Most people masturbate at some point in their lives. Among men aged 16 to 44, roughly 95% report having masturbated, and about 77% did so in the past month alone, based on Britain’s National Survey of Sexual Attitudes and Lifestyles. For women in the same age range, around 40% reported masturbating in the past month. These numbers have been climbing over the past two decades, and they vary widely by age, gender, and culture.
Prevalence by Gender and Age
The gap between men and women is one of the most consistent findings across surveys worldwide. In British data, 82.6% of men aged 16 to 24 reported masturbating in the past month, compared to 37.1% of women in the same age group. Both numbers decline with age but at different rates. By ages 65 to 74, about a third of men (33.1%) still reported recent masturbation, while only about 10% of women did.
American data follows a similar pattern. Among U.S. adolescents aged 14 to 17, about 74% of boys and 48% of girls reported masturbating. These are self-reported numbers, and researchers consistently note that stigma likely pushes actual rates higher than what people admit in surveys, particularly for women.
How Rates Change in Later Life
A study of over 3,800 European adults between 60 and 75 found that 41% to 65% of men and 27% to 40% of women had masturbated in the preceding month, depending on the country. The frequency drops noticeably, though. Among men in this age range, about 10% masturbated two to three times a week, and fewer than 2% did so daily. Among women, just over 1% reported two to three times a week.
After 70, the numbers thin further. In a large European study of men aged 40 to 79, monthly masturbation dropped from 36% among those in their 60s to 25% among men over 70. Physical health, hormonal changes, and relationship status all play a role in this decline, but the behavior clearly persists well into old age for a significant portion of the population.
Wide Variation Across Cultures
Where you live shapes how common masturbation is, or at least how willingly people report it. In a nationally representative Chinese sample, only 35% of men and 13% of women said they had masturbated in the past year. That’s roughly half the rates seen in British and American surveys. The gap was even wider in rural China, where just 4% of women and 30% of men reported any masturbation in the prior year, compared to higher rates in urban areas.
South Korea sits at the opposite extreme for men. In a study of military-aged males, approximately 98% reported having masturbated. Cultural attitudes toward sexuality, religious norms, and even how surveys are administered all influence these numbers. Researchers note that in cultures where masturbation carries more shame, reported rates can be dramatically lower without necessarily reflecting actual behavior.
Rates Are Increasing Over Time
Between 2001 and 2012, the proportion of British women aged 16 to 44 who reported masturbating in the past month rose from 37% to 40.3%. For men in the same age group, it went from 73.4% to 77.5%. These are statistically significant increases, and researchers attribute them to shifting cultural attitudes and greater openness about sexuality. The percentage of men who reported never having masturbated was already very low in 2001 (about 5%) and didn’t change meaningfully, suggesting the ceiling for men may have been mostly reached.
For women, the upward trend is more pronounced and shows more room to grow. Greater access to information, less stigma, and a broader cultural conversation about female sexual health have all likely contributed. The gender gap, while still substantial, appears to be narrowing.
Physical and Emotional Effects
Masturbation triggers a cascade of feel-good neurochemistry. For women, research has found that orgasm leads to feelings of happiness, relaxation, autonomy, and contentment. Some women also report that it helps with pain relief and falling asleep. These aren’t just subjective impressions. Vaginal stimulation activates nerve pathways connected to the body’s parasympathetic system, which governs relaxation and heart rate regulation during stress.
For men, one of the most studied long-term effects involves prostate health. Harvard research tracking tens of thousands of men found that those who ejaculated 21 or more times per month had a 31% lower risk of prostate cancer compared to men who ejaculated four to seven times per month. A separate analysis found that men averaging about five to seven ejaculations per week were 36% less likely to be diagnosed with prostate cancer before age 70 than those averaging fewer than two to three per week. These findings don’t prove masturbation prevents cancer, but the correlation is large enough to be noteworthy.
Masturbation as a Stress Response
Research on women specifically has explored masturbation as a coping mechanism. Women in studies describe using it to manage stress, process difficult emotions, and regain a sense of control. The experience itself differs depending on the type of stimulation. Orgasms from clitoral stimulation tend to be described as electric, short-lasting, and exciting, while those from vaginal stimulation are reported as stronger, longer-lasting, and more relaxing. Both types contribute to improved mood and emotional regulation.
This stress-management function helps explain why masturbation rates didn’t decline during periods of social isolation and may have increased. When people are anxious, physically tense, or struggling to sleep, masturbation offers a reliable, accessible way to shift the body into a more relaxed state.