New Study Looks at Online Global Porn Consumption

LOS ANGELES — A new joint report on global porn consumption has been released by  TheNextWeb and market research company SimilarWeb.

Key findings revealed that the majority of adult sites originate in Europe, while most of the traffic flow is coming from the U.S.

The report also said adult websites are responsible for 4.41 percent of all Internet desktop visits and porn ranks seventh on the list of leading categories, beating games and sports but trailing slightly behind computers and electronics.

It was also found that the social media channel driving the most traffic to adult websites is not Facebook as some would suspect, but rather reddit.com with 57.21 percent.

The study also found that porn drives more traffic than the online finance industry. Adult sites are also the fourth largest category in terms of traffic from display ads, coming in right after shopping with slightly more than 3 percent of the market share.

Somewhat surprising according to SimilarWeb’s analysis, was that the top two countries with the highest share of adult website use are Iraq and Egypt, followed by Europe and Japan, with Peru making up the Asian and South American contingent.

Middle-Eastern countries also ranked highest in average session times, topped by Asian countries. Interestingly, neither the U.S, U.K. nor Canada were significantly ranked.

Hong Kong dominated in terms of highest pages viewed per visit, followed by Northern Europe.

As far as search engines used to find porn are concerned, Google is by far the leader with 83.48 percent.

Countries with the smallest share of adult website use are the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait. Australia, New Zealand and Thailand also have a significantly small share.

Muslim countries had the highest bounce rate, and Russia topped shortest session time.

Related:  

Copyright © 2026 Adnet Media. All Rights Reserved. XBIZ is a trademark of Adnet Media.
Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission is prohibited.

More News

Better Life Science Launches 'Affiliate and Influencer' Initiative

CLIA-certified laboratory network Better Life Science has launched its affiliate and influencer program.

Cherie DeVille Joins Woodhull Freedom Foundation 'Free Speech' Panel

Multi-XMAs winner Cherie DeVille will join the upcoming Woodhull Freedom Foundation panel series "Fact Checked by Woodhull," addressing free speech on Feb. 26.

Wisconsin AV Bill Moves Ahead, Minus Anti-VPN Provisions

The Wisconsin state Senate on Wednesday advanced a bill that would require adult websites to verify the ages of users, but approved an amendment striking proposed language that would have required sites to block virtual private network traffic.

Pineapple Support Introduces 'Wellbeing by PS' Service

Pineapple Support has debuted its new Wellbeing by PS service, providing mental health support packages for companies and agencies.

MyMember.site Integrates Bluesky Functionality

MyMember.site has added Bluesky features to its website management platform.

GirlsDoPorn Defendants Ordered to Pay Victims $75.5 Million

A federal court has ordered former GirlsDoPorn owner Michael Pratt and his co-defendants in the GDP sex trafficking case to pay restitution totaling $75,568,283.47 to 106 victims.

SWR Data Publishes 'Clip Trend' Report

Adult industry market research firm SWR Data has published a report on clip platform performance and sales.

Another German Court Rejects Blocking Orders Against Pornhub, YouPorn

A German court has blocked the Rhineland-Palatinate Media Authority (MA RLP) from forcing telecom providers based within the court’s jurisdiction to cut off access to Aylo-owned adult sites Pornhub and YouPorn.

Ofcom Fines Kick Online Entertainment $1 Million for AV Noncompliance

U.K. media regulator Ofcom on Thursday fined Kick Online Entertainment 800,000 pounds (more than $1 million) for failing to implement age checks as required for compliance with the Online Safety Act.

FSC Details Legislative Outlook for 2026

The Free Speech Coalition (FSC) has laid out the legislative outlook for the industry in 2026.

Show More