Spanish sexual health survey finds 28% of women forced into unwanted acts, 27.5% of men have paid for sex

Coercion and commercial sex

The second edition of Spain's National Sexual Health Survey, carried out by the Ministry of Health and the Centre for Sociological Research (CIS) among 9,009 people, shows that 28.2% of women say they have been forced to perform unwanted sexual acts at some point. Among men, 13.6% admit to having felt they were pressuring a partner on at least one occasion.

It is a serious and worrying figure that reminds us once again that affective-sexual education and the fight against sexual violence remain fundamental tasks of our time.

Men are overwhelmingly the clients of paid sex: 27.5% say they have paid, compared with 0.3% of women. Most of those payments (79.1%) occurred more than five years ago, while 9.5% paid in the past year.

Shifting attitudes on homosexuality and consent

Acceptance of same-sex relationships has surged from 41% in 2009 to 88.1% today, with near-identical support among men (87.1%) and women (89.0%). Spain ranked first in Europe for LGBT rights in the 2026 Rainbow Map by ILGA-Europe.

Yet views on consent diverge sharply by gender. While more than 86% of the population agrees that forcing a partner to have sex is rape, 54.3% of men agree that once a sexual encounter is accepted, one should go through with it if the other person wants to. Only 36.6% of women hold that view, and 60.5% of women disagree.

Pornography consumption and its influence

The survey shows 71.9% of men watched pornography in the last year, compared with 24.9% of women. Daily consumption is 2.3% overall, and the highest usage is in the 25–34 age group (above 60%).

This figure should not make us alarmist, but it does remind us of the importance of affective-sexual education so that education arrives before the algorithms of pornography.

The Ministry of Health considers the prevalence of online porn a decisive factor in shaping perceptions of real sexual relationships, and it advocates stronger sex education in schools.

Satisfaction, condom use and risks

Sexual satisfaction has declined: 77.2% of the population now reports being satisfied with their sex life, down from 85.8% in 2009. Among those over 75, only 51.3% express contentment. The idea that an active sex life is essential for happiness has also weakened, with only 34.6% of men and 28.5% of women endorsing it, down from 36.9% and 39.3% respectively.

Condom use has dropped dramatically. In 2009, 38% reported not using a condom during their last vaginal intercourse; that figure has doubled to 75.2%, a change linked to the recent explosion of sexually transmitted infections.

The Ministry of Health says the data will guide public policies, sex education from primary school through vocational training, and campaigns that promote a critical view of certain media content.