In general, between 4-10 is considered to be an average number of sexual partners for adult men and women. Ideas of what is too many, too few, or the "right" number of sexual partners vary from person to person.
People from the U.K. lead the way with the most partners, averaging seven sexual partners. Those from the Netherlands follow closely, with 6.9.
On the other hand, respondents from Italy averaged only 5.4 sexual partners, and people from Belgium had just slightly more (5.41). The average for the European Union was 6.2, which was also the average number of partners for people from Germany.
In the USA, the average number of sexual partners for men and women in the United States is 7.2. People in first-place Louisiana averaged nearly six times as many sexual partners as residents of bottom state Utah: 15.7 compared with 2.6. People from Mississippi, Kansas, and West Virginia all ranked on the low end with fewer than five sexual partners on average. On the high end, residents of Oklahoma, Nebraska, and South Carolina average more than 10 partners.
How likely would someone be to break off a relationship due to their partner’s having what they felt were too many previous sexual partners? In a survey, thirty-seven percent of people said they would be somewhat unlikely or very unlikely to end a relationship based on this, while 33 percent reported having a neutral opinion. Thirty percent said they would be somewhat likely or very likely to end a relationship over the issue.
Who would be likely to end a relationship due to what they perceived as their partner’s having had too few past sexual partners? Over half of respondents said they would be very unlikely to walk away due to a partner’s conservative past, and another 15 percent said they would be somewhat unlikely. Only 8 percent reported they would be somewhat or very likely to end a relationship due to this issue.
For women aged 15-19, the distribution of lifetime sex partners is as follows:
72.0% reported 0-1 lifetime sex partners
17.2% reported 2-4 lifetime sex partners
7.9% reported 5-9 lifetime sex partners
2.9% reported 10-39 lifetime sex partners
0.3% reported 40+ lifetime sex partners
For men aged 15-19, the distribution of lifetime sex partners is as follows:
70.5% reported 0-1 lifetime sex partners
17.4% reported 2-4 lifetime sex partners
6.7% reported 5-9 lifetime sex partners
5.1% reported 10-39 lifetime sex partners
0.3% reported 40+ lifetime sex partners
For women aged 20-24, the distribution of lifetime sex partners is as follows:
34.7% reported 0-1 lifetime sex partners
28.8% reported 2-4 lifetime sex partners
23.4% reported 5-9 lifetime sex partners
12.2% reported 10-39 lifetime sex partners
0.9% reported 40+ lifetime sex partners
For men aged 20-24, the distribution of lifetime sex partners is as follows:
32.2% reported 0-1 lifetime sex partners
25.1% reported 2-4 lifetime sex partners
20.4% reported 5-9 lifetime sex partners
19.3% reported 10-39 lifetime sex partners
0.9% reported 40+ lifetime sex partners
For women aged 25-29, the distribution of lifetime sex partners is as follows:
24.9% reported 0-1 lifetime sex partners
30.6% reported 2-4 lifetime sex partners
24.0% reported 5-9 lifetime sex partners
18.6% reported 10-39 lifetime sex partners
2.0% reported 40+ lifetime sex partners
For men aged 25-29, the distribution of lifetime sex partners is as follows:
17.2% reported 0-1 lifetime sex partners
25.6% reported 2-4 lifetime sex partners
24.7% reported 5-9 lifetime sex partners
27.8% reported 10-39 lifetime sex partners
4.7% reported 40+ lifetime sex partners
For women aged 30-34, the distribution of lifetime sex partners is as follows:
22.2% reported 0-1 lifetime sex partners
30.3% reported 2-4 lifetime sex partners
27.5% reported 5-9 lifetime sex partners
17.5% reported 10-39 lifetime sex partners
1.5% reported 40+ lifetime sex partners
For men aged 30-34, the distribution of lifetime sex partners is as follows:
16.6% reported 0-1 lifetime sex partners
21.5% reported 2-4 lifetime sex partners
20.0% reported 5-9 lifetime sex partners
33.2% reported 10-39 lifetime sex partners
8.1% reported 40+ lifetime sex partners
For women aged 35-39, the distribution of lifetime sex partners is as follows:
23.3% reported 0-1 lifetime sex partners
30.3% reported 2-4 lifetime sex partners
27.5% reported 5-9 lifetime sex partners
17.5% reported 10-39 lifetime sex partners
1.5% reported 40+ lifetime sex partners
For men aged 35-39, the distribution of lifetime sex partners is as follows:
16.3% reported 0-1 lifetime sex partners
21.5% reported 2-4 lifetime sex partners
20.0% reported 5-9 lifetime sex partners
34.2% reported 10-39 lifetime sex partners
8.1% reported 40+ lifetime sex partners
For women aged 40-44, the distribution of lifetime sex partners is as follows:
21.5% reported 0-1 lifetime sex partners
30.5% reported 2-4 lifetime sex partners
29.5% reported 5-9 lifetime sex partners
16.2% reported 10-39 lifetime sex partners
2.3% reported 40+ lifetime sex partners
For men aged 40-44, the distribution of lifetime sex partners is as follows:
13.3% reported 0-1 lifetime sex partners
23.2% reported 2-4 lifetime sex partners
24.2% reported 5-9 lifetime sex partners
32.2% reported 10-39 lifetime sex partners
7.1% reported 40+ lifetime sex partners
