Sex Toy Search Trends 2022: Europe overtakes US

The sex toys market is growing at an annual rate of approximately 7.6% and is expected to reach 54.6 billion by 2026. This shows that the stigma around the use of sex toys is being broken, and they are slowly becoming commonplace in daily life.

Sex appeal has become an important part of popular culture and social media, and many retail and pharmaceutical giants sell sex products in brick-and-mortar stores, further increasing the popularity and exposure of the sex industry and promoting its de-stigmatization.

When talking about sexual health and general well-being, professionals often emphasize the importance of practicing safe sex. This also includes the use of sex toys, which can often provide a safer alternative to single-use sexual contact. This is especially true during the Covid-19 pandemic, when casual dating is impossible and people turn to sex toys to unleash their sexual energy.

Online search for "sex toys" statistics

In this study, we looked at search volumes of the 4 most popular sex toy type keywords: vibrators, dildos, cock rings , and male masturbators (penis sleeves), as well as generic search terms commonly used to search for the entire sex toy keyword (sextoy). All keywords are researched in English and each language used in European countries.

Key Findings

 

Swedes research sex toys 41.7% more than any other country in Europe and 56.7% more than any state in the USA.Swedish people research the term "sex toys" more than twice as much as any other country in Europe and more than three times as much as any state in the USA. Estonia has the most research on vibrators, with an average of 326.6 searches per month. This is 3 times the average monthly search volume of 103 searches in Louisiana, the highest number in the USA. Monthly searches for dildos are the most popular in Norway at 285.4 times. The top U.S. state is Alaska, with 181 monthly searches. The popularity of penis rings is similar in Europe and the United States, with Maine and Iceland topping the list with an average of 111 and 99.5 monthly searches, respectively. The regions with the most searches for masturbation sleeves were Oregon and Switzerland, with 240 and 221.9 searches, respectively. Search volume does correlate with income, but in the U.S. and Europe the correlations are reversed: GDP and average income correlate with searches for sex toys, with slightly higher interest in sex toys in less affluent U.S. states. Europe showed stronger correlations, but in the opposite direction, with higher search volumes in richer country regions.

Summary: Nordic countries, especially Sweden, are far ahead

To get an idea of overall interest in sex toys, we added together the search volumes for all the keywords we researched. This value is then divided into the population of the corresponding state or country. The last number shows the estimated average monthly searches per 100,000 adults.

Data shows that Swedes have the highest overall interest in sex toys. The runner-up is Denmark, which is 41.7% lower than Sweden. The remaining three countries in the top 5 are the UK, Norway and Finland, which have almost twice as many searches.In the U.S., however, there is little difference between states, and no state stands out significantly. The top 5 included West Virginia, Oklahoma, Alaska, Maine and Mississippi. Nordic countries have the most searches for "sextoy" (sex toys)

Generic Sex Toy Keywords Dominated by Northern Countries

We counted how many people searched for the term "sextoy" and other synonyms that are more popular in certain countries (such as "erotic goods"). In this case, we found that Swedes again showed the highest interest in sex toys. In Sweden, people study the word twice as often as any other country in Europe and more than three times as often as any state in the USA. In the state-by-state comparison for the USA, it is clear that the results are similar, without any state significantly dominant. In the US, Mississippi, West Virginia and Maine round out the top three. In Europe, the top three countries are Sweden, Denmark and Norway.

Estonia is the most searched country for "Vibrators", 3 times more than any state in the US.

Vibrators are the most popular sex toy in the world. They make up about 39% of the entire sex toy market. The top three European countries include Estonia, Poland and the Netherlands. U.S. states were very close in searches, with Louisiana at No. 1, Mississippi in runner-up, and Oklahoma, Texas and Wyoming tied for third.

Norway and Sweden have the most searches for Dildos

Just like vibrators, dildos lead the sex toy market with a 21% market share. Dildos are more popular in Europe than in the US, with Norway, Sweden and Denmark leading the way. In the U.S., Alaska has the most searches for dildos, trailing West Virginia and North Carolina.

Penis Rings are similar in popularity in Europe and America

 

The most searched countries in Europe (relative to their population) include Iceland, Hungary and the Netherlands. In the U.S., penis rings are most searched for in Maine, Alaska, and West Virginia. If the two regions are combined, U.S. states dominate, with only one country in Europe making the top 5.

Masturbation Sleeves

The most searched countries in Europe are Switzerland, the United Kingdom and Finland. In the United States, Oregon, New Mexico and Oklahoma are in the top 3. Historically, sex toys have mostly been seen as an industry aimed at women. That has changed recently, with masturbation cup condoms and male masturbators becoming one of the fastest-growing products in the sex toy industry.

This significant growth may contribute to the growing popularity of male sex toys in general, as condoms are a gateway to both manufacturers and consumers. The industry saw potential, and consumers found a gateway product to a market that might be perceived as negatively biased.