Statistics
How Many People Are Addicted to Porn? 2026 Statistics (42 Data Points)
Estimates of problematic porn use run from 3.2% to 16.6% of the same people, depending on the test. 42 sourced stats on prevalence, gender and treatment.
The short answer
There is no single number, because "porn addiction" is not a diagnosis and every study measures something different. A 2025 meta-analysis of 22 studies (31,566 people) put problematic pornography use at 13%. A 42-country study of 82,243 people found 3.2% to 16.6% screening at risk, depending only on which questionnaire was used. In the U.S., 11% of men and 3% of women agreed at least somewhat that they were addicted.
Ask how many people are addicted to porn and the honest answer is: it depends on the questionnaire. In one study of 82,243 people across 42 countries, the same people screened at risk at 3.2%, 9.8% or 16.6% — a fivefold swing decided entirely by which test researchers used. The tool, not the people, sets the headline number.
The more solid finding is about help. Among people who screen at risk, those who want treatment and have not got it outnumber those who have ever sought it by at least two to one.
This page brings together 42 data points from five sources: a 2025 meta-analysis, a 42-country survey, a U.S. nationally representative study, a Polish student survey and the WHO's diagnostic classification. Every figure is linked to where it came from, the source type is named, and anything we worked out ourselves is labelled Slavia analysis.
Porn addiction statistics: the key numbers
- 13% pooled prevalence of problematic pornography use across 22 studies and 31,566 people, with a 95% confidence interval of 8%–19% (Chew et al., 2025).
- 3.2%, 9.8% or 16.6% of 82,243 people in 42 countries screened at risk, depending on the screening tool (Bőthe et al., 2024).
- 5.2× — how much the at-risk figure changes between the strictest and loosest tool in the same study (Slavia analysis).
- 11% of men and 3% of women in the U.S. agreed at least somewhat that "I am addicted to pornography" (Grubbs et al., 2019).
- 12.2% of 6,463 Polish university students called themselves addicted — 15.5% of those who currently used pornography.
- 4.3%–10.2% of people screening at risk had ever sought treatment.
- 21%–37.1% wanted treatment but had not received it — at least 2 for every 1 who had sought it (Slavia analysis).
- 0 — the number of "porn addiction" diagnoses in the WHO's ICD-11. It recognises compulsive sexual behaviour disorder instead.
These numbers measure four different things: problematic use on a screening test, a pooled research estimate, people's own belief that they are addicted, and treatment-seeking within an at-risk group. None of them is a count of people with a clinical diagnosis.
Same 82,243 people. 3.2% or 16.6% at risk, depending on the test.
How many people are addicted to porn?
Somewhere between about 3% and 17% of people show signs of problematic pornography use, depending on the study and the tool — with 13% as the best pooled estimate. None of these is a rate of clinical addiction.
Researchers mostly avoid the word "addiction" and study problematic pornography use (PPU): use that comes with difficulty controlling it, distress, or problems in everyday life. That is a broader idea than a diagnosis, and it is measured with questionnaires rather than clinical interviews.
| What was measured | Population | Result | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| At risk, Brief Pornography Screen | 82,243 people, 42 countries | 16.6% | Bőthe et al., 2024 |
| Self-identified as addicted (current users) | 4,260 Polish students | 15.5% | Dwulit and Rzymski, 2019 |
| Pooled problematic-use prevalence | 31,566 people, 22 studies | 13% (8%–19%) | Chew et al., 2025 |
| Self-identified as addicted (all students) | 6,463 Polish students | 12.2% | Dwulit and Rzymski, 2019 |
| At least some agreement, "I am addicted" (men) | U.S. adult internet users | 11% | Grubbs et al., 2019 |
| At risk, PPCS-6 short form | 82,243 people, 42 countries | 9.8% | Bőthe et al., 2024 |
| At least some agreement, "I am addicted" (women) | U.S. adult internet users | 3% | Grubbs et al., 2019 |
| At risk, Problematic Pornography Consumption Scale | 82,243 people, 42 countries | 3.2% | Bőthe et al., 2024 |
Sources: Chew et al., 2025 (meta-analysis); Bőthe et al., 2024; Grubbs et al., 2019; Dwulit and Rzymski, 2019 (primary surveys)
Different studies, populations and measures. Do not average them. Sources: Bőthe et al. 2024, Chew et al. 2025, Dwulit and Rzymski 2019, Grubbs et al. 2019.
1. A meta-analysis put problematic pornography use at 13%
A 2025 meta-analysis in Sexual Health combined 22 studies involving 31,566 participants and estimated a pooled prevalence of problematic pornography use of 13%, with a 95% confidence interval of 8% to 19%.
The study pooled both general-population samples and specific subgroups, and found substantial variation between studies — differences in who was sampled, where, and with which questionnaire. The top of its confidence range is about 2.4 times the bottom (Slavia analysis), which says as much about the field's measurement problem as about the behaviour.
Thirteen percent is a useful summary of the research so far. It is not evidence that 13% of people worldwide are clinically addicted to pornography.
Source: Chew, Yow and Tan, Sexual Health, 2025 (meta-analysis)
2. The same 82,243 people screened at risk at 3.2%, 9.8% or 16.6%
The International Sex Survey, analysed in a 2024 paper in Addiction, asked 82,243 participants across 42 countries to complete three different screening tools:
| Screening tool | Screened at risk | About how many people (Slavia analysis) |
|---|---|---|
| Problematic Pornography Consumption Scale (PPCS) | 3.2% | ~2,600 |
| PPCS-6, the short form | 9.8% | ~8,100 |
| Brief Pornography Screen (BPS) | 16.6% | ~13,700 |
Source: Bőthe et al., Addiction, 2024 (primary survey). People column: Slavia analysis, 82,243 × each percentage, rounded.
Why the spread? Screening tools are built for different jobs. A brief screen is meant to catch anyone who might need a closer look, so it casts a wide net. A longer scale with a strict cut-off is meant to identify people with a more established pattern. Neither is a diagnosis, and neither gives a precise national rate.
3. 12.2% of Polish university students called themselves addicted
A 2019 survey of 6,463 Polish university students found 12.2% described themselves as addicted to pornography. Among the 4,260 who currently used pornography, the figure was 15.5%.
That is roughly 790 students in total, and about 660 among current users (Slavia analysis). Current users made up 65.9% of the sample (Slavia analysis), so roughly one in three students did not currently use pornography at all — a reminder that "students watch porn" is not the same as "all students watch porn".
This is self-perceived addiction among one country's university students, not a clinical measure, and not representative of adults in general.
Source: Dwulit and Rzymski, International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2019 (primary survey)
Is porn addiction an official diagnosis?
No. The WHO's ICD-11 has no diagnosis called "porn addiction". It recognises compulsive sexual behaviour disorder (CSBD), and frequent pornography use on its own does not meet it.
4. What the WHO's ICD-11 actually recognises
CSBD is a persistent pattern of failing to control intense, repetitive sexual impulses or urges, resulting in repetitive sexual behaviour that causes significant distress or impairment in personal, family, social, educational, work or other important areas of life.
Two details in the definition matter for every statistic on this page:
- It is classified as an impulse-control disorder, not as an addiction. The word "addiction" in surveys and headlines does not match the clinical category.
- Distress that comes entirely from moral judgement is not enough. If someone's distress is only about disapproving of their own behaviour — on religious or moral grounds — that alone does not meet the diagnosis.
| Term | What it means | Who decides | Is it a diagnosis? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Compulsive sexual behaviour disorder | Persistent loss of control with significant distress or impairment | A clinician, using ICD-11 | Yes |
| Problematic pornography use | Use linked to poor control, distress or problems, on a questionnaire | A screening tool | No |
| At risk on a screen | Score above a tool's cut-off | A screening tool | No |
| Self-perceived addiction | A person believes they are addicted | The person | No |
| Frequent use | Watching often | Nobody — it is a behaviour | No |
Source: World Health Organization, ICD-11 (6C72). Table: Slavia summary of how the terms on this page relate.
Problematic pornography use may be part of a wider pattern of compulsive sexual behaviour. But a screening result or a self-description is not a clinical assessment, and the gap between those two is where most confusion about porn addiction statistics comes from.
How do porn addiction statistics differ by gender?
Men are far more likely than women to describe themselves as addicted — at roughly the same ratio as men out-watch women.
5. 11% of men and 3% of women said they were at least somewhat addicted
A 2019 study of 2,075 U.S. adult internet users, nationally representative and published in the Journal of Behavioral Addictions, found about 11% of men and 3% of women expressed at least some agreement with the statement "I am addicted to pornography."
2,075 U.S. adult internet users, nationally representative. Self-perceived addiction, not a diagnosis. Source: Grubbs, Kraus and Perry, Journal of Behavioral Addictions, 2019.
"At least some agreement" is a low bar — it includes people who only slightly agree. The figure measures how people see themselves, not whether they meet clinical criteria.
Source: Grubbs, Kraus and Perry, Journal of Behavioral Addictions, 2019 (primary survey)
What makes people feel addicted to porn?
Not only how much they watch. In the U.S. study, religiousness and moral conflict were linked to feeling addicted alongside use itself.
6. Four factors were linked to self-perceived addiction
The Grubbs, Kraus and Perry study found stronger self-reported addiction was associated with:
- Younger age
- Greater pornography use
- Greater religiousness
- Moral incongruence — a felt conflict between one's behaviour and one's values
Male gender was also associated with stronger self-reported addiction.
None of this means the distress is not real or not worth addressing. It means the right help depends on the cause: loss of control calls for one kind of support, a conflict between behaviour and values for another.
Source: Grubbs, Kraus and Perry, 2019 (primary survey)
How many people seek help for problematic porn use?
Very few — and more want help than get it. This is the most consistent finding on the page, because it holds at every end of the measured range.
7. Only 4.3%–10.2% of at-risk participants had ever sought treatment
In the International Sex Survey, the share of participants screening at risk who had ever sought treatment ranged from 4.3% to 10.2%, depending on the screening tool.
8. 21%–37.1% wanted treatment but had not received it
The same study found 21% to 37.1% of at-risk participants wanted treatment but had not obtained it.
| Among people who screened at risk | Lowest estimate | Highest estimate |
|---|---|---|
| Had ever sought treatment | 4.3% | 10.2% |
| Wanted treatment, had not received it | 21% | 37.1% |
Source: Bőthe et al., Addiction, 2024 (primary survey). Ranges reflect the three screening tools.
High and low ends of the range across three screening tools. Source: Bőthe et al., Addiction, 2024, International Sex Survey.
Shame, cost, not knowing where to go, and doubt about whether the problem is "real enough" are all plausible barriers; the study figures do not tell us which matter most. These percentages apply to the at-risk group in this survey, not to all pornography users, and screening at risk does not automatically mean someone needs treatment.
Source: Bőthe et al., 2024 (primary survey)
Why do the sources disagree?
Because "porn addiction" is measured in at least four different ways, and each one produces a different kind of number.
| Type of number | What it counts | Example | Use it for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Screening score | People above a questionnaire cut-off | 3.2%, 9.8%, 16.6% | Possible problematic use — name the tool |
| Pooled estimate | Average across many studies | 13% (8%–19%) | The best single summary of research |
| Self-perceived addiction | People who believe they are addicted | 11% of men, 12.2% of students | How people see their own use |
| Treatment-seeking | Help sought among those at risk | 4.3%–10.2% | Access to support |
| Clinical diagnosis | People assessed with CSBD | No population figure here | What "addiction" headlines imply |
Three disagreements cause most of the confusion:
- Tool vs tool. The same people produce a fivefold range. A headline using 16.6% and one using 3.2% can cite the same study.
- Feeling addicted vs being diagnosed. Self-perceived addiction is shaped by religiousness and moral conflict, which the WHO specifically excludes as a sole basis for diagnosis.
- Users vs everyone. The Polish figure rises from 12.2% to 15.5% just by changing the denominator from all students to current users. Always check who the percentage is of.
There is no reliable year-by-year series to show whether problematic use is rising or falling. The studies here use different tools and populations, so the differences between them are not a trend.
Who funds these numbers, and which way does that skew them?
This is a field where the framing of a question often reflects the researcher's view of pornography. That does not make the data wrong, but it tells you how to read it.
- We are not neutral. Slavia is an 18+ AI companion app — not a pornography service, but in the adult-adjacent space. A company like ours could be tempted to downplay problematic use. We have tried to report it plainly, including the treatment gap.
- "Addiction" framing shapes the questions. Research that starts from an addiction model asks about addiction, and the answers become addiction statistics. The WHO's choice to classify CSBD as an impulse-control disorder, not an addiction, is itself a position in an unresolved academic debate.
- Religion runs through the data. The finding that religiousness predicts feeling addicted means samples with more religious respondents will report higher self-perceived addiction, independent of use.
- Screening tools are designed to over-include. Brief screens aim to miss as few cases as possible, so they flag more people. That is right for a screen and wrong for a prevalence headline.
- Student and online samples skew young. Younger age is linked to stronger self-perceived addiction, and convenience samples of students and internet users are young. Their figures should not be read as adult population rates.
The net effect: most of the pressure in this literature pushes headline numbers up — broad screens, addiction framing, young and religious samples. The meta-analysis (13%) and the strictest screen (3.2%) are the more cautious anchors; the treatment gap is robust whichever you choose.
How we built this page
We collected recent research on problematic pornography use, self-perceived addiction and treatment-seeking, kept each figure with its own population, tool and definition, and never combined different measures. Figures marked Slavia analysis are simple arithmetic between sourced numbers — ratios, differences and counts — with the inputs shown each time. The "Last reviewed" date above shows when the sources were last checked.
The accurate way to cite this topic is with the measure attached: "13% pooled prevalence of problematic pornography use across 22 studies" or "11% of U.S. men agree at least somewhat that they are addicted" are accurate. "13% of people are porn addicts" is not.
If you are worried about your own use, a licensed mental health professional who works with compulsive sexual behaviour can help you work out what is going on — without assuming that how often you watch decides it.
For how many people watch pornography in the first place, see how many people watch porn online. For a related measurement problem — where the definition moves the number more than the people do — see are men or women lonelier.
Frequently asked questions
What percentage of people are addicted to porn?
There is no accepted percentage, because porn addiction is not a standalone diagnosis. The closest summary figure is a 2025 meta-analysis that estimated 13% pooled prevalence of problematic pornography use across 22 studies and 31,566 participants, with a 95% confidence interval of 8% to 19%. That is a research estimate of problematic use, not a rate of clinical addiction.
What percentage of men are addicted to porn?
In a 2019 nationally representative study of 2,075 U.S. adult internet users, about 11% of men agreed at least somewhat with the statement "I am addicted to pornography". That measures how men see themselves, not a clinical diagnosis.
What percentage of women are addicted to porn?
The same U.S. study found about 3% of women agreed at least somewhat that they were addicted to pornography. Men were about 3.7 times as likely as women to say so (Slavia analysis).
Is porn addiction an official medical diagnosis?
No. The WHO's ICD-11 does not list "porn addiction". It recognises compulsive sexual behaviour disorder (CSBD) — a persistent failure to control intense, repetitive sexual impulses that causes significant distress or impairment. Problematic pornography use can be part of that pattern, but frequent use alone does not meet it, and distress that comes entirely from moral disapproval is not enough for the diagnosis.
Does watching porn often mean someone is addicted?
No. Frequency alone does not establish addiction or CSBD. Clinicians look at loss of control, continuing despite harm, and significant distress or impairment in daily life. Someone can watch often without those, and someone can watch rarely and still feel out of control.
How many people seek help for problematic porn use?
Few. In the 2024 International Sex Survey, only 4.3% to 10.2% of people who screened at risk had ever sought treatment, while 21% to 37.1% wanted treatment but had not received it. For every at-risk person who had ever sought help, at least two wanted it and had not got it (Slavia analysis).
Where can someone get help for problematic porn use?
A licensed mental health professional who works with compulsive sexual behaviour can assess the situation properly — including whether distress comes from loss of control or from a conflict with personal values, which call for different kinds of help. A family doctor can refer someone if they are not sure where to start.
Sources
- Chew, Yow and Tan (2025) — Prevalence of problematic pornography use, a meta-analysis. Sexual Health primary survey — meta-analysis of 22 studies; high variation between studies
- Bőthe et al. (2024) — Problematic pornography use across countries, genders, and sexual orientations, International Sex Survey. Addiction primary survey
- Grubbs, Kraus and Perry (2019) — Self-reported addiction to pornography in a nationally representative sample. Journal of Behavioral Addictions primary survey
- Dwulit and Rzymski (2019) — Prevalence, patterns and self-perceived effects of pornography consumption in Polish university students. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health primary survey
- World Health Organization — ICD-11, Compulsive sexual behaviour disorder (6C72) primary survey — diagnostic classification, not a prevalence source