Internet Pornography Statistics

TopTenREVIEWS Internet Filter Software Review Article
By Jerry Ropelato
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If you are reading this you have probably unwittingly been directed to an internet pornography site. Almost everyone has. Because the demand is so great pornography, on the internet and in general, is so omnipresent you can scarcely avoid it if that is your aim. Internet pornography statistics may seem to be as incomprehensible as the amount of pornography itself, but certain research and news organizations have taken the time to do the math when it comes to the facts about pornography consumption.

The statistics are truly staggering. According to compiled numbers from respected news and research organizations, every second $3,075.64 is being spent on pornography. Every second 28,258 internet users are viewing pornography. In that same second 372 internet users are typing adult search terms into search engines. Every 39 minutes a new pornographic video is being created in the U.S.

It’s big business. The pornography industry has larger revenues than Microsoft, Google, Amazon, eBay, Yahoo, Apple and Netflix combined. 2006 Worldwide Pornography Revenues ballooned to $97.06 billion. 2006 & 2005 U.S. Pornography Industry Revenue Statistics, 2006 Top Adult Search Requests, 2006 Search Engine Request Trends are some of the other statistics revealed here.

The following top 10 list has been compiled using credible sources and appear here in no certain order. Anyone interested in Internet Filter Software and Internet Security Suites Software will find plentiful information about creating and maintaining a safe and secure internet experience at home and work.

 

Pornography Time Statistics
  • Every second - $3,075.64 is being spent on pornography.
  • Every second - 28,258 internet users are viewing pornography.
  • Every second - 372 internet users are typing adult search terms into search engines.
  • Every 39 minutes: a new pornographic video is being created in the United States.

 

Worldwide Pornography Revenues and 2005/2006 U.S. Pornography Revenue Stats

Pornography revenues are not necessarily ranked according to population. China topped the list in 2006 with more than $27 billion in pornography revenues. However, South Korea, only the 26th most populous nation on earth according to the U.S. Census Bureau, is next in line with more than $25 billion in pornography revenues.

The internet is not the most popular form of pornography in the United States. Video sales and rentals accounted for $3.62 billion in revenue in 2006 while internet pornography raked in $2.84 billion. Magazines were the least popular.

2006 Worldwide Pornography Revenues


Country Revenue
(Billions)
Per Capita Notes
China $27.40 $27.41 1
South Korea $25.73 $526.76  
Japan $19.98 $156.75  
US $13.33 $44.67  
Australia $2.00 $98.70  
UK $1.97 $31.84  
Italy $1.40 $24.08  
Canada $1.00 $30.21  
Philippines $1.00 $11.18  
Taiwan $1.00 $43.41 1
Germany $.64 $7.77 1
Finland $.60 $114.70 1
Czech Republic $.46 $44.94 1
Russia $.25 $1.76 1
Netherlands $.20 $12.13  
Brazil $.10 $53.17 1
Other 212 Unavailable   2
  $97.06 Billion    
Notes 1=Incomplete, 2=Unavailable data

Click here to read Pornography Statistics, News and Facts Around the World

The pornography industry is larger than the revenues of the top technology companies combined: Microsoft, Google, Amazon, eBay, Yahoo!, Apple, Netflix and EarthLink.
 
 
 
 

2006 and 2005 Pornography United States Industry Revenue Statistics

  2006
(Billions)
2005
(Billions)
Video Sales & Rentals $3.62 $4.28
Internet $2.84 $2.50
Cable / PPV / In-Room / Mobile / Phone Sex $2.00 $2.00
Exotic Dance Clubs $2.19 $1.34
Novelties $1.73 $1.50
Magazines $.95 $1.00
  $13.33 $12.62

US porn revenue exceeds the combined revenues of ABC, CBS, and NBC.

 

Top Adult Search Requests and Search Engine Request Trends
Internet consumers are most likely to search for the terms “sex,” “adult dating,” and “adult DVD” to access their pornography product of choice. The top 20 search terms also include “teen sex,” “teen porn” and “sex ads.”

Some search terms were divided evenly along gender lines. Statistics indicate the term “sex” was searched for as often by female consumers as it was by males. Men and women differ greatly on other searches. For instance, men performed 97 percent of the searches for the term “free porn.”

Researchers have also broken searches down by location. For example, consumers in South Africa are most likely to search for the word “porn.” Internet users in Elmhurst, Illinois, are most likely in the United States to enter the word “porn” into the search field.

2006 Top Adult Search Requests
Search Term
2006 Search Requests 2006 % Change 2005 % Change Web Pages Containing Keyword (Millions)
75,608,612 7% 40% 414.00
30,288,325 622% 80% 1.40
13,684,718 53% 21% 1.82
23,629,211 -3% 29% 88.80
15,955,566 4% 1% 2.65
13,982,729 36% 25% 2.10
13,484,769 0% 20% 2.42
13,362,995 301% 51% 1.58
13,230,137 382% 40% 0.28
12,964,651 88% 33% 2.07
12,964,651 -10% 54% 2.74
12,065,000 25% 14% 181.00
11,861,035 97% 36% 2.21
9,960,074 76% 21% 2.95
8,502,524 -20% 3% 1.24
7,411,220 71% 40% 1.44
6,641,209 -6% 24% 43.20
6,130,065 7% 38% 1.97
5,487,925 -26% 14% 71.30
4,344,924 21% 33% 198.00
Demographics
Search Term
Male Female <18 18-24 25-34 35-49 50+
50% 50% 20% 20% 20% 20% 20%
36% 64% 20% 20% 21% 20% 19%
58% 42% 20% 19% 23% 21% 17%
96% 4% 23% 14% 10% 36% 17%
58% 42% 20% 16% 19% 19% 26%
44% 56% 22% 19% 19% 22% 18%
44% 56% 22% 19% 19% 22% 18%
36% 64% 19% 21% 21% 20% 19%
50% 50% 20% 20% 19% 20% 21%
50% 50% 20% 20% 20% 20% 20%
97% 3% 22% 14% 10% 35% 19%
50% 50% 20% 20% 20% 20% 20%
50% 50% 20% 20% 20% 20% 20%
67% 33% 19% 19% 16% 28% 19%
41% 59% 23% 25% 14% 30% 8%
64% 37% 17% 19% 26% 27% 11%
86% 14% 10% 33% 25% 25% 7%
82% 18% 23% 17% 14% 28% 18%
77% 23% 33% 14% 10% 17% 26%
50% 50% 20% 20% 20% 20% 20%

 


2006 Search Engine Request Keyword Trends

Top Worldwide Search Requests Top U.S. Cities Search Requests
      1. South Africa 1.  Elmhurst, IL
      2. Ireland 2.  Stockton, CA
      3. New Zealand 3.  Meriden, CT
      4. United Kingdom 4.  Chandler, AZ
      5. Australia 5.  Louisville, KY
      6. Estonia 6.  Irvine, CA
      7. Norway 7.  Kansas City, KS
      8. Canada 8.  Norfolk, VA
      9. Croatia 9.  Tampa, FL
     10. Lithuania 10. Oklahoma City, OK
      1. Bolivia 1.  Elmhurst, IL
      2.  Chile 2.  Meriden, CT
      3.  Romania 3.  Oklahoma City, OK
      4.  Ecuador 4.  Irvine, CA
      5.  Pakistan 5.  Kansas City, KS
      6.  Peru 6.  Tampa, FL
      7.  Mexico 7.  Chandler, AZ
      8.  Slovenia 8.  Norfolk, VA
      9.  Lithuania 9.  Richardson, TX
     10. Colombia 10. Las Vegas, NV
      1.  Pakistan 1.  Elmhurst, IL
      2.  India 2.  Meriden, CT
      3.  Egypt 3. Kansas City, KS
      4.  Turkey 4.  Louisville, KY
      5.  Algeria 5.  Southfield, MI
      6.  Morocco 6.  Newark, NJ
      7.  Indonesia 7.  Oklahoma City, OK
      8.  Vietnam 8.  Norfolk, VA
      9.  Iran 9.  Irvine, CA
     10. Croatia 10.  Chandler, AZ

 

Internet Pornography Statistics
The amount of pornography on the internet can be difficult to fathom. A total of 4.2 million websites contain pornography. That is 12 percent of the total number of websites. There are 100,000 websites that offer pornography and 1 in 7 youths report being solicited for sex on the internet.

Internet Pornography Statistics
Pornographic websites 4.2 million (12% of total websites)
Pornographic pages 420 million
Daily pornographic search engine requests 68 million (25% of total search engine requests)
Daily pornographic emails 2.5 billion (8% of total emails)
Internet users who view porn 42.7%
Received unwanted exposure to sexual material 34%
Average daily pornographic emails/user 4.5 per Internet user
Monthly Pornographic downloads (Peer-to-peer) 1.5 billion (35% of all downloads)
Daily Gnutella "child pornography" requests 116,000
Websites offering illegal child pornography 100,000
Sexual solicitations of youth made in chat rooms 89%
Youths who received sexual solicitation 1 in 7 (down from 2003 stat of 1 in 3)
Worldwide visitors to pornographic web sites 72 million visitors to pornography: Monthly
Internet Pornography Sales $4.9 billion

  

Children Internet Pornography Statistics
Access to pornography is available from early on. The average age of a child’s first exposure to pornography is 11. A total of 90 percent of children ages 8-16 have viewed pornography online. Pornographers use many character names that appeal to children such as “Pokemon.”

Children Internet Pornography Statistics

Average age of first Internet exposure to pornography 11 years old
Largest consumer of Internet pornography 35 - 49 age group
15-17 year olds having multiple hard-core exposures 80%
8-16 year olds having viewed porn online 90% (most while doing homework)
7-17 year olds who would freely give out home address 29%
7-17 year olds who would freely give out email address 14%
Children's character names linked to thousands of porn links 26 (Including Pokemon and Action Man) 



Adult Internet Pornography Statistics
Pornography consumers access pornography both at work and at home. A total of 40 million U.S. adults regularly visit pornography websites. Ten percent of adults admit to an internet sexual addiction and 20 percent of men say they access pornography at work.

Adult Internet Pornography Statistics
Men admitting to accessing pornography at work 20%
US adults who regularly visit Internet pornography websites 40 million
Promise Keeper men who viewed pornography in last week 53%
Christians who said pornography is a major problem in the home 47%
Adults admitting to Internet sexual addiction 10%
Breakdown of male/female visitors to pornography sites 72% male - 28% female

 

Women and Pornography
According to statistics, men are not the only ones to access pornography at work. A total of 13 percent of women admit to accessing pornography at work. One in three visitors to pornographic websites are women.

Women and Pornography
Women keeping their cyber activities secret 70%
Women struggling with pornography addiction 17%
Ratio of women to men favoring chat rooms 2X
Percentage of visitors to adult websites who are women 1 in 3 visitors
Women accessing adult websites each month 9.4 million
Women admitting to accessing pornography at work 13%
Women, far more than men, are likely to act out their behaviors in real life, such as having multiple partners, casual sex or affairs.

 

Top Pornography Production by Country

The United States is the top producer of video pornography. Notable video pornography producers in the United States include Vivid Entertainment, Hustler, Playboy, Wicked Pictures and Red Light District. Brazil comes in second for video pornography production, facilitated by companies like Frenesi Films, Pau Brazil and MarcoStudio.The United States is the top producer of pornographic web pages by far with 244,661,900 pages or 89 percent. Germany and the United Kingdom follow with 4 and 3 percent, respectively.

Top Video Porn Producers
Country Major Producers
1. United States Vivid Entertainment, Hustler, Playboy, Wicked Pictures, Red Light District
2. Brazil Frenesi Films, Pau Brazil, MarcoStudio
3. The Netherlands Erostream, Midhold Media, Your Choice, Seventeen
4. Spain Private Media Group, Woodman Entertainment
5. Japan Soft on Demand, Moodyz 
6. Russia Beate Uhse, SP-Company, Dolphin Entertainment
7. Germany Trimax, SG-Video, GGG, VideoRama, Zip Production
8. United Kingdom Hot Rod Productions, JoyBear Pictures, Blue Juice TV, Rude Britannia, Fresh SX 
9. Canada Wild Rose Productions, Eromodel Group, Dugmor
10. Australia Pistol Media 
Other Notables
Sweden Maxs Video 
Italy Adamo Entertainment 
Denmark Color Climax Corporation
France Euro Choc, Eil du Cochon, Ragtime, Video Marc Dorce, JTC Video, Colmax, Cadinot 
Switzerland Gordi Films, Ikarus
Belgium GM Videos 
Romania Floyd-Agency 
Portugal Natural Video 
Israel Sex Style 
Serbia Hexor 
Czech-Republic Lupus Pictures, Bel Ami 
 
Top U.S. Erotica Important Cities
Cities Importance
1. Los Angeles Adult Production Companies
2. Las Vegas Adult Stars, Sin City Chamber of Commerce
3. New York Adult Entrepreneurs, Erotica
4. Chicago Playboy
5. San Francisco Adult Websites, Adult Companies
6. Miami/South Florida Adult Websites, Penthouse
7. Seattle/Pacific Northwest Adult Websites
8. San Diego Adult Websites, Strip Clubs
9. Phoenix /Tucson/ Scottsdale Club Jenna, Erotica
10. Hillsborough, NC. Adam & Eve
11. Boulder, CO. New Frontier
12. Pittsburgh DVD Sales
13. Portland Strip Club
   
Top Pornography Banning Countries
Saudia Arabia, Iran, Syria, Bahrain, Egypt, UAE, Kuwait, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Kenya, India, Cuba, China

 

 

 

 

Country Porn Pages
U.S. 244,661,900
Germany 10,030,200
United Kingdom 8,506,800
Australia 5,655,800
Japan 2,700,800
The Netherlands 1,883,800
Russia 1,080,600
Poland 1,049,600
Spain 852,800
 

 

 

Adult Video Sales and Rentals
Adult video sales and rentals have increased in general over the years. In the United States 405 million videos were sold or rented in 1992. That number rose to 957 million in 2006.

U.S. Adult Video Sales and Rentals



 

Year $$$ (Billions) Units (Millions)
1992 $1.60 405
1993 $2.10 450
1994 $2.50 499
1995 $3.10 515
1996 $3.90 602
1997 $4.20 675
1998 $4.10 697
1999 $4.05 680
2000 $4.02 703
2001 $3.95 705
2002 $4.04 760
2003 $4.13 800
2004 $4.21 880
2005 $4.28 895
2006 $3.62 957

 

Hardcore Pornography Titles Released

The number of hardcore pornography videos released in the United States has grown from 1,300 titles in 1988 to 13,588 in 2005. There have been minor peaks and valleys but essentially the growth in production has been steady.

U.S. Hardcore Pornography Titles Released
Year Titles
1988 1,300
1989 1,350
1990 1,340
1991 1,505
1992 2,200
1993 2,400
1994 3,200
1995 5,700
1996 8,000
1997 8,000
1998 9,200
1999 10,300
2000 11,500
2001 10,900
2002 11,700
2003 11,400
2004 12,000
2005 13,588

 

Internet Pornography User Demographics

Pornography consumers are divided fairly evenly by age but not by income.

Those making more than $75,000 a year represent 35 percent of those purchasing pornography. Another 26 percent of pornography consumers make $50,000-75,000 per year.

Age is not a major factor. Pornography consumers are fairly evenly divided. The 35 to 44-year-old age group consumes the most pornography in the United States (26 percent) and 18-24-year-olds purchase the least (14 percent).

 

U.S. Adult Internet User Demographics - Income
Income %
Under $15K 6.23%
$15K-$25K 6.59%
$25K-$35K 9.55%
$35K-$50K 16.59%
$50K-$75K 25.58%
$75K+ 35.30%

 

US Adult Internet User Demographics - Age
Age %
18-24 13.61%
25-34 19.90%
35-44 25.50%
45-54 20.67%
55+ 20.32%
   
   
   
   

 

 

Corporate Profiles of Pornography Producers

Pornography producers vary widely in size and are located around the world. Most companies create more than one product, from magazines to websites to movies. The corporations are profiled here by company and include a cross-section of attributes and in some cases revenue and net income.
 

Playboy Enterprises (NYSE:PLA)
Location: Chicago, Illinois
Founded: 1953
Employees: 725
CEO: Christie Hefner
Properties:  Playboy, Playmate, Spice
Content: 2,800 hours of programming
TV/Movie Networks: 23-US, Europe, Asia, Australia, New Zealand, Israel, Japan, Latin America, Brazil
Network Households: 167.1 Million
Magazine Subscriptions: 4 Million monthly copies
  2006 2005 2004 2003
Revenue $331,100,000 $338,100,000 $329,400,000 $315,800,000
Net Income $2,300,000 ($700,000) $10,000,000 ($7,600,000)

 

New Frontier Media (NASDAQ:NOOF)
Location: Boulder, Colorado
Employees 143
CEO Michael Weiner
Properties: Ten, Pleasure, MRG Entertainment, Ten.com, iGallery
Content: 350 hours of programming
TV/Movie Networks: 8
Network Households: 93,000,000 (2006)  80,133,000 (2005)  62,970,000 (2004)
  2006 2005 2004 2003
Revenue: $46,851,000 $46,277,000 $42,878,000 $36,747,000
Net Income: $11,283,000 $11,122,000 $10,913,000 ($11,895,000)

 

Private Media Group (NASDAQ:PRVT)
Location: Barcelona, Spain
Founded: 1965
Employees: 135
CEO: Berth Milton
Properties: Private.com, PrivateSpeed.com, PRVT.com, PrivateHome.com
Content: 2 Million photos, 900 Titles
TV/Movie Networks: 8
Network Households: 28 Million
Distribution: 462 Publications - 2 Million Magazines in 40 countries - 2 Million DVD's/VHS
  60 Million Internet Page Views Per Month
  2006 (9 Months) 2005 2004 2003
Revenue: $27,730,000 $32,673,000 $35,612,000 $38,491,000
Net Income: $1,259,000 $59,000 ($837,000) ($570,000)

 

Penthouse Media Group
Founded: 1965
CEO: Marc H. Bell
Properties: Penthouse, PenthouseStore, SexyJamie, PenthouseCelebs, Variations.com
Distribution: 2,000,000 Magazine subscriptions in 45 Countries - 12 International Editions: US, Australia, Dutch, German, Greek, Hungary, New Zealand, Russian, Spanish, Thai, Ukrainian, UK 30 Million Internet Page Views Per Month, 2.5 Million Unique Visitors/Month

 

Dennis Publishing
Location: London, UK
Employees: 135
CEO: James Tye
Properties: Maxim, Stuff, Inside Edge, Blender
Distribution: 2.5 Million Magazines - UK and 30 other countries
2005 Revenue: $106,100,000
Net Income: ($300,000)

 

Vivid Entertainment
Location: Los Angeles, Califorina
Co-CEOs: Steve Hirsch, David James, Bill Asher
Industry: One of the Top Adult Film Producers
2005 Revenue: $100,000,000

 

Larry Flynt Productions
Location: Beverly Hills, California
CEO: Larry Flynt
Properties: Hustler, Hustler.com
Distribution: 500,000 Magazines

 

Beate Uhse (Frankfurt Stock Exchange)
Location: Germany and 13 other countries
Founded: 1946
Employees: 1,500
CEO: Otto Christian Lindemann
Properties: beate-uhse.com, sex.de, Sex and Erotica Products
Distribution: Exports to 60 Countries - 5 million items sent each year from 3 million orders
  2006 (9 Months) 2005 2004 2003
Revenue: $271,000,000 $369,000,000 $354,000,000 $344,000,000
Net Incom:e $32,000,000 $41,400,000 $34,700,000 $40,800,000

Sources:
Statistics are compiled from the credible sources mentioned below. In reality, statistics are hard to ascertain and may be estimated by local and regional worldwide sources.

ABC, Associated Press, AsiaMedia, AVN, BBC, CATW, U.S. Census, Central Intelligence Agency, China Daily, Chosen.com, Comscore Media Metrix, Crimes Against Children, Eros, Forbes, Frankfurt Stock Exchange, Free Speech Coalition, Google, Harris Interactive, Hitwise, Hoover's, Japan Inc., Japan Review, Juniper Research, Kagan Research, ICMEC, Jan LaRue, The Miami Herald, MSN, Nielsen/NetRatings, The New York Times, Nordic Institute, PhysOrg.com, PornStudies, Pravda, Sarmatian Review, SEC filings, Secure Computing Corp., SMH, TopTenREVIEWS, Trellian, WICAT, Yahoo!, XBIZ

 
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