The world sex chart

If you’re not already a regular reader of the Foreign Policy magazine website, you really should be. It’s particularly fascinating on international comparisons. So now it turns its attention on the pastime that unites the world: football sex.

The graph below (click on it to enlarge it) shows the national average of sexual partners for various countries. Bottom of the shag pile come India and China, with an average of 3 sexual partners each. The top bedpost knotchers are Turks, with over 14 sexual partners each on average. And we Brits are pretty virile, averaging around ten sexual partners each.

A few other things come out of the data. It comes as no surprise that the greater the level of unprotected sex, the greater the prevalence of sexually transmitted diseases. Norway is the biggest culprit, with 70 per cent of Norwegians admitting to having unprotected sex without knowing the other persons sexual history. That explains why their rate of STDs is at a huge 21 per cent.

Fascinating stuff. But then it always is though, isn’t it?

Murad Ahmed

Comments

[cuffleyburgers]

14 at a time? that's quite impressive.

[Rick]

Turkey being an Islamic country, somehow, I don't think Turkish women have 14 partners. Which begs the question, who are all these Turkish men having sex with? Prostitutes? Tourists? Each other? Or do donkeys have a hard time of it?

[David]

The problem with all sexual statistics is that they depend on the honesty of the respondents and in general men exaggerate the number of sexual partners they have had and women admit to fewer than actual. (Some brazen huzzies in some Western countries may act like men in this respect but the above, I believe is generally true).

[Max]

@RICK

Turkey is NOT an Islamic country. It is one of the few secular Middle Eastern countries. In fact, there was recently a big controversy over having a religious president recently which led to riots in the country.

While officially frowned upon, the pornography industry in Turkey rivals in size (but not in budget) the U.S. equivalent.

[Will]

How can a country in which only 20 per cent of the population have had unprotected sex (i.e. India) be experiencing a population explosion? As far as I am aware unprotected sex is a pre-requisite for reproduction. I think this study is self-evidently rubbish.

[Steven Khoo]

Noteworthy that there is no correlation in Norway between having sex without a condom and getting HIV or AIDS.

[Martin]

How refreshing to read news that isn't dominated by America. So gratifying to see that Europe is keeping its end up!

Perhaps the data reflects the relative strength of the family unit, in reverse.

[Sam]

In general, people don't know what they are talking about on internet comment boards.

[victor cowen]

What utter rubbish - as a previous poster said- where do they get this stuff from? and as secondary questions, who finds it and why do they print it? Also as a follow up who gives a s***? The journalism trade must be getting desperate.

[GARTH REX]

I see that there is no mention of the USA. Doesn't what we do count as sex? Have we become a nation of bumbling, tumbling, fumblers?

[maz]

USA is there, fumbling around just above the british. no data on Africa?

[John Annis]

To Garth Rex: No, and yes. In that order.

[Leon]

To Will: The reason only 20% of Indians have had unprotected sex is because nearly half of the 1 billion people living there are under 16. Sex before marriage is almost non-existant, as is contraception. Add a low life expectancy to that and it's not hard to figure out those stats.

[Hyder]

That shows that in general a man needs more than one women. FOUR would be a reasonable number that can work.

[Patricia]

Sponsored by Durex? I'd like to question the independence of the survey, as I'm sure it has little scientific basis.

[Matt]

Uh MAZ, Africa is a continent, not a country, funny how people forget that.
As for the India BS WILL, I can only assume that for clarity they have labelled the axis as proportion of people having unprotected SEX, but in fact as the text tells, it means with people who's history they do not know. So they get a wife and have a football team.
Personally, I'm with HYDER.

[Tariq]

Did Mr Murad Ahmed mean to say..."And we Brits are pretty virile, averaging around ten sexual partners each." What about the women then?

virile
adj
1. masculine: relating to or having the characteristics of an adult male
2. potent: able to carry out the male sexual function
3. strong: showing strength and forcefulness

Such is the 'dumbing down' of the media or parts of it anyway.

[Kyle]

The comment on African nations is answered by observance/perspective... Since this was sponsored by a business, interested in its own advancement, countries that do not pay, do not count (or vote). A sad commentary on the grander scale of what globilization means to the 'lesser includeds'. (Mind you - no one is yet to comment on the lack of Latin American participants in this 'Global' survey. Or might someone simply answer that away that they all answer to the Vatican, and would not make a significant statistical impact.)

[Lando Zanes]

FIRST OFF TO THE PREVIOUS POSTERS-
Victor Cowen- Yes, America IS listed on the chart you dimwit.

Max- No, Unprotected sex has NOTHING to do with pregnancy prevention...ever heard of the pill idiot? Women on birth control are having unprotected sex...no condom means disease can be shared. And the pill prevents pregnancy.

The spread of AIDS would clearly put all African countries at the top of the list. Turks are macho so take their claims with a pinch of salt. Non-Western countries are more coy so, again...Actually, this 'study' is a load of rubbish.

[syberghost]

Fascinating to me was, clearly Chinese condoms are pretty crappy. Almost nobody has sex, they use protection if they do, but they're up there at the top among STD rates.

So make sure to buy Austrian-made condoms, kids; looks like they work the best.

[Andrew Milner]

Not clear whether this is sex partners per year or per lifetime? Foreign men semi-resident in First World Asia are, or at least were, compelled to take a visa run, usually to Third World Asia twice, sometimes four times a year. So six days, six new sex partners. Multiply by number of annual visits. Lose count but not interest. But we are talking quantity rather than quality. But on returning to work, trying to juggle too many girl friends in real time meant income suffered, so it was important never to lose sight of your main goal; namely seeking your fortune in the Colonies. Wealth acquisition is the name of the game; money was how you kept score. Growing old disgracefully.

[Jack Scherer]

1. The survey does not distinguish between curable and non-curable STDs. Norwegians report high level of STD's but that maybe thrush.

Those using this information as a guide to low risk sex may find that the STD they risk is aids.

2. The more developed countries report the highest rates. Maybe they are not only more sexually liberated but more free to be honest

3. The report is clearly biased. Produced by Durex, who know that the richer countries are more likely to be able to afford their products. Being gullible to manufactures propaganda is a damning criticism of journalism

This is a "Folk devil and Moral panic" story. That is the most damning critique that can be made of journalism.

[Margaret F. Roach]

It was intersting to note that one comment equated virility with a large number of sexual partners. I would remind everybody of an explanation for Don Juan's behaviour. He went from woman to woman because he could not satisfy any. Women,believing in the legend, kept quiet and blamed themselves for not responding.

[hershy]

there is a serious lack of information in this chart to make any estimable conclusions regarding international sexual activity. are the respondents 18+? is the partner # lifetime or concurrent? is this survery conducted with actual durex customers or is durex sampling the public? there are too many potential skews to draw a conclusion.

[nell]

Very good Blog

[Nylon]

I can only assume that for clarity they have labelled the axis as proportion of people having unprotected SEX