Infidelity is more common than you might think. If you’ve ever had someone cheat on you, don’t shoulder all the blame.
Sometimes there is blame on both sides, but sometimes people just cheat.
The following infidelity demographics will discuss things you need to know about cheating.
Throughout history infidelity has been associated with being taboo.
It’s definitely not a victimless activity.
Adults, children, and everyone involved will suffer harm one way or another when cheating on a partner occurs.
We will also discuss what cheating is and its basic definition and extended definitions.
The hurt is emotional, but it can and sometimes does result in physical problems.
Let’s see what the demographics and statistics say about infidelity.
Key Infidelity Demographics
- 20% of men and 13% of women surveyed said they engaged in sexual congress with someone other than their spouse.
- Statistics show that 40% of men and 30% of women engage in “cyber cheating”.
- 44% of women are more apt to engage in infidelity with someone their spouse knows than men.
- Between 1990 and 2023, there has been a rise in women cheating by 40%.
- 45% of men say they have had an emotional affair compared to 35% of women.
- 40% of women say they cheat to find out if they are still desirable.
- 70% of unmarried couples and 20% of married couples are more apt to cheat on their partner.
- Overall, 70% of all married Americans have cheated at some point during their marriage.
- 26% of men in their 70s account for the highest infidelity rates in America.
- 22% of married Black/African Americans said they had sex with someone besides their spouse.
Infidelity Demographics by Gender
First, we will look at the gender demographics relevant to cheating.
1. 20% of Men and 13% of Women Surveyed Said They Engaged in Sexual Congress with Someone Other than Their Spouse.
A survey conducted by the Institute of Family Studies (IFS) in 2017 revealed that 20% of men and 13% of women claimed to cheat on their spouses.
This means that married men and women both cheat, but men do so more than women by a few percentage points.
These survey participants admitted to having sex with someone other than their spouses.
(IFS)
2. In 2022, It Was Discovered that 67% of Men and 53% of Women Cheated at Least Twice in 2022.
Delta 74 Private Investigations reported that 67% of men and 53% of women admitted to being unfaithful to their partner/spouse.
This data is more evidence that men are unfaithful more often than women.
(Delta 74 PI)
3. Statistics Show that 40% of Men and 30% of Women Engage in “Cyber Cheating”.
In this data, we find that men are more apt to also engage in cyber cheating by 10%.
Men who took the quiz in 2022 about cheating accounted for 40% of those cyber cheating compared to 30% of women.
(Delta 74 PI)
4. 44% of Women Are More Apt to Engage in Infidelity with Someone Their Spouse Knows than Men.
More from the online 2022 quiz about cheating revealed that 44% of women are more apt to be unfaithful with someone their spouse knows than men who account for 22% of this category.
In this instance, men are less apt to cheat with someone their spouse knows.
(Delta 74 PI)
5. Between 1990 and 2023, There Has Been a Rise in Women Cheating by 40%.
Cheating rates among women has rised in the past few years. A rise of 40% was discovered in a study.
This rise in women cheating has occurred since 1990.
Moreover, the dating site, Illicit Encounters in the United Kingdom has experienced a rise of 50% among unfaithfulness among women.
(Evening Standard)
6. 45% of Men Say They Have Had an Emotional Affair Compared to 35% of Women.
Emotional affairs aren’t the same as physical affairs as the phrase is clear.
It shows that you don’t have to engage is physical sex to cheat.
The data shows that 45% of men have engaged in an emotional affair and 35% women have.
(Medium)
7. Wanting More Sex Is the Reason that 44% of Men Say They Were Unfaithful.
The main reason men gave for cheating on their spouses was because they wanted more sex. This tops the charts for all reasons men cheat.
In fact, this accounts for 44% of men who admitted that wanting more sex is the reason they were unfaithful.
(Smith Investigation)
8. 40% of Women Say They Cheat to Find out If They Are Still Desirable.
For women, they cheat because they want to know if they are still desirable to the opposite sex.
This accounts for 40% of female survey respondents.
Their reason is more emotional than physical, according to this data.
Only 11% of women said they wanted revenge sex.
(smith Investigation)
Workplace Infidelity Demographics
9. 57% of Women and 62% of Men Claim They Were Unfaithful when They Were Gone on Business.
A Gleeden survey of 8,000 participants revealed that 62% of men and 57% of women admit to having an affair while away on a business trip.
However, that doesn’t mean every businessperson gets themselves into this position.
(Smith Investigation)
10. 53% of Men and 27% of Women Have Admitted to Having an Affair with A Coworker.
Affairs in the workplace do happen whether they are taboo or not. In most workplaces, this kind of activity is frowned upon.
However, it still happens among 53% of men and 27% of women according to a Gleeden survey.
(Smith Investigation)
11. 29% of Men Who Work in The Trades Career Cheat More than Women.
Men who work in trades made the top of the list for cheaters.
According to Insider resources, it’s likely due to their irregular hours that allow them freedom to sneak around.
This doesn’t mean all men in the trades industry cheat.
(Business Insider, Smith Investigation)
12. 23% of Women Who Work in The Medical Field Cheat.
According to research, the mix of stress and long hours contribute to 23% of women cheating in the medical field.
Moreover, it’s not uncommon to react this way to stress, which may be why more women have affairs working in the medical industry.
They made the top list of cheaters in this career.
(Business Insider, Smith Investigation)
Infidelity Marital Status Demographics
In this section, we will cover marital status demographics.
13. 70% of Unmarried Couples and 20% of Married Couples Are More Apt to Cheat on Their Partner.
It’s not surprising that unmarried couples cheat more than married couples.
According to U.S. statistics, 70% of unmarried couples are more apt to experience infidelity compared to only 20% of their married counterparts.
(Relationship Advice)
14. Overall, 70% of all married Americans have cheated at some point during their marriage.
The data shows that 70% of all married Americans have cheated on their spouses at some point in their marriage.
This can include emotional or physical cheating because it’s not always about sex.
(smith Investigation)
Infidelity Age Demographics
Let’s find out who cheats according to age demographics.
15. 11% of 18- to 29-Year-Old Women and 10% of Men in The Same Age Group Have Cheated.
According to IFS Studies from between 2010 and 2016, among “ever-married” adult women aged 18 to 29, 11% admitted to cheating.
This is only 1% higher than the 10% of “ever-married” men in the same age group.
(IFS)
16. 26% of Men in Their 70s Account for The Highest Infidelity Rates in America.
One astounding statistic related to infidelity by age revealed that 26% of men in their 70s account for the highest rates in America.
Their female counterparts only account for 6% of those who commit adultery.
This accounts for men and women between 70 and 79.
(IFS)
17. 24% of Men Between 60 and 69 Said They Cheated During Their Marriage.
Among married men aged 60 to 69, 24% said they cheated while married.
Women in this same age group account for only 16%.
(IFS)
Infidelity Ethnicity/Race Demographics
In this section, we’ll briefly cover some race/ethnicity demographics about infidelity.
18. 22% of Married Black/African Americans Said They Had Sex with Someone Besides Their Spouse.
in terms of race, 22% of Black or African Americans said they had sex with someone other than their spouse during the marriage.
(IFS)
19. 16% of Married White/Caucasian Americans Claimed to Have Been Unfaithful to Their Partners.
Among the married White/Caucasian American community, 16% said they had sex with someone other than their spouse during the marriage.
(IFS)
20. 13% of Married Hispanic/latino Americans Said They Cheated on Their Spouse.
The married Hispanic/Latino community accounts for 13% of those who admitted they cheated on their spouse during the marriage.
(IFS)
FAQs
What Is Infidelity?
Infidelity is mainly an act of sex with a person other than your spouse or significant other.
In some instances, emotional infidelity where a spouse relies on another person for emotional support instead of their spouse or significant other, occurs.
Regardless of whether a person experiences physical or emotional infidelity trust is broken, emotions run high, and the marriage or relationship is likely to end without some therapy and resolution.
Why Do People Cheat?
Trying to explain why people cheat is a very complex and personal thing, but the statistics show that most men say it’s because they want/need more sex than their partner is giving them.
Women say that they cheat to find out if they are still desirable, so it’s emotional.
Many times, it’s due to their spouse or partner not giving them the attention they desire.
How Can You Cope with Infidelity if You’re Staying Together?
We have found a few tips to help you cope with infidelity if you decide to stay together.
• Avoid making a rash decision to split up after an affair. Get some professional help to heal and try to openly communicate about the affair.
Both parties must engage in open communications to make this work.
• Be accountable for your role in the infidelity. If you’re the one who had the affair, be accountable for that and assume responsibility for it.
Part of this means you must end the affair if you haven’t already and cut all communications with the person with whom you cheated.
This could mean that you need to change jobs if it was a workplace fling.
• Make a concerted effort to restore the lost trust between the two of you.
Again, this requires both people to openly communicate and make a plan on how to regain or even improve the trust you once had.
Forgiveness is a huge step and take your time before you decide to end it.
• Talk with a marriage counselor. If you can’t seem to manage to heal, forgive, or get past the affair, seek help from a qualified professional marriage counselor.
If you want to avoid getting divorced, this is a good place to start.
How Many People Stay Together After Infidelity?
According to the latest statistics about infidelity between 60% and 70% of couples stay together after an affair, according to Couples Academy.
However, remaining together after an affair depends on several factors like whether the affair was secret or revealed.
Choosing Therapy revealed that only around 20% of married couples stayed together after five years of the affair.
In contrast, 53% of stayed together when the partner admitted the affair.
The Torrone Law blog revealed that more men stay married than women in terms of being the cheating partner.
In fact, 61% of men who cheated remain married compared to 44% of women who remain married after an affair.
This is likely due to the differences in the personalities of men and women.
Conclusion
From these statistics, we’ve learned that overall men cheat more than women.
Also, many times, the workplace is where affairs start.
Also, age plays a role in infidelity rates.
Let’s face it, the idea of being unfaithful is a complicated issue that has a major effect on marital and other romantic relationships.
If you’re facing infidelity in your marriage, please know there is hope for healing and recovery whether you stay together or not.
We only hope we have shared the infidelity demographics needed for anyone who may be in this situation, but also marketers who can bring more awareness to this issue.
