Sexual dysfunction statistics worldwide

Updated October 2026

Sexual difficulties are common in adult life, for women and men, and many people never seek help, often out of embarrassment. Low desire, problems with arousal or erection, difficulty reaching orgasm and pain during sex are among the most frequent. The key figures below show how common they are, from Britain's national Natsal survey ¹ and international studies.

A sexual difficulty is not always a disorder. Clinicians speak of a sexual dysfunction when a problem persists and causes the person real distress.

Getting help

If something on this page reflects what you are going through, you do not have to manage it alone. Our guide to finding the right therapist explains how to choose someone qualified, and the TherapyRoute directory lists therapists in many countries.

If you are in crisis or thinking about suicide, our list of helplines and crisis lines worldwide gives free services by country. In an emergency, call your local emergency number.

Sexual problems in national surveys

National and multi-country surveys ask about sexual problems in different ways: some count any difficulty lasting a month, others a problem lasting three months, others a score on a screening questionnaire. Several of the largest surveys are now decades old, and each row gives its fieldwork years. Prevalence means the share of people who have a problem. A probability sample is a group of people chosen at random to represent the country. The IIEF is the International Index of Erectile Function, a questionnaire that scores erectile function. An adjusted figure allows for other differences between the groups compared, such as age. A meta-analysis, or pooled estimate, combines the results of many studies into one figure.

When problems cause distress

Many people with a sexual difficulty do not find it distressing. Surveys that ask about distress find far fewer people with a problem that troubles them than with any problem at all.

• In the British national Natsal survey of 2010-2012, 9.9% of sexually active men aged sixteen to seventy-four said they felt distressed or worried about their sex life in the past year. (survey, past 12 months, 2010-2012 data) ¹
• In the British national Natsal survey of 2010-2012, 10.9% of sexually active women aged sixteen to seventy-four said they felt distressed or worried about their sex life in the past year. (survey, past 12 months, 2010-2012 data) ¹
• Among women aged eighteen and over in a United States national research panel, 12.0% reported a sexual problem that caused them personal distress. (survey, at one point in time, published 2008, fieldwork year not stated) ⁶

Talking to a doctor and seeking help

Only a minority of people with sexual difficulties seek help, and doctors rarely ask. Sex therapy, couples therapy and medical care can all help, and talking about the problem is often the first step. In an intercept survey, researchers approach people in public places and ask them to take part.

• In the British national Natsal survey of 2010-2012, 16.6% of sexually active women aged sixteen to seventy-four had sought help or advice about their sex life from any source in the preceding year. (survey, past 12 months, 2010-2012 data) ¹
• In the British national Natsal survey of 2010-2012, 14.4% of sexually active men aged sixteen to seventy-four had sought help or advice about their sex life from any source in the preceding year. (survey, past 12 months, 2010-2012 data) ¹
• The Global Study of Sexual Attitudes and Behaviors surveyed men and women aged forty to eighty in many countries. Only 9% said a doctor had asked about their sexual health at a routine visit in the past three years. (survey published 2005, fieldwork year not stated) ³
• In a Korean intercept survey of 2001-2002 with a thirty-two point five percent response rate, only 2% of men and women aged forty to eighty had talked to a medical doctor about their sexual problems. (survey, at one point in time, 2001-2002 data) ¹⁷
• In Brazil's five largest cities, 44.0% of sexually active women aged forty to eighty with a sexual problem had talked to a medical doctor about it (survey response rate eighteen point four percent). (survey, at one point in time, 2001-2002 data) ¹⁸
• In Brazil's five largest cities, 21.2% of sexually active men aged forty to eighty with a sexual problem had talked to a medical doctor about it (survey response rate eighteen point four percent). (survey, at one point in time, 2001-2002 data) ¹⁸

Antidepressants and sexual side effects

Some antidepressants commonly affect desire, arousal and orgasm. These figures describe patterns across populations and are not advice about any person's treatment. Anyone concerned about side effects should talk with their prescriber rather than stop or change a medicine on their own. An SSRI, or selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, is a common type of antidepressant. A placebo is a dummy pill with no active medicine, used for comparison. In an open-label study, patients know which medicine they are taking.

• In a meta-analysis of three randomised trials, adults with depression taking an SSRI had 3.28 times the risk of orgasmic dysfunction of those taking a placebo. (meta-analysis of trials, published 2026) ¹⁹
• A meta-analysis of studies that asked people directly about sexual function found new sexual dysfunction in 25.8% to eighty point three percent of patients, across ten antidepressants that differed from placebo. Its authors note it included open-label studies. (meta-analysis of studies, published 2009) ²⁰

How to read these figures

Measures differ from survey to survey: a difficulty lasting a month, a problem lasting three months in the past year, a score on a screening questionnaire, or a diagnosis that requires marked distress. Figures from different measures are not directly comparable.

Many of the largest surveys are decades old. Newer national data exist for Britain, Germany, Australia and China.

Most surveys outside Europe, North America and Australia counted only men, and only erectile problems. Figures for Africa come from a province sample in Egypt and a meta-analysis of Ethiopian studies, not from national surveys.

Response rates matter. Some multi-country and online surveys reached only a small share of the people they invited, so their figures may not represent everyone.

Sexual difficulties are treatable. Sex therapy and couples therapy help with many of them, often alongside medical care, and a first conversation with a doctor or therapist can make a real difference.

Cite this page: TherapyRoute. Sexual dysfunction statistics worldwide. https://www.therapyroute.com/article/sexual-dysfunction-statistics-worldwide-by-therapyroute. Last updated 25 October 2026.

References

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