We are in the middle of the sexual revolution. Sexual desires and expression are becoming far more accepted, and celebrated, in today’s society. From the rise in popularity of OnlyFans and celeb-backed sex toys – 2020 has been a year of celebrating our sexual wellness, preferences, and freedom.

It is hard to believe that it has been 10 years since Fifty Shades of Grey made its way onto our screens and into our lives. It’s safe to say it rocked the boat and opened up conversations we hadn’t dared to have before. Although at times not wholly accurate in its depiction of fetishes, it did inspire many people to experiment in bed and try things they had never thought or heard of, before. It opened us up to a whole new world of sexual kinks.

Fetishes are like ice cream flavours, some like strawberry and others may like bubblegum – though it is safe to say those looking up these fetishes aren’t going for vanilla. A scroll through the Pornhub’s ‘fetishes’ category is not for the faint-hearted.

There are plenty of people out there that enjoy spicing up their sex life, according to research 1 in 6 people – or 1.3 billion, say they have a kink. BDSM is the most common fetish, though it’s not the only one people are interested in. If you’ve ever wondered which nation is naughtiest, then you’re in luck as our data experts have searched through the array of sexual fetishes to find which are most popular, and where:
The data reveals that the UK is the fetish capital of the world, appearing in the top 5 countries for popularity for 9 out of the 20 fetishes on our list. BDSM takes the top spot as the most popular fetish with 1.7 million global searches per month.

The data above shows the full global outlook of google searches for these fetishes. From search data, we can see that BDSM is the most searched fetish of them all with an eye-watering 1.7 million searches a month. This is followed by bondage, fisting and squirting.

For a closer look at where fetishes are most popular in specific areas of the world, we have delved further into the data to reveal where these fetishes are most popular in the UK, USA, and Europe:

United Kingdom

Topping the charts as the freakiest country is the UK.

The country is well known for being wet, but this data shows it’s not just the weather.

London had the biggest range of fetishes, with residents enjoying pleasure and pain with food-related sploshing and the more rough acts of impact play.

The south certainly enjoys sex as a team sport, with group sex, cuckolding and dogging all most popular in the southern half of the UK.

Europe

Looking further into Europe, we found the hottest spots for fetishes.

Finland came in top for the risky thrill of exhibitionism. While bondage was a favourite of the German nation, a country infamous for its kinky culture.

The data also highlights that Bosnians love feet as Austria prefers hands – where fisting comes out most popular.

Italy is famed for its beautiful coastal towns, perhaps this explains their love for all things wet as they come out top for squirting.

USA

Next, we took a trip stateside to see if the Land of the Free lives up to its name.

What we found was that sexual fantasies were largely concentrated in the north-west and north-east of the country.

However, there were some exceptions to this. Alaska may be cold, but that doesn’t mean they don’t like to get hot in bed with some BDSM.

We also found that Oklahoma was the biggest fan of a bump in the night as Spectrophilia – or sex with a ghost – scored highest here.

Methodology:

Taking a seed list of sexual fetishes, we used google trends to see where these fetishes are most popular around the world by checking their Google search data.

Understanding Fetishes

In a nutshell, sexual fetishes, also known as kinks, are preferences focused on specific objects, types of behaviour, body parts, or other things in the erotic context. This interest is natural and normal. The most popular kinks are associated with, for example, feet, shoes, certain fabrics, and more. When a person reveals its preferences and brings them to life, sexual arousal and satisfaction enhance.

It’s worth considering that there are certain misconceptions regarding this theme since some people may find this activity abnormal or deviant. However, the most common fetishes are a subject or curiosity and preferences rather than certain problems like a childhood trauma or harmful things. It’s essential to remember that it’s a matter of taste and it’s not prohibited as long as it’s consensual and doesn’t break the law or harm other people.

Exploring the Most Popular Fetishes

People may have different preferences in different areas, and the sexual world is no exception. This way, top fetishes can be very diversified and may cover different countries. For example, role play is the most popular in countries like the Philippines and Jamaica, while the UK is among the top-5 countries where people prefer voyeurism.

As for the top-1 countries for certain preferences, we can highlight Myanmar for BDSM, Congo for Sploshing, Australia for Dogging, Nigeria for Spectrophilia, and St Helena for Cuckolding. The common kinks list of countries for group sex includes Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Nepal, and India.

Here at SlotsUp, you can view the full infographic to learn more about specific sexual kinks for each location.

Understanding Consent and Safety

It would be incorrect to say that the list of common fetishes displays harmful or dangerous activities, but there are certain aspects which should be considered, as well as some types prohibited by laws of most countries. We won’t list the ones which are deviating and require professional treatment, and when we are talking about acceptable types, people should consider the following:

• Don’t be afraid of discussing preferences with your partner(s). Thus, it’s easy to overcome certain boundaries and understand each other better.
• When dealing with BDSM, the most popular kink, it’s worth establishing safewords which will signal when something goes wrong and it’s time for a break.
• Consider the partner’s boundaries and set your own limits as well to make sure that both of you get a safe and consensual experience.
• Both parties of the sexual activity should fully understand and agree to the activity they will be involved in.
• People shouldn’t ignore the educational part to learn more about common sex fetishes and consider risks which may be involved.

Open communication and negotiation between partners is a must. Besides, it’s worth considering certain resources which can make your experience safe, responsible, and based on knowledge. For example, FetLife is a popular social networking platform for those interested in BDSM.

Websites like The Cage and Submissive Guide offer thematic forums. As for the books dedicated to the most common kinks, these can be ‘The New Topping Book’ and ‘The New Bottoming Book’ by Dossie Easton and Janet W. Hardy.