Surveys suggest that roughly 40 to 60 percent of women have experienced squirting or female ejaculation at some point. A U.S. study placed the figure at 41 percent, while a 2024 Swedish survey of over 2,000 women found 58 percent reported having experienced it. The wide range reflects differences in how studies define the phenomenon and how willing participants are to report it, but the short answer is that it’s far more common than most people assume.
What the Surveys Actually Show
For years, squirting was described in medical literature as rare. More recent, larger surveys tell a different story. Studies from the United States, Canada, Egypt, and Sweden have all landed in a similar range, between about 40 and 60 percent prevalence. The Swedish study, published in 2024, is one of the largest to date and found that more than half of its participants had experienced ejaculation or squirting at least once. That doesn’t mean it happens every time someone has sex or that it happens easily. Many women report it as an occasional or unpredictable event rather than a regular part of their sex life.
One reason older estimates were so much lower is that many women don’t report the experience, sometimes because they’re unsure what happened, and sometimes because of embarrassment. When surveys use anonymous, nonjudgmental framing, reported rates climb considerably.
Squirting and Female Ejaculation Are Different Things
Researchers now treat squirting and female ejaculation as two related but distinct events that often get lumped together in casual conversation. Understanding the difference clears up a lot of confusion about what’s actually happening in the body.
Female ejaculation is a small secretion, typically just a few milliliters of thick, whitish fluid. It comes from the paraurethral glands (sometimes called Skene’s glands), which sit on either side of the urethra. This fluid contains high concentrations of prostate-specific antigen, the same marker associated with the prostate in men. It has a different chemical profile from urine, with lower levels of creatinine and urea, and may even have antibacterial properties that help protect the urinary tract.
Squirting, by contrast, involves a much larger volume of thin, clear fluid, roughly 10 milliliters or more, and sometimes significantly more than that. This fluid exits through the urethra but originates primarily from the bladder. Its chemical composition is closer to dilute urine, though in many women it also contains traces of prostatic secretions from those same paraurethral glands. So squirting is a blend: mostly bladder fluid released involuntarily during arousal or orgasm, with a small contribution from the glands responsible for female ejaculation.
Both can happen at the same time, which is part of why they’ve been confused for so long. A woman might experience both a small glandular secretion and a larger gush of fluid simultaneously and have no reason to think of them as separate events.
Where the Fluid Comes From
A well-known imaging study used real-time ultrasound to track what happens inside the body during squirting. Participants emptied their bladders completely, which was confirmed on ultrasound. After a period of sexual arousal, a second scan showed the bladder had noticeably refilled. After squirting occurred, a third scan showed the bladder was empty again. This cycle, empty to full to empty, happened in every participant, confirming the bladder as the primary source of the fluid.
Chemical analysis backed this up. The fluid collected during squirting had urea, creatinine, and uric acid concentrations similar to urine samples taken before and after. However, five of the seven participants also had prostate-specific antigen present in their squirting fluid, even though it wasn’t detectable in their urine beforehand. This suggests the paraurethral glands add their own secretion to the mix as it passes through the urethra.
The takeaway from the imaging research is straightforward: squirting involves involuntary release of fluid from the bladder during sexual activity, with a marginal but real contribution from glandular tissue. The bladder appears to fill rapidly during arousal in women who squirt, through a mechanism that isn’t yet fully understood.
The Connection to Orgasm
Squirting is closely associated with orgasm, but the two don’t always happen together. Some women squirt just before orgasm, some during, and some without reaching orgasm at all. The muscular contractions involved in orgasm likely help expel the fluid, but arousal alone can sometimes be enough. Internal stimulation of the front vaginal wall, the area overlying the paraurethral glands, is the most commonly reported trigger.
There’s no evidence that squirting indicates a “better” orgasm or that the inability to squirt signals a problem. The size and activity of the paraurethral glands vary significantly between women. Some have more developed glandular tissue, which may make ejaculation or squirting more likely. Others have minimal glandular tissue and will never experience it regardless of stimulation, and that’s completely normal anatomical variation.
Why the Numbers Vary So Much
The gap between 41 and 58 percent across studies comes down to a few factors. First, most research relies on self-reporting, and women define the experience differently. Some count any noticeable wetness beyond normal lubrication, while others only count a visible gush. Second, cultural context matters. In populations where squirting carries more stigma or confusion, fewer women report it. The Swedish study, conducted in a country with comparatively open attitudes toward sexuality, landed at the higher end of the range.
Third, the studies don’t always distinguish between squirting and female ejaculation. A woman who regularly produces a small amount of ejaculate from her paraurethral glands might answer “yes” to a survey question, as might a woman who experiences large-volume squirting. Both are real, but they’re physiologically different events being counted in the same bucket. Until researchers consistently separate the two in survey design, prevalence figures will remain approximate.