What we don't know about sex and why it's a concern

By Fátima Masse

What is the proportion of people who feel sexually satisfied? 

What is the average number of sexual partners a person has during his or her lifetime? What are the most common sex practices?

We do not know. Perhaps we imagine the answers to these questions because of certain prejudices, opinions of experts or conversations with our close circle, but there are no statistics to confirm them. 

Sexuality is a fundamental dimension of everyone's life. However, globally, little is known about it beyond basic concepts. This fuels taboos and limits the ability of decision-makers to improve the sexual health of the population and inform new generations more accurately.

In December 2024, the British magazine The Economist published an article stating that in most countries there is a lack of surveys to delve deeper into sexual behaviors. While there is data on birth rates and sexually transmitted diseases, there is not enough information related to consent, pleasure or the context in which sex occurs. 

The article argues that understanding sex is not only relevant to demographic or public health issues. For example, evidence from the United States, India, and elsewhere suggests that 20-50% of divorces are due to problems with couples' emotional or physical intimacy. And divorces affect children and increase household expenses. More information about sex could improve a family's dynamics and finances, as well as improve the mental health of its members.

Great Britain, for example, has one of the largest and most detailed surveys on sexuality called Natsal (National Survey of Sexual Attitudes and Lifestyles). It was born in the wake of the HIV/AIDS pandemic in the mid-1980s and is conducted every 10 years. Its data have served to identify key patterns to prevent and treat sexually transmitted diseases, improve teen pregnancy policies, warn about various forms of violence, and inform public debate around these issues.