When it comes to sex, it’s no secret that many people tend to exaggerate—or even lie—about their number of partners.
They often give the impression that 21 and 22-year-olds have already slept with dozens or even hundreds of people, despite their young age.
If you’ve ever felt self-conscious or embarrassed after hearing about others’ supposed sexual conquests, don’t worry.
The real average number of intimate partners is not what you might expect.
According to the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Survey of Family Growth, the actual number of sexual partners people have over their lifetime is lower than what you might think.
The survey asked ‘sexually experienced women and men aged 25-49 years of age’ about their number of opposite-sex partners throughout their lives.
The findings are quite eye-opening. Between 2015 and 2019, the median number of sexual partners was 4.3 for women and slightly higher at 6.3 for men.
Looking at the overall statistics, 17.7 percent of women reported having just one sexual partner, while for men, this figure was 11.2 percent.
These results soon made their way to Reddit, where users had a lot to say about the findings.
Another added, “I am somewhat surprised the average is that low, but I have been reading about how much less sex people have now than they used to and what a wasteland dating in the 25-45 range is these days.”
“My only sexual partner is my wife so I guess I’m the person bringing this down,” a third user remarked.
