Worldwide 2021 In 2021,
Ipsos interviewed people in 27 countries spanning all continents on their sexual orientation and gender identity. For some countries the samples were weighed for representativity, but in others with less internet access, they skewed more urban. In this survey, on average about 80% of people worldwide identified as heterosexual, 3% as gay, lesbian or homosexual, 4% as bisexual, 1% as pansexual or omnisexual, 1% as asexual, 1% as "other", and 11% don't know or won't say. Results indicated that significant differences in sexual identity have emerged between generations across the globe, with the youngest group, or
Generation Z, being more likely to identify as bisexual (9%) than
Millennials (4%),
Generation X (3%) and
Boomers (2%). Generation Z and Millennials were also more likely to identify as homosexual, with 4% and 3% doing so respectively, compared to 2% of Generation X and 1% of Boomers. In addition, the survey found that men are more likely than women to identify as homosexual (4% vs. 1%).
Australia 2001–2002 The then largest and most thorough survey in Australia was conducted by telephone interview with 19,307 respondents between the ages of 16 and 59 in 2001/2002. The study found that 97.4% of men identified as heterosexual, 1.6% as homosexual and 0.9% as bisexual. For women 97.7% identified as heterosexual, 0.8% as
lesbian and 1.4% as bisexual. Nevertheless, 8.6% of men and 15.1% of women reported either feelings of attraction to the same gender or some sexual experience with the same gender. Overall, 8.6% of women and 5.9% of men reported some homosexual experience in their lives; these figures fell to 5.7% and 5.0% respectively when non-genital sexual experience was excluded. Half the men and two thirds of the women who had same-sex sexual experience regarded themselves as heterosexual rather than homosexual.
2012–2013 An update on the above study; it employs the same methodology, has a larger sample (20,055 respondents), Homosexuals accounted for 1.9% of the male population and 1.2% of the female population, a non-significant difference between the sexes. Bisexuals accounted for 1.3% of the male population and 2.2% of the female population. Women were significantly more likely than men to identify as bisexual, and less likely to report exclusively other-sex or same-sex attraction and experience. Similarly, more women reported same-sex experience and same-sex attraction. Nine percent of men and 19% of women had some history of same-sex attraction or experience. More women identified as lesbian or bisexual than in 2001–02. Homosexual/gay identity was more common among men with university education and living in cities, and much less common among men with blue-collar jobs. Both male and female bisexuality were more common among respondents under the age of 20. Male bisexuality was also overrepresented among men in their sixties.
2014 In interviews with 180,000 Australians aged 14+,
Roy Morgan Research reported in 2014 that 4.1% of men and 2.8% of women identified as homosexual. Men outnumbered women among homosexuals in all age groups. For both sexes, the share identifying as homosexual was highest in the 20–29 age group. The 2014 General Social Survey, conducted by the Australian Bureau of Statistics, estimated that over half a million people, or 3% of the adult population, identified as gay, lesbian, or 'other'.
2020 A study conducted by
BioMed Central estimated that 3.6% of males and 3.4% of females were gay, lesbian, bisexual, or another sexual minority.
Austria A 2018 study reported that the percentage of people identifying as homosexual or bisexual in Austria was 6.2% (broken into 5.5% for males and 6.8% for females).
Brazil 1998 In a sample of 2,054 Brazilians aged 18 to 60 years of age, the
Datafolha pollster found that 14% (or 15% of men and 13% of women) feel at least some same-sex attraction, while 70% did not feel any such attraction; the remaining 16% did not answer the question. Seventy-four percent of Brazilians said they never had a homosexual experience, 16% refused to answer the question, and 9% said they had some homosexual experience. The percentage with homosexual experience was higher among men (14%) than among women (5%), and higher also among those with more formal education (15%), singles (12%), and Northeasterners (11%). The non-religious (18%) and
Pentecostal Protestants (11%) were more likely to have had homosexual experiences than Catholics (8%).
2013 In an Ibope survey with a sample of 2,363 Brazilian
Internet users weighted for national representativity, 83% declared themselves heterosexual, 7% homosexual, 5% bisexual, 1% other, and 4% refused to disclose their orientation. Twice as many male internet users as females identified as gay or bisexual (16% vs. 8%). People aged 18–29 were the most likely to identify as non-heterosexual (15%), followed by those aged 30–49 (10%). Only 5% of the population aged 50 or more consider themselves gay or bisexual. Among non-heterosexuals, 42% said they had no religion, compared to 13% of the heterosexual population. The Class B (middle class) had the highest percentage of non-heterosexuals (14%), followed by Class A (upper class, 11%). Classes C and D (lower–middle and low classes) had 10% gays and bisexuals. Among the Brazilian regions,
Northern Brazil had the lowest percentage of non-heterosexuals (2%). All other regions had percentages at or above 10%, with the
Center-West reporting the highest (14%).
Czech Republic 2015–2016 In 2015, around 7% of men and 10% of women identified as gay, according to a survey of around 30,000 people by the
Faculty of Science at Charles University in
Prague. However, it was a survey of sexual behaviour of Czechs and took about 90 minutes to complete, so only highly motivated people completed the survey.
2023–2024 According to a CzechSex research conducted by the
National Institute of Mental Health (), 3.1% of Czechs identify as bisexual, 2.0% as gay, and 0.6% as lesbian. An additional 0.3% of respondents selected "other," while both asexuality and pansexuality were each reported by 0.1%. 0.7% said they didn't know yet, while 1.9% people indicated they don't understand the question. The representative research combined online (4,660 respondents) and face-to-face survey (2,009 respondents), aged 18 to 75. It also focused on topics such as sexual disorders, pornography, partner seeking or first sexual intercourse.
Denmark A random survey found that 2.7% of the 1,373 men who responded to their questionnaire had homosexual experience (intercourse).
France 1992 A study of 20,055 people found that 4.1% of the men and 2.6% of the women had at least one occurrence of sexual relations with a person of the same sex during their lifetime.
2011 In a nationally representative online survey of 7,841 French adults carried out by
IFOP in early 2011, 6.6% of respondents identified as homosexual (3.6%) or bisexual (3%), and 90.8% as heterosexual. Compared to the heterosexual population, the homosexual population was much more likely to be male, single, and younger than 65, as well as to be living alone. Homosexuals were more likely to be economically active and work in "superior intellectual professions" but on average had a smaller household income. They were also more likely to be residing in big cities, especially in the region of Paris. The bisexual population had fewer statistically significant deviations from the heterosexual population, resembling the heterosexuals on some measures, homosexuals on others, or being at a midpoint on still some others. However, they were more likely to be aged 18–24 than the other two groups. Like homosexuals, they were also more likely to be single. In another IFOP survey of 9,515 French adults conducted later that same year, 6.5% of the sample identified as homosexual (3%) or bisexual (3.5%). Among LGBs, men outnumbered women by more than 2 to 1.
2014 Based in a survey with about 10,000 respondents, IFOP estimated that 90% of French people are heterosexual, 3% identify as bisexual, and 4% consider themselves homosexual. Two percent say they have not embraced a definition for their sexuality, and 1% did not wish to respond. More women than men are heterosexual (93%
versus 86%), whereas more men than women identify as homosexual (7% v. 1%) and to a lesser extent bisexual (4% v. 2%). A homosexual or bisexual identity was more common in people aged 18–49 (9%) than among those aged 50–64 (6%) or over 65 (4%). More singles than people in relationships identified as homo- or bisexual (11% v. 6%). An LGB identity is also more common among people who said they have had more than 10 sex partners or none at all compared to those who have had intermediary levels of sexual experience. Catholics are more likely to identify as heterosexual (91%) than people who said they had some other religion or no religion whatsoever (88% each).
2016 A female-only survey found that 4% of French women identify as gay or bisexual. In another IFOP survey of
Paris residents, 79% of men and 70% of women identified as heterosexual, 13% of men and 15% of women as homosexual, and 7% of men and 18% of women as bisexual.
Germany 2015 According to Yougov, the following is how German adults are distributed along the
Kinsey scale (by age):
2016 In a nationally representative, face-to-face survey with over 2,500 Germans (55% female), it was found that 86% of men and 82% of women identify as exclusively heterosexual, 3% of men and 4% of women are mostly heterosexual, 1% of each sex declared themselves bisexual, and 1.5% as predominantly or exclusively homosexual. Other sexual orientations were reported by 3% of men and 4% of women. One percent of each sex was uncertain. Four percent of men and 7% of women gave no answer.
2017 A female-only survey found that 5% of German women identify as lesbian or bisexual. In 2018, a research called "
Forbidden Tale"
A comprehensive study on lesbian, gay, bisexuals (LGB) in Iran showed that in
Iranian laws, for the reason of facing punishment such as flogging and imprisonment, male homosexuals refuse to publicly announce their sexual identity. On the other hand,
social pressures and the fear of being rejected or judged have caused homosexuals to start a semi-secret life in Iran.
Ireland 2006 A study of the responses of 7,441 individuals, conducted by the
ESRI, found that 2.7% of men and 1.2% of women self-identified as homosexual or bisexual. A question based on a variant of the
Kinsey scale found that 5.3% of men and 5.8% of women reported some same-sex attraction. Of those surveyed, 7.1% of men and 4.7% of women reported a homosexual experience some time in their life so far. It also found that 4.4% of men and 1.4% of women reported a "genital same-sex experience" (oral or anal sex, or any other genital contact) in their life so far. The study was commissioned and published by the Crisis Pregnancy Agency in partnership with the
Department of Health and Children.
Israel 2012 In a sample representative of the Israeli Jewish population aged 18 to 44, it was found that 11.3% of men and 15.2% of women self-reported attraction to the same gender, 10.2% and 8.7% reported lifetime same-gender encounters, while 8.2% and 4.8% self-identified as gay or bisexual men and lesbian or bisexual women, respectively. A non-heterosexual identity was more common in
Tel Aviv than in other parts of the country and, among men, it was also correlated with younger age.
2015 In a survey employing the
Kinsey scale, 4.5% of non-religious Israelis placed themselves on points 5 or 6 on the scale, indicating a homosexual orientation with minor or non-existent opposite-sex attraction, and 91.5% placed themselves on points 0 or 1, which indicates a heterosexual orientation with minor or non-existent same-sex attraction. In the category of young adults, aged 18 to 24, 7.4% placed themselves on Kinsey points 5 or 6, and 80% on points 0 or 1. Compared to the larger population, more young adults also placed themselves on point 3 of the Kinsey scale, meaning that equal attraction to both sexes (4.2%
versus 1%), and on point 2, meaning a mostly heterosexual orientation with major homosexual attraction (7.4% v. 2.3%). Point 4 of the Kinsey scale, indicating a mostly homosexual orientation with major heterosexual attraction, contained a similar share of young adults and all adults (1.1% v. 0.7%).
Italy 2011 A random survey of 7,725 Italians (18–74 years old) conducted by the
National Institute of Statistics between June and December 2011 with
CAPI technique found that about 2.4% of the population declared to be homosexual or bisexual, 77% heterosexual, 0.1% transsexual, 4% reported to be "other", 15.6% did not answer. An extended survey including all the people that during their lives fell or are in love with a same-sex individual, or that had sexual intercourse with a same-sex individual, increases the percentage to 6.7% of the population. More men than women, more northerners than southerners, more younger than older people identified themselves as homosexuals. Members of 7725 families spread over 660 Italian municipalities took part in the survey.
2016 A female-only survey found that 1% of Italian women identify as gay or bisexual.
2015 Dentsu's new estimate for the LGBT population of Japan was 7.6% for people aged 20 to 59.
2018 Dentsu's new estimate for the LGBT population of Japan was 8.9% for people aged 20 to 59.
Mexico 2017 According to a nationally representative study organized by
Kantar TNS, 88% of Mexican men aged 18 to 30 years identify as heterosexual, 6% as homosexual, 5% as bisexual, and 1% as other.
Netherlands 2001 In a face-to-face survey carried out by the Dutch National Survey of General Practice, of the 4,229 men with a valid answer to the sexual orientation question, 1.5% self-identified as gay, 0.6% as bisexual and 97.9% as heterosexual. Of the 5,282 women, 1.5% self-identified as lesbian, 1.2% as bisexual, and 97.3% as heterosexual.
2016 A female-only survey found that 8% of Dutch women identify as gay or bisexual.
2023 A 2024 study by
Statistics Netherlands analyzed the data from the "Veiligheidsmonitor 2023", a periodic population-based study of safety, livability and victimization of common crime. It estimates that about 18% (2.7 million people) of the Dutch population are LGBTQIA. It further estimates that 17% (2.5 million) of Dutch people have a non-heterosexual orientation, 1% (151 thousand) is transgender/nonbinary/genderqueer and 0.3% (45 thousand) are intersex people. 11% are reported to be "bi-plus" (or bisexual), 2% homosexual men, 1% asexual women, 1% homosexual women and 1% asexual men. Furthermore, 1% of people stated that they don't know who they are attracted to (yet).
New Zealand 2007 In an anonymous survey of 8,000 New Zealand secondary school students conducted by the
University of Auckland, 0.9% of those surveyed reported exclusive attraction to the same sex, 3.3% to both sexes and 1.8% to neither.
1993–2011 The Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Study is a prospective study that looked at changes in sexual behavior, attraction, and identity among around 1,000 New Zealanders born in 1972 or 1973. Samples were first interviewed in 1993, when they were 21, and again at ages 26, 32, and 38, in 2010/2011. The study found a strong decrease in the share of women who self-reported exclusive heterosexual attraction from age 21 (88.3%) to age 26 (82.5%), but a small increase at age 32 (84.2%) and again at 38 (87.6%). By contrast, among men, the share self-reporting exclusive heterosexual attraction remained largely stable between ages 21 (94.9%) and 32 (94.2%), with a small decrease at age 38 (92.9%). Sexual identity was only assessed at ages 32 and 38. At age 32, 0.9% of women and 1.3% of men self-identified as gay, and 2.9% of women and 1.7% of men as bisexual. Additionally, 1.5% of women and 2.2% of men identified as "other". At age 38, 1.1% of women and 1.7% of men self-identified as gay, and 2.6% of women and 3% of men as bisexual, with 1.1% of women and 0.2% of men identifying as "other". While sexual attraction changed more for women than for men, changes among men were more consistently to greater homosexuality, while changes among women past age 26 occurred equally in both directions (i.e., to both more and less heterosexual attraction). Researchers discussed several factors behind the changes, from age effects to cultural effects, with homosexuality, especially female homosexuality, becoming more socially acceptable in the West in the 1990s and 2000s.
2013–2014 According to results from the fifth wave of the New Zealand Attitudes and Values Study, which interviewed over 14,000 people about their sexual orientation, 94.3% of New Zealanders identify as heterosexual, 2.6% as gay or lesbian, 1.8% as bisexual, 0.6% as bicurious, 0.5% as
pansexual, and 0.3% as asexual. No gender differences were found in the share of New Zealanders identifying as heterosexual (94.1% of men and 94.4% of women) or pansexual (0.5% of both men and women), but men were more likely to identify as gay (3.5%) than women (1.8%), and women were more likely than men to identify as bisexual (2.1%
versus 1.5%), bicurious (0.7% v. 0.4%) and asexual (0.4% v. 0.1%). Women in all the non-heterosexual categories were significantly younger than women in the heterosexual category. Men in the gay, bisexual, and bicurious categories were also significantly younger than heterosexual men.
Norway 1988 In a random survey of 6,300 Norwegians, 3.5% of the men and 3% of the women reported that they had a homosexual experience sometime in their life.
2003 In an anonymous survey of 1,971 male high school students performed in 2003, 1% self-reported having had a boyfriend and 2% having fallen in love with a man.
Poland A volunteer-based research of adult Poles showed that different modes of survey produce significant differences in the share of people who admit homosexual attraction. In paper-based surveys, 6% of respondents self-reported same-sex attraction, compared to 12% of online respondents. There were no other significant differences in other aspects of sexual life, and the two sets of volunteers were similar in age, education, and geographical location. Another study showed that 4.9% of Poles identified as LGBT (5.5% for males and 4.3% for females).
Portugal 2005 A national survey from 2005 by Eurosondagem for the weekly national newspaper
Expresso, estimated that about 9.9% (1 million) of the Portuguese people are homosexual or bisexual. This study used anonymous and confidential surveys. For people more than 15 years old, 7% stated that they are homosexual, 2.9% that they are bisexual and 90.1% are heterosexual. Among those who indicate that they are homosexual or bisexual, there was no major difference between men (7.3% and 2.8%) and women (6.8% and 3%) respectively. Only about 50% of LGB people in Portugal are socially open about their sexual orientation.
2012 Another survey from 2012 for the same weekly newspaper, with 1,220 respondents more than 18 years old, used a 100 question survey about sexuality. They found that 77.5% are exclusively heterosexual, 2.1% are predominantly heterosexual, 0.6% are bisexual, 0.4% are predominantly homosexual and 1.6% are exclusively homosexual. 17.8% preferred not to answer about their sexual orientation. Of those who identified as heterosexual, 5.7% claimed to have already kissed, 1.3% claimed to feel attraction, and 1% claimed to have already had sex with someone of the same sex.
South Africa In a 2016 report titled: 'Progressive Prudes: A Survey of Attitudes towards Homosexuality and Gender Non-
Conformity in
South Africa' produced by the Other Foundation and the
Human Sciences Research Council, found that 530,000 men and women of all population groups, both rural and urban dwelling, and across age groups, self-identify as either
homosexual,
bisexual, or
gender non-conforming.
South Korea In 2019, an
OECD report noted that "Korea does not have any nationally representative survey that includes a survey question on self-identification as heterosexual, homosexual, or bisexual, nor does it collect information on the share of transgender people among the adult population."
Spain 2016 A female-only survey found that 6% of Spanish women identify as gay or bisexual.
Sri Lanka 2021 A flagship survey conducted by
Equal Ground, a leading
queer rights organization in Sri Lanka identified that approximately 12% of Sri Lanka's adult population identifies as
LGBTQ+, with 8% identifying as bisexual, 0.5% as gay, 0.5% as lesbian, 1% as transgender, and 2% as "other".
Sweden In an anonymous survey of 1,978 male high school students performed in 2003, respondents answered a question regarding same-sex attraction by choosing a number in a 5-point
Likert scale (1 = no and 5 = strong). Those who marked the number 5 made up 4% of the sample and those who marked the numbers 3 or 4, presented by researchers as self-reporting "some" same-sex attraction, 7 percent.
Thailand According to 2018 estimates from LGBT Capital, there were about 4.2 million LGBT people in Thailand. estimations
United Kingdom 1992 A study of 8,337 British men found that 6.1% have had a "homosexual experience" and 3.6% had "1+ homosexual partner ever."
2005 HM Treasury and the Department of Trade and Industry completed a survey to help the government analyse the financial implications of the Civil Partnerships Act (such as pensions, inheritance and tax benefits). They concluded that there were 3.6 million gay people in
Britain—around 6% of the total population or 1 in 16.66 people.
2008 In a survey of around 1,000 Britons using a self-completed questionnaire, 2% of the total sample identified as bisexual, 4% as homosexual, and 92% as heterosexual.
2009 In an online survey with over 75,000
YouGov panelists in Britain, 90.9% identified as heterosexual, 5.8% as gay, lesbian or bisexual, 1.3% opted not to give an answer, and 2.1% gave other reasons. The sample was recruited to closely match the overall British population on demographic variables such as age, gender, employment status and socio-economic classification.
2014 In an anonymous online sex survey carried out by
The Observer on the sex lives of the British, 4% of the 1,052 samples surveyed identified as gay or lesbian, and another 4% as bisexual. In a nationally representative
Survation study of 1,003 British women, 92% identified as heterosexual, 1.6% as gay or lesbian, 3.5% as bisexual, 0.3% as other, and 2.6% refused to disclose their sexual orientation. Sexual orientation appeared to be linked with age. Millennial women, aged 18–34, were significantly more likely to identify as bisexual (6.6%) than women aged 35–54 (1.4%) or older women (0.7%). Age differences were smaller for lesbian identity, but the pattern was the same, with 1.9% younger women identifying as lesbian, compared with 1.6% of middle aged and 1.3% of older women. Heterosexual identity followed the opposite pattern, being highest among older women (95.3%) and lowest among Millennials (89.1%). Sexual identity was also strongly correlated with childlessness, with 9.6% of childless women identifying as gay or bisexual, compared with 3.6% of women with underage children, and 0.5% of women with adult children.
2015 In a YouGov survey of 1,632 adults, 5.5% identified as gay, 2.1% as bisexual, and 88.7% as heterosexual. Asked to place themselves on the
Kinsey scale, 72% of all adults, and 46% of adults aged 18–24 years, picked a score of zero, meaning that they identify as totally heterosexual. Four percent of the total sample, and 6% of young adults, picked a score of six, meaning a totally homosexual identity. Sex researcher
Simon LeVay criticized this survey as unreliable because the respondents were not
randomly sampled from the entire population. Annual Population Survey reported over 1 million (2.0%) of the UK population aged 16 and over identified as Lesbian, Gay or Bisexual (LGB). This represented a statistically significant increase from 1.7% in 2015.
2017 In a
Survation poll on adults aged 40–70, 92.5% identified as heterosexual, 3.5% as gay, 2.4% as bisexual, 0.5% as Other and 1% did not want to reveal their sexual orientation. Those under 60 were less likely to identify as heterosexual than those aged 60–70. A gay identity was more common among men (6.1%) than women (1%), and the opposite was true of heterosexuality (men: 89.9%, women: 95%). No differences were found in the share identifying as bisexual (2.4%
versus 2.5%). London had a higher share of middle aged or older people identifying as gay (8%) or bisexual (6%) than other parts of the country. According to a nationally representative study organized by
Kantar TNS, 87% of British men aged 18 to 30 years identify as heterosexual, 7% as homosexual, 5% as bisexual, and 2% as other. found that British people aged 16–22 (also called
Generation Z) have lower odds to identify as exclusively straight (66%) than those who belong to the
Millennial generation (71%),
Generation X (85%), or
Baby boomers (88%). Within Generation Z, there were several important gender differences in sexual identity: young men were more likely to identify as completely heterosexual than young women (73% v. 59%) whereas young women had higher chances to identify as non-exclusively straight (19%) and bisexual (14%) than young men (10% and 5%, respectively). There were no significant gender differences in the share identifying as predominantly or exclusively homosexual (5% for each sex), but Generation Z men were significantly more likely to refuse to disclose their sexual orientation (7%) than their female counterparts (3%). Significantly more white youth identified as exclusively homosexual (3%) than those of ethnic minority backgrounds (0%) but no other ethnic differences were found. Exclusively heterosexual youths were also less likely to describe themselves as fairly or very active in politics, but they were more likely to believe that they enjoy a better life than Millennials. Among older adults, there were no differences in the share of men (82%) and women (80%) identifying as exclusively heterosexual. But more women than men identified as mostly heterosexual (11% v. 6%), while more men than women identified as exclusively homosexual (4% v. 2%) and mostly homosexual (2% v. 0.4%). Exclusive heterosexuals were more likely to have voted "Leave" on the
2016 UK referendum to leave the European Union, whereas mostly heterosexuals and exclusive homosexuals were overrepresented among "Remain" voters.
2019 The Annual Population Survey reported that an estimated 2.7% of the population aged 16 or over identified as lesbian, gay, or bisexual.
2021 For the first time, the
2021–2022 United Kingdom censuses included a question on sexual orientation.
United States The demographics of sexual orientation and
gender identity in the United States have been studied in the social sciences in recent decades. A 2017
Gallup poll concluded that 4.5% of adult Americans identified as
LGBT with 5.1% of women identifying as LGBT, compared with 3.9% of men. A different survey in 2016, from the
Williams Institute, estimated that 0.6% of U.S. adults identify as transgender. According to an estimate based on UNAIDS 2018 data, there are at least 4.5 million gay or bisexual men in the United States. Data scientist
Seth Stephens-Davidowitz reported that the actual prevalence of gay men does not appear to vary between states in the U.S. because the percentage of Internet porn searches that are for gay male porn are nearly the same in all states, about 5 percent. Stephens-Davidowitz argues that in states where there is a
social stigma against homosexuality that "many more gay men are in the closet than are out". Less than ten years following the
United States v. Windsor (2013) and
Obergefell v. Hodges (2015)
U.S. Supreme Court decisions, Gallup found that
nationwide public support for same-sex marriage had increased to 70% in 2021 while
same-sex married couples accounted for 0.5% of all U.S. households and unmarried same-sex couples accounted for 0.4% of all U.S. households in the
2020 United States census. == Major cities ==