# How many people on earth are having sex at any given moment? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 7, 2008, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-people-on-earth-are-having-sex-at-any-given-moment/476182 "2008-12-07T23:52:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2008, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-people-on-earth-are-having-sex-at-any-given-moment/476182/21 "2008-12-09T15:39:44Z")
I am! Oh, wait, now I’m not. Thanks, honey. ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2008, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-people-on-earth-are-having-sex-at-any-given-moment/476182/22 "2008-12-09T20:09:01Z")
Does playing solitaire count? ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2008, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-people-on-earth-are-having-sex-at-any-given-moment/476182/23 "2008-12-09T21:45:08Z")
Glad I’m not the only one who wonders about this. When I’m in an airplane approaching the airport (thus, seeing all the houses) I often ask myself “how many of those houses contain people having sex right now?” However, when I’m having sex and an airplane flies over, I don’t give a thought to the people on the plane. ---
**Author:** ![chowder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/977dab/32.png) [@chowder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chowder)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2008, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-people-on-earth-are-having-sex-at-any-given-moment/476182/24 "2008-12-09T22:16:15Z")
> [@sailor](#): > > So when is it MY turn? Get in the queue, I was here first ---
**Author:** ![alterego](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/6bbea6/32.png) [@alterego](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alterego)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2008, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-people-on-earth-are-having-sex-at-any-given-moment/476182/25 "2008-12-10T03:03:42Z")
People who aren’t in steady relationships have sex once per _week_? Baloney. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2008, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-people-on-earth-are-having-sex-at-any-given-moment/476182/26 "2008-12-10T05:50:59Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > …However, when I’m having sex and an airplane flies over, I don’t give a thought to the people on the plane. Selfish bastard. :mad: ---
**Author:** ![Dunderman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecb155/32.png) [@Dunderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dunderman)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2008, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-people-on-earth-are-having-sex-at-any-given-moment/476182/27 "2008-12-11T13:25:53Z")
> [@alterego](#): > > People who aren’t in steady relationships have sex once per _week_? Baloney. Would you say it’s more or less frequent than that? Just so we know what’s baloney. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2008, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-people-on-earth-are-having-sex-at-any-given-moment/476182/28 "2008-12-11T13:37:14Z")
In this case, the opposite of salami. ---
**Author:** ![Ghost\_Tracker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/da6949/32.png) [@Ghost\_Tracker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ghost_Tracker)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2021, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-people-on-earth-are-having-sex-at-any-given-moment/476182/29 "2021-12-01T14:49:08Z")
Okay, so let’s get real and deal with some _actual_ data: 1.) There are 150 births per minute. 2.) Therefore, 150 impregnations per minute lead to a birth. 3. The average duration of actual sex, in reality, is 7 minutes. 4.) It takes 2 to tango. So take 300 people/minute x 7 minutes = 2,100 people having sex at one time, with 150 guys and 2 women about to orgasm. 😉 (Okay, maybe 10 to 30 gals.) 5.) Now, what fraction of (mating-type) sex acts are more-or-less intended to lead to impregnation? I don’t know. Let’s call it 1/10. That’s 21,000 total acts of intercourse at any one time. 6.) So now, what fraction of intended acts _do_ lead to impregnation? It’s 1/5. (The multiplication order doesn’t matter, so bear with me here.) So we have 21,000 x 5 = 105,000 acts of intercourse at any one time, with 7500 guys about to ejaculate. Now add in whatever numbers you feel are right for threesomes, orgies, gay sex etc. Caveat: Remember, most people, at least in the West, usually only have sex on the weekends. ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2021, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-people-on-earth-are-having-sex-at-any-given-moment/476182/30 "2021-12-01T14:59:00Z")
> [@Ghost\_Tracker](#): > > Now add in whatever numbers you feel are right for threesomes, orgies, gay sex etc. …or people handling things solo. Operative word in there is “hand”. Are we counting them, too? ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2021, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-people-on-earth-are-having-sex-at-any-given-moment/476182/31 "2021-12-01T15:29:19Z")
> [@Ghost\_Tracker](#): > > 5.) Now, what fraction of (mating-type) sex acts are more-or-less intended to lead to impregnation? I don’t know. Let’s call it 1/10 This seems widely off. My ex and I probably had sex 20 times in an effort to get our two children. I haven’t done the math, (and I don’t think I’m unusual) but I must have had sex over 5,000 times the last 40 years. For the last 20 or so, impregnation was impossible. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2021, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-people-on-earth-are-having-sex-at-any-given-moment/476182/32 "2021-12-01T17:14:41Z")
> [@Ghost\_Tracker](#): > > Caveat: Remember, most people, at least in the West, usually only have sex on the weekends. Huh? That can’t be true. ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2021, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-people-on-earth-are-having-sex-at-any-given-moment/476182/33 "2021-12-01T17:24:53Z")
> [@CookingWithGas](#): > > I guess it depends on what you call an “act of sex.” Does this include foreplay and afterplay? Dinner and flowers before? Or just the actual genital contact? I was going to say that the first task would be to define “sex”. There is a lot of “sex” that does not conform to the penis/vagina scenario. ---
**Author:** ![Moriarty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moriarty/32/49_2.png) [@Moriarty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moriarty)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2021, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-people-on-earth-are-having-sex-at-any-given-moment/476182/34 "2021-12-01T20:36:29Z")
Well, so far we’re 0 for 12 in the poll I opened in MPSIMS. So, the answer is “at least 12 less then all of them.” ---
**Author:** ![Dag\_Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@Dag\_Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dag_Otto)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2021, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-people-on-earth-are-having-sex-at-any-given-moment/476182/35 "2021-12-01T20:47:33Z")
> [@Ghost\_Tracker](#): > > Now add in whatever numbers you feel are right for threesomes I’m going to take a wild ass guess at this one and say it’s three. BTW, I really hope **sailor** is still not waiting in the queue. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-people-on-earth-are-having-sex-at-any-given-moment/476182.md?page=1)