According to a 2022 survey of online users in the United States, a significant percentage of men in different age groups reported watching pornography in the past month. Almost *** out of every ** respondents aged between 30 and 49 years stated they watched pornographic content in the past month. Among men aged 18 to 29 years, approximately ** percent of respondents reported watching online adult content in the past month.

According to a survey of users conducted in the United States between September and October 2022, 62 percent of male respondents reported having a habit of watching pornographic content. In comparison, 29 percent of respondents reported having had the habit of watching such type of content, while around eight percent of respondents preferred not to say.

According to a survey conducted in September 2022 among teenagers in the United States, ** percent of the respondents that reported purposely watching pornography online did so on porn websites. Around ** percent of respondents reported watching adult content and pornography on social media, while regular video sites and platforms were indicated by ** percent of U.S. teens.

According to Cognitive Market Research, The Global Adult Entertainment market size is USD 58512.2 million in 2023 and will expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.50% from 2023 to 2030.

North America Adult Entertainment held the major market of more than 40% of the global revenue with a market size of USD 23404.88 million in 2023 and will grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 3.7% from 2023 to 2030.
Europe Adult Entertainment accounted for a share of over 30% of the global market size of USD 17553.66 million in 2023.
Asia Pacific Adult Entertainment held the market of more than 23% of the global revenue with a market size of USD 13457.81 million in 2023 and will grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7.5% from 2023 to 2030.
South America Adult Entertainment market of more than 5% of the global revenue with a market size of USD 2925.61 million in 2023 and will grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 4.9% from 2023 to 2030.
Middle East and Africa Adult Entertainment held the major market of more than 2% of the global revenue with a market size of USD 1170.24 million in 2023 and will grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.2% from 2023 to 2030.
The growth of e-commerce and online retail has significantly impacted the Adult Entertainment market.
The market for Adult Entertainment continues to be more in demand from men.
In 2023, the category with the largest revenue share in the Adult Entertainment market was online sales.

Increasing Popularity of Sex Toys among Consumers to Provide Viable Market Output

The growing popularity of sex toys among customers has led to a noteworthy development in the adult entertainment market. The demand for adult toys has increased due to a change in public perceptions of sexual wellbeing and advances in discretion and product innovation. Internet retailers have been instrumental in offering customers a discreet and easy way to browse and buy various adult products. As the adult entertainment industry continues to grow and adapt to changing consumer interests, this development is a reflection of a greater cultural openness towards sexual expression and self-care.

Growing Awareness of Sexual Health to Propel Market Growth

A greater understanding of sexual health is fueling the expansion of the adult entertainment market. People are becoming more and more aware of the significance of sexual health, which is driving up demand for goods and information that encourage a healthy and educated view of sexuality. The popularity of educational materials, items for sexual well-being, and a variety of adult entertainment that prioritizes consent, communication, and enjoyment all reflect this trend. The market for adult entertainment is growing to satisfy the changing needs of customers looking for a more inclusive and health-conscious approach to adult content and goods as society becomes more proactive and open about sexual health topics.

Market Restraints of the Adult Entertainment

Stringent Legal and Regulatory Frameworks

The adult entertainment industry operates under highly restrictive and inconsistent legal conditions across different countries and even regions within the same country. Many jurisdictions enforce strict content regulation, age verification laws, licensing restrictions, and censorship. This not only limits the global scalability of adult platforms but also raises operational risks, especially when laws change unexpectedly. Additionally, ongoing political and societal debates often create regulatory uncertainty that discourages mainstream investment and advertising.

Payment Processing and Financial Service Limitations

Major financial institutions and payment processors such as Visa, Mastercard, and PayPal, frequently impose restrictions on adult content platforms. These include higher transaction fees, withheld payouts, or outright bans. As a result, adult businesses often struggle with reliable and secure payment processing, which affects monetization strategies and user experience. This financial marginalization limits growth, especially for small or independent content creators.

Key Trends of the Adult Entertainment

Surge in Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) and Creator-Owned Platforms

A major shift is underway as content creators move away from traditional studios and adopt creator-owned, subscription-based platforms (e.g., OnlyFans, Fansly, M...

In 2023, around six in 10 users of Pornhub in the Philippines were women, while four in 10 were men. Approximately half of the pornhub.com audience in Colombia, Argentina, or Mexico were women. Pornhub, which is owned and operated by Aylo (previously known as MindGeek), is one of the leading adult entertainment platform worldwide, reaching users from its main market of the United States to Latin America and Europe.

In 2023, adult entertainment performer Abella Danger collected the largest amount of video views on pornographic platform Pornhub. The performer generated over 1.89 billion views during the year. Angela White ranked second with 1.23 billion video views, while Eva Elfie ranked third with over one billion views. Pornhub is among the leading adult entertainment and pornographic tube-style websites, where both users and professional content creators or entertainment companies can upload their own content. Pornhub: adult entertainment market lead When it comes to the adult entertainment industry online, Pornhub barely has any rival in gaining the attention of global crowds. In May 2024, it was the most popular pornographic website, with approximately 5.5 billion visits, while second-placed Xvideos reported around four billion website visits in the same month. Launched in May 2007, Pornhub is now owned by the Canadian entertainment conglomerate Aylo. The United States was Pornhub's main market, with over three billion visits as of the beginning of 2024, followed by Indonesia with 765 million visits, and Brazil with over 500 million visits in January 2024. Is a ban looming on online pornography? In 2023, the online pornographic and adult content industry was estimated to be worth over one billion U.S. dollars. Despite the popularity of Pornhub and digital adult content in the U.S. market, approximately 16 states have approved some form of local legislation to require users to prove they are at least 18 years old to access adult content. This led Pornhub to block access to its content in several states, including Kansas and Utah, while they looked for a solution that would allow users to prove they are of adult age. In Europe, both France and the United Kingdom have been considering age verification methods for users when accessing pornography. As of September 2023, 75 percent of UK respondents who had watched adult content online declared to be over 18 by ticking a box asking for confirmation. In France, around 70 percent of internet users would support strengthening the state’s legal powers to prohibit minors from accessing pornographic content.

In 2023, adult entertainment performer Elle Brooke was the most popular online personality on the pornographic platform Pornhub for audiences in the United Kingdom (UK). American social media personality and pornographic performer Sky Bri ranked second, while Abella Danger - who was the most popular performer on the platform for global users in 2023, ranked third.

Market leader Pornhub.com: inside user consumption trends Launched in 2007, Pornhub.com has become the flagship website for online pornography and adult content hosting. In 2023, Pornhub was the most visited pornographic website in the UK, recording over 406 million visits in the month of December. The platform, formerly under Manwin, and later Aylo, was bought in March 2023 by the Canadian private equity firm Ethical Capital Partners. In 2023, the website’s main audience was composed of users aged between 25 and 34 years – as 30 percent of Pornhub viewers were adults in this demographic. The distribution of pornhub.com audiences was deeply unbalanced, as only 30 percent of the platform’s audience was composed of women, versus 70 percent of men.

Age of restrictions: protect or kill the business? At the beginning of 2024, Pornhub decided to block access to its website in the U.S. states of Montana and North Carolina. According to the company, the age verification regulations would jeopardize users’ privacy, hence the decision to stop servicing the two states. In the United Kingdom, the media regulator Ofcom has proposed a set of measures to implement within the country’s Online Safety Act to better regulate access based on age. While it is still unclear whether this would hurt the online pornography market, a 2023 survey revealed that only three in 10 UK respondents would comply with age checks to access porn content online, while over five in 10 would leave the website. In 2023, the most commonly used age verification methods when accessing online pornography relied on users’ disclosure of their birthdate, or a simple box tick to confirm they were 18 or older. While this is supposed to be a start, children and other vulnerable users might still manage to access content they do not have the appropriate age to view.