16 Most Adulterous Countries in the World

Published on July 7, 2023 at 4:05 pm by Jose Karlo Mari Tottoc in Lists, News

In this article, we will take a look at the 16 most adulterous countries in the world.

In the many aspects of life, cheating is one of the most prominent problems. May it be in school, sports, business, work, and even in relationships, cheating already became apparently not unusual. Infidelity is now more prominent and it is happening every day around the world. With the rise of different dating sites, many people today, young and old, are turning to be more open-minded about having sex which opens a very wide gate to extra-marital affairs.

A research conducted by first4Lawyers comprised of 2000 Brits, states that 57% of individuals would choose to divorce their partners in the event of an affair being discovered, although some of them stated that their decision would depend on the circumstances. In a separate survey, 56% of participants believe that humans are naturally inclined towards monogamy, advocating for exclusive intimacy with only one partner and abstaining from any sexual involvement with others. Meanwhile, among the same respondents, 19% openly admitted to engaging in infidelity, while only 1 in 10 individuals confessed to a lack of trust toward their better half.

Another research conducted by the Pew Research Center, which examined 40 countries globally including Australia, Japan, Britain, France, Spain, and Canada among others, revealed that 12% of the respondents perceive infidelity to be “morally acceptable”.

Condom manufacturer, Durex, also conducted a survey composed of 29,000 people from 36 different countries. Their research includes a series of interviews, and it was revealed that Nigeria has the most unfaithful women in the world at 62 percentage points, followed by Thailand at 59%. Additionally, 39% of women in Malaysia confessed to betraying their partners, while Russian women ranked fourth with 33%, and Singaporeans in fifth place with 19%. On the other hand, it was found that Thailand has the most unfaithful men in the world, with 54% of them confessing to infidelity. South Korea secured the second position with 34%, followed by Malaysia with 33%.

Our Methodology

For this article, we did not identify the most unfaithful country as a basis for determining the 16 most adulterous countries in the world, because engaging in such an endeavor would involve a high level of stereotyping, which we actively strive to avoid. To compile this list, we conducted extensive research and referred to ten distinct sources (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10). Initially, we had over 25 countries based on our sources, then each time the country appeared on the source’s list, it was assigned a single point which was used to rank this article, until we came up with the top 16 countries with most points.

16 Most Adulterous Countries in the World

16. Canada

Canada ranks 16th in our list of the 16 most adulterous countries in the world. Adultery is not considered a criminal offense under any federal legislation in Canada. Committing adultery in Canada is generally considered acceptable and it is worth noting that in legal proceedings, judges may not hold a negative view of the adulterous’ party but may impose consequences on the victim of adultery.

15. Japan

The initial episode of a docuseries released by CNN in 2019, titled “Sex & Love Around the World”, centers around Japan and its dating culture. In that episode, many Japanese wives admitted that they seek satisfaction and intimacy from other males, confessing that they lack intimacy with their husbands.

14. United States of America

Infidelity represents just one part of a larger issue within the United States. The country as a whole has been observed to have a dysfunctional family system, with the highest divorce rates worldwide, with over 3.2 per 1,000 population according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

13. Singapore

According to Singapore’s Department of Statistics (DOS), approximately 1.3 to 2.1% of individuals who went on divorce proceedings emphasized adultery as their primary reason for seeking divorce. Additionally, infidelity is not considered a criminal offence in Singapore.

12. Russia

Market-research firm GfK conducted a survey to 20,000 people in 19 countries including Russia. They asked the respondents if cheating had already become normal nowadays and 26% of Russian respondents said they have cheated on an intimate partner. Also, some Russians believe that being intimate with someone aside from their legal partners is not morally wrong.

11. Nigeria

Nigeria was ranked 1^st, by condom maker Durex’s survey about the most unfaithful women in the world. The country received an astonishing 62% points, lambasting the ranks of other countries within the list.

10. Finland

Finland has a relatively open-minded view when it comes to having sex. Having an affair in Finland is technically considered to be just a “parallel relationship”. According to a survey conducted by The Whistler, 1 in every 5 men, or approximately 20% of married men in Finland are said to have been involved in affairs with at least 10 women.

9. Norway

Norwegians are very accepting about sex. One of the few activities that most Norwegians take advantage to have sex is during a Julebord or a Norwegian Christmas party. It is true that infidelity is being strongly condemned in Norway just like in any other countries, but it is an open secret that if it occurs during Julebord, then it is somehow exempt from being classified as cheating. What happens at a Julebord, stays in the Julebord.

8. Belgium

Belgium ranks 8^th on our list of the 16 most adulterous countries in the world. A research conducted by Statista shows Belgium has an average of 28.5% combined cheating rate for both Belgian men and women in 2017. 32% of the male participants admitted having engaged in infidelity while 25% of the female participants confessed the same.

7. Italy

According to a research, Italian men and women have an average of 50% combined cheating rate. That means half of Italy’s 58.96 million population is being involved in illegal intimate affairs. It can be noted that Italy’s former prime minister, Silvio Berlusconi faced a divorce filed by his ex-wife, after being caught having multiple sexual relationships with different models and actresses.

6. Denmark

According to the World Population Review, nearly 46% of individuals in Denmark openly acknowledge having engaged in extramarital sexual relationships. This goes to show the high rate of infidelity in the country.

5. Spain

A change was made in Spanish law on May 1978 excluding adultery as a criminal offense in Spain’s penal code. This might have been a big factor in Spain’s rising cases of infidelity. According to a survey conducted by Statista Research in 2018, approximately 30% of Spanish respondents admitted having had one to three sexual partners throughout their lifetime.

Most Adulterous Countries in the World

4. United Kingdom

While the British have not traditionally been associated with infidelity, there may have been a shift in that point-of-view in these recent times. Ashley Madison, a site that helps people book an affair, says that it has accumulated around 1.1 million UK members since its first public appearance in 2010. This indicates that there are a lot of Brits who wants cheat their partners and try someone new.

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3. Germany

Germany ranks 3^rd on our list of the 16 most adulterous countries in the world. In a research conducted by the World Population Review, 45% of married Germans confess to engaging in acts of infidelity.

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2. France

Adultery was decriminalized in France in 1975. According to a survey conducted by the Pew Research Center, 53% of the French respondents indicated a positive response when it comes to forbidden sexual affairs. This indicates that the French people has a high degree of tolerance towards infidelity.

1. Thailand

Topping our list of the 16 most adulterous countries in the world is a country from South East Asia, known as the land of smiles, Thailand. According to a report compiled by Statista, an astonishing 56% of married individuals in Thailand confessed to engaging in extramarital affairs. In another survey conducted by condom manufacturer Durex, Thai men were identified as the most unfaithful in the world, with 54% of the respondents admitting to betraying their partners.