18 / 05 / 2026
6 Minute Read

Did you know that men are having less and less sex?

 

Have you heard about a phenomenon called "sex recession "? Research indicates that a notable segment of the male population is having significantly less sex than previous generations. In this article, we talk about this situation, discuss when this started, why men are having less sex, and what it means for the men involved. Let’s dive into the data with an open mind.

 

When did this begin?

While the "date" isn't a specific year, the recognition of this as a statistical phenomenon solidified with the 2024-2025 release of this massive study. Researchers analyzed data from over 400,000 individuals in the UK (aged 39-73) and 13,500 in Australia. They found that about 1% of the adult population reported never having had sex. This isn't just a Gen Z thing but a lifelong pattern for a specific demographic, and the numbers are too significant to ignore, confirming that the decline has been brewing for decades.

Across the European Union, similar patterns have emerged. According to an Ifop study conducted for LELO (December 2023-January 2024, sample of 1,911 people representative of the French population aged 18 and over), the proportion of French people who have had sex in the past 12 months is at its lowest since the 1970s. Among 18–24-year-olds, 28% reported being sexually inactive in the last year, compared to just 5% in 2006.

A representative survey of German men aged 18-93 found that the overall proportion of men reporting sexual activity decreased from 81% to 73% between 2005 and 2016. The decline was especially pronounced among young and middle-aged men. German data also shows that the percentage of young men (18-25) reporting sexual inactivity rose from 7.5% to 20.3% between 2005 and 2016.

In Czech Republic the results also speak for themselves. A 2025 survey by the Czech National Institute of Mental Health revealed striking numbers: nearly 55% of Czech men under 25 have never had sex, compared to about 30% of women in the same age group.

And in Switzerland, a 2017 national survey among young adults found that 5.7% of males reported low sexual desire.

So, we can safely come to the conclusion that men who aren’t having sex isn't an isolated Anglo-Saxon issue; it appears to be a broader European shift affecting the continent's social fabric.

 

Men without sex: Why is it spreading?

Let's set the spreadsheets aside for a moment and talk about the world we actually live in. In this chapter I will give you my own opinion on why I think this peculiar phenomenon is spreading. I am stepping out of the data a bit and try to think with common sense. To me, some very obvious reasons emerge for why so many men are not having sex anymore as they used to.

My first explanation is that a generation ago, men met women organically at bowling leagues, church socials, union halls, or simply on the neighborhood street. Those "third places" (neither home nor work) have largely vanished. In their place? Streaming services, delivery apps, and infinite scrolling. If you never leave your apartment, you never meet anyone. The spaces where casual flirtation used to happen simply don't exist anymore. Today, approaching someone in person feels even terrifying for many men. Rejection was always possible, but now it carries the added weight of being recorded, mocked online, or labeled as creepy. Meanwhile, pornography offers a guaranteed, zero-risk, zero-rejection alternative. Why risk humiliation when you can feel a fraction of the reward alone in five minutes? The digital substitute has become the path of least resistance. Real sex requires vulnerability, negotiation, and effort. Porn requires none of that. Over time, the low-effort option becomes the default, and the brain get used to gravitating toward what is predictable and safe.

Another hard truth is that economic precarity has killed romance. Yes: dating costs money. A coffee here, a dinner there, maybe an Uber home. For young men buried in student debt, working two gig economy jobs with no stability, the math stops working. Even if they want to date, the anxiety of not being able to "provide an experience" leads many to opt out entirely. It's not laziness but rather a simple calculation that romance is a luxury they cannot afford these days. And the fact is that expectation gap is real. Women have higher standards today (financially, emotionally, socially). They no longer need a man for survival, so they wait for an exceptional one. Meanwhile, many young men are not exceptional in their eyes but rather average. And in a hyper-competitive dating websites market where apps let women filter hundreds of options, "average" gets left swiped into invisibility. The result is not anger for most but just slow withdrawal.

Finally, I am convinced that social skills did atrophy during lockdown. For instance, when I go to Coop or Migros (Swiss supermarkets), I am always surprised to see that there are more people at the automatic cashier than at the traditional ones, even when the cashier is not busy! People (especially young people) prefer to go to the self-checkouts. We can all see how much the COVID years did pause life and delete a generation's worth of in-person practice. Young men who were 16 in 2020 are now 22, having missed the critical years of awkward flirting, learning to read body language, and recovering from small rejections. And now, for many, the gap feels too wide to bridge.

When you add all of this up no places to meet, no money to spend, no energy left, no practice speaking to humans is it any wonder that so many men have less sex? Nowadays, intimacy seems harder and solitude easier than ever before.

 

How do men cope with not having sex?

Faced with an absence of partnered sex, many find other ways to fill the void.

OnlyFans, social media and AI companion apps have exploded in part because they serve this demographic. These tools provide the illusion of intimacy without the risk of rejection. For a man who is highly introverted, a predictable, low-stakes digital interaction feels safer and often "good enough." A growing movement of "voluntary celibacy" (different from the angry incel ideology) focuses on stoicism and career focus. These men consciously decide to stop chasing sex but opt for paid sex instead (which for many has its convenience and is often more financially affordable than it seems) while reframing their energy toward financial independence or creative legacy.

 

The consequences of not having sex

Let's be clear: just because a man doesn't have sex doesn't mean he doesn't experience pleasure; quite the opposite. In fact, that's why masturbation plays such an important role in their lives. Living without sex isn't just about missing out on another kind of pleasure; it has tangible side effects.

The data shows a clear "entanglement of sex and wellbeing." Those without sex reported fewer visits from friends and family and a lower belief that life is meaningful. It’s a chicken-or-egg scenario: Does loneliness cause celibacy, or does celibacy cause loneliness? Likely both.

Moreover, urologists point out that prolonged inactivity can lead to increased risks of erectile dysfunction (due to a lack of oxygenated blood flow) and a potential increase in prostate cancer risks due to less frequent ejaculation.

Modern societies are seemingly reshaping human connection. This phenomenon forces me to ask myself an uncomfortable but necessary question: If physical communities are shrinking, can online interactions truly fill the void of intimacy, or do they make the problem worse?

 

Janet – The Velvet Rooms

 

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