The number of young adult virgins in America hit an all-time high in 2023, as a record number of both men and women between 22 and 34 reported they had never had sex.

The study, conducted by the National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG) among people of all sexualities, found that the proportion of male virgins in this age group rose from 4 percent in 2013-15 to 10 percent in 2022-23.

The proportion of women aged 22-34 who said they were virgins rose from 5 percent in 2013-15 to 7 percent in 2022-23.

Why It Matters

Men who identify as “incels”—”involuntary celibates”—were labeled a “rising threat” by the U.S. Secret Service in 2022 following a report from National Threat Assessment Center (NTAC) which found that misogyny, an inability to connect with women, online content consumption, and other factors, are contributing to a rise in violence from some men who are not having, or are unable to have, sex.

The American birth rate is declining, and it will be much harder to maintain a population if people are not having sex before the age of 34, with the McKinsey Global Institute estimating that populations in major economies will fall by 20 to 50 percent by 2100, based on U.N. projections.

What To Know

The NSFG study, which has been conducted since 1982, found that not only are there more virgins now than since the study began, but there are also many more people in the U.S. now who have had sex before, but not in the past year.

The rates of sexlessness have increased to 24 percent among men in 2022-23, compared to 9 percent in 2013-15, and 13 percent among women in 2022-23, from 8 percent in 2013-15.

There was a dip in sexlessness in 2014, but it has been steadily rising since then among both men and women, although men are still having less sex than women in the US.

Dr. Sarah Hill, a professor at Texas Christian University and specialist in women’s health, spoke with Diary of a CEO Podcaster Stephen Bartlett about the rise in college graduates who are still virgins.

She pointed to how many universities now have a gender imbalance, where there are more women attendees than men, which may make it more difficult for people to couple up in university.

However, in 1982, there were many more men in university than women, which would have created a gender divide at that time—and that did not stop people from having sex then.

A National Institutes of Health (NIH) study found that some incels associate universities with “feminist causes,” which may further reduce the number of men applying for college degrees.

While America is suffering from falling birthrates, in part due to fewer people having sex, crackdowns on immigration and a repeal of birthright citizenship will make it even harder to replace the population.

A country with a declining birthrate still needs people of working age to fuel the economy, pay taxes, and pay into social security. Mass deportation is predicted to cost the U.S. up to 6.8 percent in annual GDP, or $1.1-$1.7 trillion, per analysis from the American Immigration Council.

What People Are Saying

Debby Herbenick, professor of sexual and reproductive health at Indiana University School of Public Health, in a university press release: “The decreases [in sex] are not easily explained by a single shift, such as health status, technology, access to pornography or stress. There are likely multiple reasons for these changes in sexual expression, and we need more research to understand how these changes may be related to changes in relationships, happiness and overall well-being.”

Lewys Brace, a lecturer in data analysis at Exeter, told The Guardian: “The incelosphere is definitely growing and diversifying and has increased in the toxicity of its discussions since 2016.”

What Happens Next

There is no clear solution for getting men and women to have more sex, or sex for the first time.

Some causes are believed to be an increase in time spent online, a decrease in marriage and cohabitation, and a decrease in alcohol or substance use among young people.

However, as Professor Herbenick said, none of these can be pointed to as the singular reason for why fewer people are having sex than ever before.