This article is a compilation of 15 countries which watch the most porn in 2024. If you’re interested in finding out more about this topic, reading this article will give insight into countries most addicted to pornography.
Pornography has become a multi-billion-dollar industry with an estimated worth of $97 billion. Although watching pornography can be considered by some as inappropriate and immoral, around 35% of all downloads from the internet are pornographic downloads, according to estimates by market research platform Gitnux.
With widespread access and usage of the Internet, porn consumption is also increasing. Anyone with an Internet connection can easily access websites with pornographic material. According to a Springer study, individuals from all age groups regularly visit pornography websites. Although people across all age groups access porn content, addiction is more likely to occur at specific stages of life. Estimates show that 70% of men between the ages of 18 and 24, visit porn websites at least once a month. Read on to see which are the countries that watched the most porn in 2024.
An individual who purposefully visits a pornographic website is more likely to stay on that website for an average of 15 minutes. It has been estimated, that about 40 million Americans regularly visit pornographic websites. Despite porn consumption increasing and becoming more acceptable, Springer research has shown that daily functioning is adversely impacted by those who watch pornographic content.
Of all the websites that are available on the internet, 4.2 million websites (12% of the total) are pornography websites. In the US alone, the porn industry generates around $14 billion every year. Since this business seems lucrative, more and more people are willing to engage and work in this industry.
Engaging with pornography is associated with adverse effects, including decreased physical and sexual relations, heightened isolation, and increased psychological disturbance. Users of pornography also exhibit increased positive associations with traits such as neuroticism, compulsivity, and emotional/psychological distress. Furthermore, the consumption of pornography is linked to considerations of alternative relationships and involvement in extramarital sexual activities. These findings underscore the multifaceted impact of pornography use on both individual well-being and interpersonal relationships.
Research has also shown that increased consumption of pornography leads to more depression, stress, and anxiety. Watching sexual content through a screen leads to negative attitudes towards women and distorted perceptions of sexuality and intimate pleasure. Those addicted to online pornography feel isolated since watching porn leads to time and energy consumption. Little time is left for socialization and investing time in actual meaningful relationships.
Pornography causes higher compulsivity and more narcissistic and histrionic personality traits among users. This leads to problematic behavior and difficulties in sexual relations with partners. Individuals with sexual addiction have a preoccupation with sexual fantasies, behaviors, and urges. Sexual narcissists are preoccupied with the satisfaction of their own needs, and many times end up ignoring the needs of their partner. Individuals with sexual addiction may use it as a distraction from traumatic wounds, especially traumatic loneliness.
On the other hand, those with sexual narcissism attempt to fill an internal void but often lack the empathy and humanity needed for meaningful attachment to occur.
All countries, including countries that have watched the most porn in 2024, were affected by the global pandemic. Considering the recent global pandemic of COVID-19, the increase in porn consumption became worse during lockdown and social isolation. The pandemic impacted not only interpersonal relations but sexual relations as well, with more and more people, especially from the younger generation, accessing adult content online. An initial surge in pornography views was triggered by the onset of COVID-19 and the implementation of social distancing measures. By August 2020, problematic pornography use had decreased among men, while it remained unchanged among women. This makes it clear that Covid-19 plays a role in the increased use of porn in 2023.
Methodology
We have compiled a list of 15 Countries that watched the most porn in 2024. Data has been collected from various research articles. Additionally, general statistics about pornography consumption have been collected from Gitnux.org. All 15 countries have been listed in ascending order in terms of those who watch the least porn to the country that watches the most porn in 2024.
15 Countries that Watch the Most Porn in 2024
15. Poland
On 15th, we have Poland. The total share of 21% of Polish students were between the ages of 11 to 12 years old who had contact with pornographic content. An estimated increase of about 310% has been seen among the Polish when it comes to pornography consumption. Since most data has been collected from students, another report revealed that around 80% of students have accessed pornographic material at least once in their lifetimes.
14. Philippines
At number 14 comes the Philippines. In the Philippines, about 80% of all children are threatened by sexual exploitation through the Internet. According to a report, the highest amount of time spent on a pornographic website is by Philippine users.
The Philippines also declared war against child pornography since this issue was becoming more widespread than ever before.
13. Spain
Spain is in the list of countries that watch the most porn. According to a survey conducted, 56% of males said they considered watching pornography a private practice. Spain has also engaged in activities to protect children from adult content. Age-checking technology is being used to ensure that minors are protected from websites with pornographic material and gambling. Once again, the average age for beginning porn consumption is age 12. A clear upward trend has been seen in pornography consumption in Spain, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic.
12. Russia
According to RT data, about 11.3% of adults in Russia have visited at least one pornographic website at least once in the month. According to a Russian Federation Executive Summary report, Russia has been considered the second largest producing country of child pornography worldwide.
Two of the most popular pornographic websites were blocked in Russia which were blacklisted for inappropriate content and after this, 5,000 reports of child pornographic cases were received. Although illegal, the issue of child pornography is very problematic.
11. Germany
In our list of countries who watch the most porn stands Germany at 11 for the most porn consumption. In recent times, thousands of people in Germany have been suspected of distributing pornographic content to minors. While the number of suspects has fluctuated during the specified period, it has increased with time leading to more and more exposure to adult content by young children.
The issue of child pornography is relevant to Berlin which is known to host child pornographic content. This has led to the increased cases reported of child sexual abuse cases.
10. Italy
Although pornography for those below age 18 is strictly illegal, it is still commonly seen in Italy. The law permits the distribution of pornographic material as long as it remains inaccessible to minors. However, the legislation does not address the challenge of preventing minors from accessing this content on the internet, specifically the issue of age verification.
9. Australia
The ninth country that watch the most porn in 2024 is Australia. Over 85 percent of young respondents between the ages of 14 and 18 years reported that they viewed pornography. Close to one-fifth of respondents reported that they viewed pornography weekly in the year before the survey.
According to another study, 99% of males 30 years of age reported accessing pornography in the last year. A significant number of individuals are regular consumers, with 39 percent indicating daily consumption of pornography. Additionally, 46 percent report accessing pornography every week. This translates to 85 percent of men accessing porn at least once a week.
8. Canada
At the eighth highest stands Canada. The average Canadian devotes ten minutes daily to Pornhub and other platforms featuring explicit content. Notably, MindGeek, the parent company of Pornhub, is a Canadian firm based in Montreal, and it holds a significant position in the adult content industry.
With ownership of eleven other highly successful pornography websites, MindGeek’s global visits surpass those of Netflix on several platforms, providing perspective on its industry influence.
Canada’s pornography consumption poses a public health issue associated with increased loneliness, anxiety, poor mental health, higher sexual aggression, and dissatisfaction in relationships.
Similar to addressing health risks like smoking or drinking, there are social costs linked to widespread pornography use, leading to a lonely, anxious, and dissatisfied population. Evidence of the impact is visible in the number of individuals seeking help to quit, with numerous 12-step programs and support groups run by churches and private organizations across the country for those genuinely addicted to pornography.
7. Japan
The seventh country that consumes the most porn is Japan. Overall, 35.5% of women and 84.1% of men reported using pornography. Among those aged 20–29 years, the most common frequency of pornography use, at least three times per week, was reported by 6.5% of women and 34.8% of men.
The frequency of pornography use exhibited a slight decrease with age. According to a researchgate article, most men, about 97% and approximately one-third of women which is approximately 35.9%, used pornography at least once in the past month. Some users reported significant daily life impairment as a result of addictive pornographic behavior.
6. France
Next in line is France. As of a recently surveyed period, 80% of French men reported online pornography viewing, while around 40 percent of women reported a similar activity during the same period. In France, 15, 16, and 17-year-olds are just as likely to view pornographic material as others.
A recent study by City.ac.uk shows that displacement effects, circumvention, and legislative scope could hinder the effectiveness of French efforts to restrict online pornography access for individuals under 18.
5. Mexico
The fifth country that consumes the most porn is Mexico. Mexico daily generates a huge number of people who visit pornographic websites. The average time spent on pornography websites per visit for Mexicans is comparatively low with only 8 minutes 45 seconds.
Individuals consuming porn has become an open secret in Mexico with many few people attempting to hide such behavior. Mexico has also been reported to be a world leader when it comes to cybercrime, and when considering gender differences in terms of who watches how much porn, Mexican women rank fourth for watching the most porn worldwide.
4. India
The fourth highest country consuming pornographic content is India. Although the selling and distribution of pornographic material is illegal in India, it is still commonly done. In India, not only is the issue of street prostitution apparent, but also of pornographic consumption. 89% of individuals watched porn on mobile devices in 2019, marking a three percent increase from 2017 when the figure had already reached 86 percent. The increasing trend in porn consumption is linked to the growing prevalence of smartphones, affordable data plans, and the availability of cheap smartphones and high-end smartphones.
Despite laws, India faces widespread accessibility to pornography, especially through online platforms, with concerns about cyber pornography affecting millions of minors, predominantly young females. While the government has taken steps to curb it, India remains a top global consumer of online porn, fueling ongoing debates on its legality and morality. Research by Pub.med has shown that around 8.3% of the Indian population acknowledged the use of pornography.
It was more common among single and single parenting group samples. More studies are required to have a better understanding of porn consumption in India.
3. Hungary
At number 3 comes Hungary. Pornhub has been one of the most visited websites in Hungary. An estimated 1.3 million users accessed this website every month. The two most commonly used porn websites were hosted by Hungary and these websites are becoming common in other countries as well with increased traffic.
Consumers of adult content span diverse demographic groups, but notable variations emerge across generations in the usage of pornographic websites. In 2023, individuals aged 30 to 39 in Hungary exhibited the highest online adult entertainment engagement, with nearly 48 percent accessing such sites. In contrast, the leading pornographic websites in the country were accessed by 32 percent of those aged 40 to 49.
2. United Kingdom
The UK is the second highest country when it comes to porn consumption. The United Kingdom has 512,000 porn domains. The UK also hosts 7% of the world’s porn. Porn consumption is becoming increasingly common among children as well as many leading many like John Carr to have a voice against the ease at which children are having access to pornographic content.
1. United States
Pornography has been consumed the most in the United States and its rise has steadily continued after the 21st century. What was once known to be hardly found, is now easily accessible through the widespread use of the internet. Studies have shown that the United States is the largest producer of pornography since sexual content is considered completely fine through the First Amendment which guarantees freedom of speech.
One of the prominent reasons for such high porn consumption is the use of smartphones by people. A total of 61% of people access porn through phone, 28% access porn through desktop, and 11% access porn through tablets. About 6 in 10 people or 58% of people have reported that they have seen pornography at some point in life. Men are four times more likely than women to watch pornographic material. Research has shown that men who watch porn, feel dissatisfied with their appearance along with higher feelings of loneliness.
Not only is pornography affecting American adults but students as well. Research has shown that about 56% of high school students have viewed pornographic content in the past year. Exposure may be accidental but usually, it is intentional. 32.9% of individuals have viewed pornography before age 12. Recent evidence suggests potential risks associated with adolescent exposure to pornography, including links to aggression, permissive sexual attitudes, dominant sexual behaviors, sexual objectification, poorer academic performance, and self-objectification. Additionally, adolescents influenced by pornography are more likely to incorporate its content into their sexual scripts, often trying or being asked to do something in person based on what they have seen online. Moreover, the infrequent depiction of correct condom usage in pornography is correlated with a decreased likelihood of condom use during adolescent sexual activity.