How much sex are Britons having?

Eir NolsoeData Journalist
February 24, 2020, 9:00 AM GMT+0

Just over a quarter of Brits have sex every week – but age makes a big difference

New YouGov tracker data reveals exactly how often Brits get frisky. On average 27% of the population have sex in any given week, including 11% who do it once, 7% who manage twice and 9% who have at least three sessions.

About three in ten Brits are sexually inactive, while a similar figure are having sex, but say it’s been more than a week.

Regular sex is most common in the late 20s

People in their late 20s are more likely than any other age group to have regular sex, with 43% of 25- to 29-year-olds having sex in a typical week.

Sadly, the picture starts to change by the late 30s. Nearly two in five people (38%) who are 35 to 39 had not had sex in the past seven days, despite claiming to be sexually active – the highest for any age group.

Increasing numbers of people give up sex completely as they get older. Almost a fifth of 40- to 44-year-olds don’t have sex at all. By 74, this figure jumps to 57%.

Younger people are more likely to have sex multiple times in a week

Age has a strong impact on how often people have sex, with younger people more likely to go for it several times a week.

While sexually active Brits on average have sex 1.1 times in a week, 18- to 19-year-olds go for it 1.8 times – more than any other age group.

This figure declines steadily with age. By 40, sexually active people have sex only once a week on average.

If we look only at those who had sex in the past seven days when surveyed, other trends emerge. While the youngest Brits still top the league with 3.2 times on average in a week, once people reach their mid-20s, the differences start to shrink. People aged 25 to 29 who are having sex do so 2.3 times in a typical week, but 50- to 59-year-olds who are having sex are not far behind at 2.1 times.

Explore more data & articles