Infidelity Statistics for 2024: Who Cheats More, Men or Women?

by Linda Bunnell / December 19, 2023

Table of Contents

Last updated on November 7th, 2024 at 10:00 am

Many view infidelity as a highly private issue, but the truth is that cheating remains common in relationships today. It’s essential to have open, judgment-free discussions to better understand this complex topic that impacts so many yet is rarely talked about. This article provides statistics and research on infidelity across demographics and relationship types. The goal is not to make moral pronouncements but to illuminate patterns and trends to foster insight and thoughtful dialogue on a complex subject many couples face. Knowledge and compassion can coexist.

General Cheating Statistics 2024

• 20% of men and 13% of women reported having had sex with someone other than their spouse while married

• 54.5% of cases where infidelity occurred lead to divorce

• 40% among women and 62% among men of cheating instances are influenced by genetic factors

• About 70% individuals are more likely to regret cheating.

• Six in ten cheaters believe their partner is unaware of their affair.

• Only 25% of cheaters admitted to the affairs

• One-night stands are more common than long-term affairs

•60% of married cheaters did not use protection

• 47% confess their affair due to guilt

• 2% to 3% of children are the product of infidelity

Causes of Infidelity

Infidelity stems from various interwoven factors – psychological needs, social pressures, personal insecurities. By examining root causes like emotional detachment, convenient situations that enable cheating, and poor self-image, we gain insight into the intricate forces driving this complex human behavior.

Gender-Based Reactions

1. Both men and women are more likely to react with anger if their partner cheats with someone of the opposite gender. Men are more likely to end the relationship, while women are more likely to end it if their partner cheats in a same-sex affair. (Personal Relationships)

Body Image Satisfaction

2. About 25% of men and 35% of women satisfied with their bodies are more likely to cheat. A Rutgers University study found that better body image is linked to a higher chance of dissatisfaction in a relationship and subsequently cheating. (Rutgers University)

Repeat Infidelity

3. Three times more likely to cheat again in their next relationship are individuals who have cheated once. (Archives of Sexual Behavior)

Genetic Factors

4. 40% among women and 62% among men of cheating instances are influenced by genetic factors. Research suggests that certain genes, particularly those related to oxytocin and vasopressin receptors, significantly impact the propensity for infidelity. (The University of Queensland Australia)

Economic Dependency

5. 15% of men and 5% of women who are completely economically dependent on their partners are more likely to cheat. (ASR)

Relationship Satisfaction

6. Up to 40% of men and 42% of women who cheated did so due to having appealing alternatives. People with higher satisfaction in their body image are more likely to become dissatisfied in their relationship and cheat. (Rutgers University)

Patterns and Methods of Cheating

Infidelity takes many forms – emotional bonds without physical contact, online relationships and cyber affairs, financial deception between partners. As relationships evolve in modern times, the ways trust and intimacy are broken become more complex and varied. Understanding these nuances provides insight into the multifaceted nature of cheating.

Emotional Cheating

7. 35% of women and 45% of men admit to having had an emotional affair. Emotional cheating involves forming a deep personal connection with someone other than the primary partner. 56% of men would be more upset by emotional cheating, while 73% of women would be angrier about an emotional affair than physical cheating. (NCBI)

Digital Infidelity

8. More than 10% of cheating adults have formed intimate online relationships, 8% have experienced cybersex, and 6% have met their Internet partners in person. Signs of digital infidelity include spending time online in private, being secretive about messages, and deleting messages or search history (Australian Journal of Counselling Psychology)

Financial Cheating

9. 32% of people in serious relationships keep money secret from their partner. This form of cheating includes hiding financial information, such as undisclosed credit cards or overspending without informing the partner. Among Gen Zers, 61% admit to hiding financial secrets, which is higher than Millennials at 48%, Gen X’ers at 28% and Baby Boomers at 19%. (CreditCards.com)

Cheating Consequences — Statistics of Cheating

Most cheaters go undiscovered, though over half confess due to guilt. Affair discovery often leads to imposed rules, reflecting partners’ insecurity. Despite desires to reconcile, over half of partnerships where cheating occurred still end in separation, with most cheaters expressing regret.

Awareness of Cheating

10. Six in ten cheaters believe their partner is unaware of their affair. One in ten suspects their partner was suspicious, and only 6% actually admitted to the affair when confronted. (APA)

Confession

11. 47% confess their affair due to guilt. 39.8% confessed to let their partner know they were unhappy in the relationship, and 38.6% believed their partner had the right to know. (HealthTestingCenters)

Admission and Discovery

12. Only 25% of cheaters admitted to the affairs, while a similar percentage got caught, indicating that signs of infidelity are often hard to detect. (HealthTestingCenters)

Post-Cheating Relationship Dynamics

13. 61% of cheaters’ partners set rules and consequences after the affair. Common rules included limitations on going out, withholding sex, and having shared access to social media accounts. 27.8% weren’t allowed to interact with the opposite sex without their partner’s permission. (PsychologyToday)

Staying Together

14. 54.5% of cases where infidelity occurred lead to divorce. Meanwhile, 15.6% of couples with a cheating partner remain together after the affair, and another 30% tried to stay together but eventually broke up. (PsychologyToday)

Regret

15. 72.7% of individuals in committed relationships and 67.4% of married individuals are more likely to regret cheating, though the majority in both groups wish they hadn’t cheated. (HealthTestingCenters)

Duration of Affairs

16. One-night stands are more common than long-term affairs. 25% of all affairs last less than a week, 65% end within the first six months, and only 10% become long-term. (J Pers Soc Psychol)

Demographics and Infidelity

Infidelity rates vary by gender, age, race, politics, family upbringing, education, and religious engagement. Men cheat more until older ages when women surpass them. Religiosity consistently predicts faithfulness for both genders, while other factors like race and childhood family structure have some correlation.

General Infidelity Rates

17. 20% of men and 13% of women reported having had sex with someone other than their spouse while married, according to the General Social Survey (GSS). (IfStudies)

Age-Related Trends

18. 11% of ever-married women ages 18 to 29 and 10% of men in the same age group are likely to be guilty of infidelity. This gap reverses among those ages 30 to 34 and grows wider in older age groups, with 16% of women in their 60s reporting the highest rate of infidelity, while 26% of men in their 70s have the highest rate. (IfStudies)

Historical Trends

19. 31% of men ages 50 to 59 and 18% of women ages 40 to 49 experienced the peak infidelity rate in the 1990s. From 2000 to 2009, 29% of men ages 60 to 69 and 17% of women ages 50 to 59 had the highest rate of infidelity. (IfStudies)

Race and Infidelity

20. 22% of ever-married black adults admit to cheating, compared to 16% of whites and 13% of Hispanics, indicating that cheating is somewhat more common among black adults. Specifically, among black men, the rate is highest at 28%. (IfStudies)

Infidelity Rates by Country

Country	Cheaters
Thailand 🇹🇭	51%
Denmark 🇩🇰	46%
Italy 🇮🇹	45%
Germany 🇩🇪	45%
France 🇫🇷	43%
Norway 🇳🇴	41%
Belgium 🇧🇪	40%
Spain 🇪🇸	39%
Canada 🇨🇦	36%
United Kingdom 🇬🇧	36%

Education and Infidelity

22. 16% of college-educated adults and 15% of those with high school or less education have been unfaithful, indicating that having a college degree is not linked to a higher chance of cheating. (IfStudies)

Which Profession Cheats the Most?

	Women	Percents	Men	Percents
12	Politics	1%	Social Work	2%
11	Arts and Entertainment	4%	Agriculture	3%
10	Legal	4%	Arts and Entertainment	3%
9	Trades	4%	Education	4%
8	Marketing and Communications	4%	Legal	4%
7	I.T.	8%	Medical	5%
6	Retail and Hospitality	9%	Marketing and Communications	6%
5	Social Work	9%	Finance	8%
4	Finance	9%	Retail and Hospitality	8%
3	Entrepreneurs	10%	Entrepreneurs	9%
2	Education	12%	I.T.	12%
1	Medical	23%	Trades	29%

Infidelity is a threat to a relationship. It is something that, when kept, feels like immense pressure; when told, it breaks the trust. A new survey from Ashley Madison suggests that there are certain occupations in which people are more likely to cheat their partners. If we compare women with men, the infidelity rate is highest in women in the medical profession, while men in trades are more prone to cheat their partners, with a 29% rate. The data also suggests that the rate of infidelity is almost similar in male entrepreneurs vs women entrepreneurs. The possible reason behind this is that entrepreneurs like things done in their own way and like to stay free from any boundaries. Notably, women in politics and men in social work have the lowest infidelity rates of 1% and 2%, respectively. It indicates the potential values or work-life balance in these careers. Infidelity creates an invisible barrier between you and your primary partner. It results from a feeling of being undervalued and neglected by the partner.

Factors Influencing Likelihood to Cheat

23. Regression models suggest that race, age, and religious service attendance are significant factors for men, while for women, party ID, family background, and religious service attendance are significant factors. Religious service attendance is the only factor that consistently predicts both men and women’s odds of infidelity. (IfStudies)

Family Dynamics and Cheating

Infidelity is rising in younger generations. Children of cheating parents are twice as likely to cheat. Nearly half of marriages involving infidelity still produce offspring, inadvertently raising kids in convoluted family structures. The impacts cascade through generations, perpetuating infidelity’s complex social consequences.

Infidelity Among Different Generations

24. Americans older than 55 are more likely to have sex than those younger than 55. This is opposite the data from the year 2000 when older Americans were less likely to cheat. (IfStudies[2])

Rising Infidelity in Youth

25. Infidelity among people under 30 is becoming more common due to factors such as spending more time away from their spouse and having more opportunities to cheat. (IfStudies[2])

Children of Infidelity

26. Approximately 2% to 3% of children are the product of infidelity, often being raised unknowingly by men who aren’t their biological fathers. (Kermyt Anderson)

Influence of Parents’ Infidelity

27. 44% of kids with parents who cheated are likely to cheat on their partners when they grow up, compared to 22% for those whose parents remained faithful. (Journal of Family Issues)

Protection During Infidelity

28. 60% of married cheaters did not use protection in cases of a cheating spouse,
while 64% of those in a committed relationship but cheated used condoms. (Health Testing Centers)

Impact on Children from Incomplete Families

29. 18% of children who grew up in incomplete families are more likely to cheat on their partners, compared to only 15% of adults who grew up with both biological parents being found guilty of being unfaithful. (IfStudies)

Conclusion

Infidelity is complicated, with many factors leading people to cheat. The reasons behind cheating can be deeply personal as well as cultural. Some patterns seem widespread, like those from difficult family backgrounds being more likely to cheat, or society viewing emotional affairs differently from physical ones. But social norms also heavily impact how acceptable cheating is seen to be. Understanding what drives infidelity requires looking at human psychology and behavior in context. Behind every statistic are real people navigating relationships. Addressing the problem with empathy is important, not judgment. Open communication and understanding between partners can foster healthier bonds. There are always multiple sides, and people often regret lapses deeply. Supporting those struggling is key, as are second chances where trust can be rebuilt over time.

FAQ

1. How Often Does Infidelity Occur In Marriage?

Infidelity in marriage is a highly distressing incidence. The reports estimate that between 10 and 15 percent of women lack fidelity in marriage. In the case of men, it lies between 20 and 25 percent who are involved in infidelity. Talking about the overall scenario, infidelity occurs in about 20 to 25 percent of marriages.

2. Is It Better To Admit Infidelity Or Keep It A Secret If I Want My Marriage To Continue?

If you don’t want your marriage to be broken, do not talk about infidelity. However, keeping secrets can feel like a significant burden on your shoulders. Sharing such secrets will only create a permanent barrier between you and your partner. If you ever wish to share your secret of infidelity, do it to resolve your marital issues. You must express your guilt for the same.