Data reveals that people in Türkiye are accumulating the most sexual partners.
The country’s citizens have an average of 14.5 partners, despite the vast majority of the country following more traditional Muslim practices.
This is a stark comparison to India, where the average citizen has three sexual partners – the fewest of all nations studied by researchers from World Population Review.
While the United States is often considered a nation with lax views on sexuality and dating, the United States didn’t even make the top 10.
The United States ranked 12th, with Americans having an average of 10.7 partners.
Data from World Population Review found that Türkiye has the highest average number of sexual partners, at 14.5. Meanwhile, people in India had only three
Figures compiled by the nonprofit research firm analyzed the average number of partners in 46 countries.
Through surveys, researchers found that most people around the world have nine partners in their lifetime.
Australia and New Zealand ranked second and third behind Turkey, with 13.3 and 13.2 partners, respectively.
And the UK came in surprisingly low at 21st, with Brits having sex with approximately 9.8 people in their lifetime.
The findings come as Generation Z is having less sex than previous generations, which could be because more of these adults are living at home and avoiding alcohol.
China and Slovakia closely followed India as nations with the fewest sexual partners.
The researchers noted that this could be because many of India’s 1.4 billion residents follow strict rules about dating and marriage, such as arranged marriage and a ban on premarital sex.
The findings come as Generation Z is said to be having less sex than previous generations, which could be because more of these adults are living at home and avoiding alcohol.
The findings were based solely on respondents’ accounts of their own sexual history, meaning they may be overestimating or underestimating.
Turkey, a nation of 85 million people famous for its centuries-old historical sites and relaxing baths, has an average of 14.5 sexual partners.
The researchers did not explain Turkey’s promiscuity and the finding goes against Turkey’s generally traditional approach to sex and relationships.
More than 99 percent of the country’s residents are Muslim, a religion that typically comes with strict rules about dating.
According to Muslim matchmaking site Muzz, customs include dating with the goal of finding a life partner, not having sex before marriage, and dating a companion.
However, research suggests that casual fling dating apps are becoming more widespread in the country.
Australia and New Zealand followed closely behind Turkey, with an average of 13.3 and 13.2 partners, respectively.
Unlike Turkey, both nations tend to have a more casual approach to dating, with young people in particular finding partners on apps and in settings such as bars or cafes.
A 2023 report from insurance marketplace Choosi, for example, found that 62 per cent of Australians use online dating and 40 per cent prefer this method over others.
Additionally, 67 percent of adults said they were active users of dating apps and 77 percent had used them before.
An AppMagic investigation found that in January 2024 alone, 12,000 people in New Zealand downloaded the dating app Bumble.
Iceland and South Africa completed the five countries with the highest sexual promiscuity.
Americans have an average of 10.7 partners, placing the United States in 12th place.
As in Australia and New Zealand, this could be due to the rise of dating apps. Recent data shows that the number of Americans who meet their spouses through apps like Hinge and Tinder, for example, has increased nearly 20 percent in the last decade.
When it comes to dating apps and sites, a few reign supreme. Some of the most popular ones include Tinder, Match, Bumble, OkCupid, eHarmony, Hinge, and Grindr.
However, the World Population Review team noted that the number of sexual partners varies dramatically by state due to local cultures and religious preferences.
For example, residents of Louisiana reported an average of 15.7 partners, while people in the majority Mormon state of Utah had only 2.6.
«The age at which someone loses their virginity can also affect the number of sexual partners they have. In the United States, people tend to lose their virginity at age 17, on average,” the team wrote.
Meanwhile, Britons have approximately 9.8 partners over their lifetime.
While the U.S. and the U.K. have similar rates of dating app use and similar cultural approaches to sex, the U.K. might have ranked lower because the nation has a much smaller population.
The United Kingdom has around 67 million residents, while the United States has more than 330 million.
India ranked last with an average of just three sexual partners over time. This could be due to the country’s very traditional dating practices, including arranged marriage.
In fact, a poll found that more than 93 percent of Indians are in arranged marriages, which strictly limits their sexual prospects.
China and Slovakia followed closely, with pairing between fathers and mothers being more common in both countries.