Elephant in the room

First the summary, then more details with ref. that seem legit. (ChatGPT)

Brief English Summary

• Data volume: Pornography is estimated to account for 10 – 30 % of global Internet data traffic. Only about 12 % of all websites are adult sites, yet they generate a disproportionate share of traffic (roughly 25 % of web searches and 35 % of all file downloads).
• Gender distribution:
  • Worldwide, about 38 % of porn viewers are female, and the share is gradually rising.
  • In Western countries (USA, Canada, Europe, Australia) women make up roughly 25 – 30 % of users.
  • In Japan and South Korea, women’s porn consumption is markedly lower than men’s.
  • Outliers include the Philippines (59 % female) and Argentina (51 %), where women form the majority of Pornhub visitors.
• Age structure:
  • Adults aged 18 – 34 are the main audience, accounting for more than half of all traffic.
  • Older adults still watch: the 55–64 bracket contributes about 10 % of global visits.
  • Europe shows some older audiences (e.g., Spain: > 65 % of users over 45).
  • Certain non-European markets (e.g., Egypt, Philippines) are dominated by very young viewers (18–24).
  • Japan & South Korea: primarily young men; older users are rare.
• Core patterns:
  1. Men watch more porn than women, but the gap is narrowing.
  2. Young adults stream the most, yet consumption remains significant well into middle age.
  3. Cultural factors drive the differences in gender and age profiles: Western countries show relatively stable patterns, while markets such as the Philippines or Spain deviate strongly.

Share of Pornographic Content in Global Internet Data Traffic

Pornographic material represents a substantial portion of worldwide Internet traffic. Estimates differ depending on methodology: Only about 12 % of all websites are porn-related, yet they generate a disproportionately large share of traffic. Roughly one in four web searches is related to sex or pornography, and on mobile devices it is still around one in five searches. When it comes to transferred data, about 35 % of all file downloads on the Internet are thought to be pornographic. Overall, analysts conclude that somewhere between 10 % and 30 % of global data traffic is devoted to online porn. Video streaming dominates traffic in general, and adult video makes up a sizeable slice of that. For example, Pornhub alone moved 6.6 petabytes of data in 2019—about 18 TB every single day—illustrating the immense bandwidth consumed by porn.

Porn Consumption by Gender (Country Overview)

Worldwide, men watch porn noticeably more often than women, though the gender gap is gradually shrinking. Today, roughly one-third of all porn viewers are female. Pornhub’s 2024 analytics show a global female share of 38 %, up from 24 % in 2015. Country-level patterns look like this:

• Western countries: In North America, Europe and Australia, women typically make up about one quarter to one third of porn users. For 2024 Pornhub reports 29 % female visitors in the USA and Canada. Comparable numbers appear across Europe: Germany 26 %, UK 27 %, Netherlands 28 %, Italy 29 %. Those shares have inched upward in recent years but porn consumption remains male-dominated.
• Asia (Japan & South Korea): High-income Asian nations follow a similar pattern. A 2022 Japanese survey found 34.8 % of men aged 20–29 view porn three or more times per week, versus 6.5 % of women in that same cohort. Age-related drop-offs are modest for men but steep for women. South Korean data are scarcer (owing to legal restrictions on porn sites), yet usage appears comparably male-skewed.
• Outliers: A few countries buck the trend. Pornhub data rank the Philippines first with 59 % female viewers, followed by Argentina (51 %) and Colombia (49 %). These exceptions highlight cultural factors that can narrow—or even invert—the gender gap.

Share of female Pornhub users in selected countries (2024)

Country	Women	Men
Philippines	59 %	41 %
Argentina	51 %	49 %
Colombia	49 %	51 %
United States	29 %	71 %
Canada	29 %	71 %
Italy	29 %	71 %
United Kingdom	27 %	73 %
Germany	26 %	74 %

(Australia is similar, in the high-20-percent range. Japan and South Korea do not publish comparable Pornhub figures, but surveys point to an even lower female share.)

Porn Consumption by Age Group (Country Overview)

Younger adults are the heaviest viewers, although usage never drops to zero in older groups. Globally, Pornhub reports that adults aged 18–34 account for more than half its audience.

Age bracket	Global share of Pornhub visits (2024)
18–24	27 %
25–34	24 %
35–44	17 %
45–54	14 %
55–64	11 %
65 +	7 %

In the United States, 57 % of 18- to 25-year-olds say they watch porn at least monthly versus 29 % of those over 25. Comparable patterns appear elsewhere. Still, porn is not solely a youth phenomenon: the 55- to 64-year-old cohort still contributes over 10 % of global visits.

Age profiles differ by region:

• Europe: Some countries have a relatively older porn audience. In Spain, more than 65 % of users are over 45. Germany, Poland and Ukraine also have sizeable 35- to 44-year segments.
• Anglosphere (US, UK, Australia, Canada): These markets sit in the middle, with average viewer ages around 38–39.
• Very young audiences: In Egypt, for instance, the 18–24 group makes up over half of all porn users, leaving the 45-plus group at just ~5 %. The Philippines shows a similarly youthful skew.
• Japan & South Korea: Available data indicate a concentration among younger men; older adults are far less engaged, giving these countries a comparatively young age profile.

Key Takeaways

• Pornography consumes an estimated 10–30 % of global Internet bandwidth.
• Men watch more porn than women everywhere, though women now comprise roughly a third of viewers worldwide and form the majority in a few countries.
• Adults aged 18–34 are the core audience, yet significant consumption persists well into middle age and beyond, especially in parts of Europe.
• Regional culture shapes both gender and age distributions—hence noticeable differences between, say, Spain’s mature audience, the Philippines’ female majority, and Japan’s young-male dominance.

These combined figures—from platform analytics (e.g., Pornhub Insights), national surveys and academic Internet-use studies—offer a comparative snapshot of how porn consumption varies by gender and age across Western countries, Japan, South Korea and Australia.