% of men who have never watched pornography and 61% of men who have watched it in the past week report feeling unhappy about their appearance in the past week.
References
- Statista. 2019. How Much of the Internet Consists of Porn? Link
- Netcraft. 2022. July 2022 Web Server Survey. Link
- Statista. 2013. 60% of Porn Websites Are Hosted in the United States. Link
- Pornhub Insights. 2021. 2021 Year in Review. Link
- Similarweb. 2022. Top Websites Ranking. Link
- Ahrefs. 2022. Site Explorer. Link
- Mark Regnerus, David Gordon & Joseph Price (2016) Documenting Pornography Use in America: A Comparative Analysis of Methodological Approaches, The Journal of Sex Research, 53:7, 873-881, DOI: 10.1080/00224499.2015.1096886. Link
- Ingrid Solano, Nicholas R. Eaton & K. Daniel O’Leary (2020) Pornography Consumption, Modality and Function in a Large Internet Sample, The Journal of Sex Research, 57:1, 92-103, DOI: 10.1080/00224499.2018.1532488. Link
- The Wheatley Institution, Austin Institute. 2021. The Porn Gap. How is Pornography Impacting Relationships Between Men and Women Today? Link
- Barna. 2016. Porn in the Digital Age: New Research Reveals 10 Trends. Link
- VeryWellMind. 2022. What Are the Effects of Porn Addiction? Link
- de Alarcón R, de la Iglesia JI, Casado NM, Montejo AL. Online Porn Addiction: What We Know and What We Don’t-A Systematic Review. J Clin Med. 2019 Jan 15;8(1):91. doi: 10.3390/jcm8010091. PMID: 30650522; PMCID: PMC6352245. Link
- Census Bureau. 2021. U.S. Adult Population Grew Faster Than Nation’s Total Population From 2010 to 2020. Link
- Samuel L. Perry & Cyrus Schleifer (2018) Till Porn Do Us Part? A Longitudinal Examination of Pornography Use and Divorce, The Journal of Sex Research, 55:3, 284-296, DOI: 10.1080/00224499.2017.1317709. Link
- Manning J., Senate Testimony 2004. Is the Internet bad for your marriage? Online affairs, pornographic sites playing greater role in divorces. Link
- Survey Center of American Life. 2022. Politics, Sex, and Sexuality: The Growing Gender Divide in American Life. Link
