Sexual Satisfaction is Lowest in Japan, Highest in Mexico

Where in the world are people having the best, most exciting sex? And the worst?

Thanks to two comprehensive surveys conducted by Durex, the condom company, we have some hard evidence to determine sexual satisfaction levels in countries around the world.

The surveys, highlighted and helpfully parsed by Zack Beauchamp at Vox, reveal that people in Mexico and Nigeria report having the most exciting sex on the planet, by a wide margin.

One caveat: Nigeria was the only country in which interviews were done in person rather than electronically, which likely skewed the results considering the sensitive nature of the subject matter. It is, presumably, much easier to tell a computer that you’ve been having boring, terrible sex than it is to say it out loud to another human.

Mexico though? For a country not stereotypically known as a hotbed of great sex (think: France, Spain), an incredible 73 percent of people reported having exciting sex lives.

One factor is respect. An incredible 88 percent of Mexicans reported feeling well-respected during sex, which may contribute to their high level of reported sexual satisfaction.

Now for the depressing news: an absolutely dismal 10 percent of Japanese people were excited by their sex lives.

Excitement levels aside, the low level of Japanese sexual activity in general has sparked interest in recent months. “Celibacy syndrome” has taken hold, according to a frequently cited Guardian article which posed the question: “Why have young people in Japan stopped having sex?”

Speculative reasons behind celibacy syndrome include all the usual suspects: the demand for instant gratification, increasing stress levels, the rise of technology and the rejection of traditional relationship norms.

For some perspective: only 45 percent of Americans report feeling excited by their sex lives. Not quite as good as Mexico and Nigeria, but nowhere near Japan.

Alexandra DiPalma is a producer for Fusion Lightworks, Fusion’s In-house Branded Content Agency.