Infidelity statistics · Reviewed October 29, 2026 · Next review January 2027
Infidelity Statistics: What the Research Says About Power, Success and Affairs
How common infidelity is, who cheats, whether success changes the odds, and how many marriages recover. Every figure links to its source, with the sample and year beside it, and we leave out numbers we could not trace to a named study.
Compiled by Lisa Chen & Associates Therapy. Reviewed by Lisa Chen, LMFT, Gottman Method trained couples therapist.
- 11% vs 14%of men and women 25 to 54 report cheating while married. Not a significant difference.
IFS (2025) - 18%of prime-age men in high-prestige jobs report extramarital sex, vs 7% in upper-middle jobs
IFS (2025) - 57%of couples with a revealed affair were still married five years after couple therapy
Marín et al. (2014) - 80%of couples whose affair stayed secret had divorced within five years
Marín et al. (2014)
About 11% of married men and 14% of married women ages 25 to 54 report having cheated, according to the most recent General Social Survey analysis, and the gap between them is no longer statistically significant. Older data covering all ages puts it at 20% of men and 13% of women. Power at work raises the odds for both sexes, and most couples whose affair comes out in the open are still married five years after couple therapy.
How common is infidelity?
Somewhere between one in ten and one in five married Americans say they have had sex with someone other than their spouse, depending on the survey years and ages counted. The most recent General Social Survey analysis puts it at 11% of men and 14% of women ages 25 to 54, and the rate has drifted down since the 1990s.
| Statistic | Figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Ever-married adults 25 to 54 who report extramarital sex, 2021–2022General Social Survey, pooled years. | 13% | IFS (2025) |
| Same measure, 2010–2018Same age group. | 14% | IFS (2025) |
| Same measure, 1991–1998Same age group. | 17% | IFS (2025) |
| Men who report sex outside their marriage, all agesOlder pooled GSS data that includes adults past 54, where men’s rates are highest. | 20% | IFS (2018) |
| Women who report sex outside their marriage, all agesSame data. | 13% | IFS (2018) |
| People who say a partner or spouse has ever cheated on them46% of women and 34% of men. Nationally representative survey, 2023. | 34–46% | Survey Center on American Life (2025) |
Survey answers about infidelity are self-reported, and people under-report it. Treat every rate here as a floor, not a ceiling.
What we see in the roomOne partner in five or six is not a rare event, and it is not most marriages either. When an affair happens, couples often feel they have joined a small and shameful group. The data says otherwise, and so does our caseload.
Do men cheat more than women?
Not anymore, at least not in prime working years. Among adults 25 to 54 in 2021–2022, 11% of men and 14% of women reported cheating while married, and the gap is not statistically significant. Older data still shows men ahead, mostly because of much higher rates among men over 60.
| Statistic | Figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Men 25 to 54 who report cheating while married, 2021–2022Down from 21% in the 1990s. | 11% | IFS (2025) |
| Women 25 to 54 who report cheating while married, 2021–2022Stable at about 14% since the 1990s. The difference from men is not statistically significant. | 14% | IFS (2025) |
| Ever-married adults 18 to 29: women vs menYounger women were slightly more likely than younger men to report infidelity. | 11% vs 10% | IFS (2018) |
| Peak rate for men, 1990sMen ages 50 to 59. Between 2000 and 2009 the peak moved to men 60 to 69, at 29%. | 31% | IFS (2018) |
| Peak rate for women, 1990sWomen ages 40 to 49. Between 2000 and 2009 the peak moved to women 50 to 59, at 17%. | 18% | IFS (2018) |
The GSS moved from in-person interviews to online and mixed modes in 2021 and 2022. The Institute for Family Studies notes this may complicate comparisons with earlier years.
What we see in the roomThe “men cheat, women get cheated on” story no longer fits the people we see. When we hear it in session, it usually keeps one partner in the role of culprit and the other in the role of victim, and neither role helps a couple decide what comes next.
Does power or success change the odds?
Yes, and for women as much as men. In a survey of 1,561 professionals, people with more power at work reported more infidelity and more intention to cheat, because power raised their confidence that they could attract a partner. In 2025 GSS data, 18% of prime-age men in high-prestige jobs reported extramarital sex, compared with 7% in upper-middle prestige jobs.
| Statistic | Figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Power and infidelity: does gender change the link?“The relationship between power and infidelity was the same for women as for men, and for the same reason.” 1,561 professionals; 6% were top executives and 14% middle managers. | No | Lammers et al. (2011) |
| What carried the effectPower increased confidence in the ability to attract partners. The link held for past infidelity and for intentions. | Confidence | Lammers et al. (2011) |
| Men 25 to 54 in high-prestige jobs who report extramarital sexCompared with 7% in upper-middle and 13% in low-prestige jobs. | 18% | IFS (2025) |
| Women 25 to 54 in low-prestige jobs who report extramarital sexCompared with 9% of women in high-prestige jobs. For women, the pattern runs the other way. | 21% | IFS (2025) |
| Opportunity factors that predicted infidelity in a national sampleRespondent income and work status, along with divorce history, education and age at first marriage. GSS 1991–1996. | Income, work | Atkins et al. (2001) |
Source: IFS (2025), General Social Survey. Women’s upper-middle figure was not published. Bars are scaled so 25% fills the row.
These are correlations. Neither study shows that a promotion causes an affair. The Lammers sample was recruited online through a Dutch business magazine and relies on self-report. The IFS figures are a secondary analysis, not peer-reviewed research.
What we see in the roomPower does not create the wish to stray. What we see is that it removes friction: more travel, more autonomy, more people who say yes, and fewer people who ask where you were. The risk sits in the setup, which is good news, because a setup can be changed.
What counts as cheating?
Partners often disagree about where the line is, and men and women draw it in different places. In national survey data reported by the Survey Center on American Life, 88% of women said kissing someone else is cheating, compared with 73% of men.
| Statistic | Figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Women who say kissing someone else counts as cheatingCompared with 73% of men. | 88% | Survey Center on American Life (2025) |
| Men who say kissing someone else counts as cheatingSame survey. | 73% | Survey Center on American Life (2025) |
| Young women who believe infidelity is very or extremely commonCompared with 44% of young men. The survey does not define “young” on the summary page. | 57% | Survey Center on American Life (2025) |
The national prevalence figures on this page measure sexual infidelity only. No large national study we could verify measures emotional or digital affairs with a published method.
What we see in the roomMany couples come in after something that was not sex: a text thread, an app, an emotional confidant. One partner calls it a betrayal and the other calls it nothing. Recovery starts sooner when both people name what was broken, and that is usually trust and transparency, not a technical definition.
How often does infidelity come up in couples therapy?
In a clinical trial of 134 married couples seeking therapy, 14% had a reported affair, and most were still secret when therapy began. Only about a third were revealed before therapy started, and a quarter were never revealed to the spouse during therapy.
| Statistic | Figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Couples entering marital therapy with a reported affair19 of 134 married couples in a randomized trial. | 14% | Atkins, Yi et al. (2005) |
| Affairs revealed before therapy began“Only about one-third.” | About 1 in 3 | Atkins, Yi et al. (2005) |
| Affairs never revealed to the spouse during therapy“One-quarter.” | About 1 in 4 | Atkins, Yi et al. (2005) |
| Couples whose affair was revealed: progress in therapyThey began more distressed than other couples, then showed greater improvement in satisfaction. | Faster gains | Atkins, Eldridge et al. (2005) |
This is one trial with 19 affair couples, using behavioral couple therapy. It is the best long-term data available, and it is still a small sample.
What we see in the roomThe couples who arrive in the worst shape are not always the ones with the worst odds. When the affair is out in the open, couples often move faster than couples with a slower, quieter kind of distance. A crisis brings urgency, and that urgency can be put to work.
How many marriages survive infidelity?
Most marriages where the affair comes out do survive, at least for five years after couple therapy. In the longest follow-up study we could find, 43% of couples with a revealed affair had divorced five years after therapy, compared with 80% when the affair stayed secret and 23% for couples with no affair.
| Statistic | Figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Couples with a revealed affair, divorced 5 years after therapyInfidelity couples from a randomized trial of 134 couples. | 43% | Marín et al. (2014) |
| Couples with a revealed affair, still married 5 years after therapy100% minus 43%. Our calculation | 57% | Marín et al. (2014) |
| Couples whose affair stayed secret, divorced 5 years after therapyA very small group. | 80% | Marín et al. (2014) |
| Couples with no affair, divorced 5 years after therapyThe comparison group. | 23% | Marín et al. (2014) |
| Affair couples who stayed married: satisfaction vs other couplesThey did not differ from couples with no affair in marital stability or relationship satisfaction. | No difference | Marín et al. (2014) |
| Adults 25 to 54 who cheated and are now divorced or separatedCompared with 15% of those who did not cheat. About three times as likely. Correlation only. | 52% | IFS (2025) |
Source: Marín et al. (2014). 19 affair couples and their comparison group from a trial of 134 couples.
Marín and colleagues followed 19 affair couples, so each percentage rests on a handful of couples. Read these as the best available signal, not a forecast for any one marriage.
What we see in the roomThe secret is the bigger risk, not the affair alone. A couple that faces what happened, with help, has a real chance of getting to a marriage that feels as solid as anyone’s. The couples who stay married in this study are not just hanging on.
Why the numbers disagree
You will see infidelity rates from 10% to 70% online. Most of the spread comes from four things, and most of the very high numbers come from no study at all.
- Different ages
- Rates rise with age, so a survey of all married adults reports more infidelity than one limited to ages 25 to 54. The same survey family gives 20% of men or 11% of men depending on this choice.
- Different years and methods
- The GSS moved online in 2021 and 2022. People may answer a screen differently than they answer an interviewer, which makes trend lines harder to read.
- Different definitions
- National surveys ask about sex outside marriage. Many online figures fold in kissing, texting or emotional affairs, or ask about any relationship, not marriage.
- Who is asked
- Surveys recruited through affair-recovery sites or social media reach people already affected. Their answers matter, but they are not national rates.
- Self-report
- Every figure here comes from people describing their own behavior. Infidelity is under-reported, so read each rate as a floor.
- Not a forecast
- Statistics describe groups. They cannot tell you whether your partner will stray or whether your marriage will recover. That depends on what the two of you do next.
Lines you’re welcome to quote
Writing about infidelity? Quote these lines from Lisa Chen, LMFT, with credit. The button copies the line with her name and a link to this page.
“Power doesn’t create the wish to stray. It removes the friction that used to stop it.”
“Most affairs I treat aren’t about sex. They’re about who someone gets to be when no one is keeping score.”
“A marriage can survive an affair. It rarely survives the secret staying a secret.”
“The couples who come in at their worst are often the ones who move fastest.”
“Trust isn’t rebuilt by a promise. It’s rebuilt by a hundred small, boring, verifiable moments.”
“Success makes it easier to keep a secret and harder to live with one.”
Cite this page
You are welcome to quote any figure here. Please link to this page and name the original source for each number. Journalists can request an interview with Lisa Chen through the press page.
Lisa Chen & Associates Therapy. (2026, October 29). Infidelity statistics: What the research says about power, success and affairs. https://www.lisachentherapy.com/infidelity-statistics
Infidelity statistics questions
Short answers, with the same sources as above.
What percentage of married people cheat?
Recent General Social Survey data puts it at 11% of men and 14% of women ages 25 to 54 (2021–2022). Older data covering all ages shows 20% of men and 13% of women. The rate depends on the ages and years counted, and every figure is self-reported, so the true rate is likely higher.
What percentage of men cheat?
Among men 25 to 54, 11% reported cheating while married in 2021–2022, down from 21% in the 1990s (Institute for Family Studies, GSS). Across all ages, about 20% of married men report it, with the highest rates among men over 60.
What percentage of women cheat?
About 14% of women 25 to 54 reported cheating while married in 2021–2022, a rate that has held steady since the 1990s. In that age group, women’s rate is not significantly different from men’s.
Do powerful or successful people cheat more?
Research suggests power raises the odds for both women and men. A study of 1,561 professionals found more power was linked to more infidelity, through greater confidence in attracting partners (Lammers et al., 2011). In 2025 GSS data, 18% of men in high-prestige jobs reported extramarital sex, versus 7% in upper-middle prestige jobs. These are correlations, not causes.
How many marriages survive infidelity?
In a five-year follow-up of a couple therapy trial, 57% of couples whose affair was revealed were still married five years after therapy, and those who stayed married were as satisfied as couples with no affair. When the affair stayed secret, 80% had divorced (Marín et al., 2014). The sample was small.
Can couples therapy help after an affair?
Yes. In a clinical trial, couples whose affair was revealed began therapy more distressed than other couples but improved faster (Atkins et al., 2005). Five years later, those still married did not differ in satisfaction from couples with no affair (Marín et al., 2014).
Is emotional cheating counted in these statistics?
No. The national rates on this page measure sexual infidelity. Definitions vary: 88% of women and 73% of men say kissing someone else counts as cheating (Survey Center on American Life). We found no large national study of emotional or digital affairs with a published method.
Can I quote or cite these statistics?
Yes. Please link to this page and name the original source for each figure, because the research belongs to the people who ran it. A suggested citation is in the Cite this page section.
Sources
Eight sources, each read directly on October 29, 2026. Figures marked “Our calculation” are arithmetic on these sources. We checked PubMed and Crossref for retractions; none are listed for any paper here.
- Wang, W. (2025, August 25). Men with prestigious jobs are more likely to cheat. Institute for Family Studies. Analysis of the General Social Survey, ever-married adults ages 25 to 54, pooled by decade. https://ifstudies.org/blog/men-with-prestigious-jobs-are-more-likely-to-cheat-. Accessed October 29, 2026.
- Wang, W. (2018). Who cheats more? The demographics of infidelity in America. Institute for Family Studies. Analysis of the General Social Survey. https://ifstudies.org/blog/number-1-in-2018-who-cheats-more-the-demographics-of-infidelity-in-america. Accessed October 29, 2026.
- Lammers, J., Stoker, J. I., Jordan, J., Pollmann, M., & Stapel, D. A. (2011). Power increases infidelity among men and women. Psychological Science, 22(9), 1191–1197. Survey of 1,561 professionals. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21771963/. Accessed October 29, 2026.
- Atkins, D. C., Baucom, D. H., & Jacobson, N. S. (2001). Understanding infidelity: Correlates in a national random sample. Journal of Family Psychology, 15(4), 735–749. General Social Surveys, 1991–1996. https://doi.org/10.1037/0893-3200.15.4.735. Accessed October 29, 2026.
- Cox, D. A. (2025, February 20). Is America experiencing an infidelity epidemic? Survey Center on American Life. https://www.americansurveycenter.org/newsletter/is-america-experiencing-an-infidelity-epidemic/. Accessed October 29, 2026.
- Atkins, D. C., Yi, J., Baucom, D. H., & Christensen, A. (2005). Infidelity in couples seeking marital therapy. Journal of Family Psychology, 19(3), 470–473. 134 married couples in a clinical trial. https://core.ac.uk/download/475613831.pdf. Accessed October 29, 2026.
- Atkins, D. C., Eldridge, K. A., Baucom, D. H., & Christensen, A. (2005). Infidelity and behavioral couple therapy: Optimism in the face of betrayal. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 73(1), 144–150. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15709841/. Accessed October 29, 2026.
- Marín, R. A., Christensen, A., & Atkins, D. C. (2014). Infidelity and behavioral couple therapy: Relationship outcomes over 5 years following therapy. Couple and Family Psychology: Research and Practice, 3(1), 1–12. https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1037/cfp0000012. Accessed October 29, 2026.
If you’re deciding what comes next
Lisa Chen & Associates Therapy helps couples after an affair, in Hermosa Beach and online across California, with weekly sessions or a focused couples intensive. The first 20-minute consultation is free, and it is confidential.