While the subject itself is often considered taboo, erectile dysfunction is actually far more common than most men would like to believe. While it isn’t usually serious, it can be embarrassing, inconvenient and frustrating – especially when it happens in the heat of the moment! Most men are embarrassed by erectile dysfunction, and when brought up, it’s usually accompanied by a certain level of shame or self-deprecation. This association makes it difficult to understand the true extent to which it affects men across the UK.
So, how common is erectile dysfunction? How likely are men to experience it, and are some men more vulnerable to it than others? To find out, we asked 1,000 men across the UK how often they struggle with erectile dysfunction during sexual encounters.
Our Findings
Erectile dysfunction is incredibly common in the UK, with well over half of men stating that they experience it (58.2%).
And a quarter experience it during more than half of all their sexual encounters (27.3%).
3 in 4 men between the ages of 25 and 34 experience erectile dysfunction (74.6%), making them the most vulnerable age group in the UK. They are also the most likely to experience it frequently, with 40% saying they struggle for an erection more than half of the time.
Under half of men above the age of 55 struggle with erectile dysfunction (49.9%), making them the safest age group in the UK.
More than 2 in 3 men in Greater London say that they struggle with impotence (67.7%), although the region of Greater London prescribes the second least number of erectile dysfunction medications in the UK, only issuing an average of 59.1 prescriptions per 10,000 people per month.
The ICB of Lincolnshire has the highest prescription rate for erectile dysfunction drugs in the UK, prescribing them 84.66 times per 10,000 people per month in 2025.
The North East and Yorkshire have the highest prescription rates, with an average of 106.4 times per 10,000 people per month being prescribed impotence medication.
Our Study on ED Prevalence: How common is erectile dysfunction?
To find out how often men across the UK experience erectile dysfunction, we used Censuswide to ask 1,000 men across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland how often they struggle to achieve an erection during sex. We then separated respondents into locations and age groups to determine whether these factors could affect the rates of erectile dysfunction in the UK. We asked:
How often, if ever, have you experienced difficulty getting or maintaining an erection prior to or during a sexual encounter?
Every sexual encounter (100% of the time)
Most sexual encounters (61-99% of the time)
Around half of sexual encounters (40 – 60% of the time)
Some sexual encounters (11-39% of the time)
On rare occasions (1-10% of the time)
This has never happened to me (0%)
Prefer not to say
How often do men experience erectile dysfunction in the UK?
So, how often do men in the UK experience erectile dysfunction? Here’s what we found:
Well over half of all men in the UK struggle to maintain an erection sufficient for sexual intercourse (58.2%).
And more than 1 in 4 experience erectile dysfunction more than half of the time (27.3%).
1 in 20 UK men struggle for an erection during every single sexual encounter (5.2%).
While 1 in 5 men say that they do experience erectile dysfunction, but only rarely (19.8%).
1 in 3 men in the UK have never experienced erectile dysfunction (32%), and 1 in 10 prefer not to say (9.8%)
At what age are men more vulnerable to erectile dysfunction?
Erectile dysfunction is a condition that any man can experience, but there’s no doubt that some adults can be more susceptible to it than others. How much does age affect the prevalence of erectile dysfunction across the UK? To find out, we separated our survey respondents into age groups from 16-24 up to 55+.
The most vulnerable age group is 25 to 34, with 3 quarters experiencing erectile dysfunction during sexual encounters (74.6%).
Additionally, 40% of men of the same age experience impotence during more than half of these encounters.
And as many as 8.5% of 25 to 34-year-olds struggle to achieve an erection every single time. That’s 3.3% more than the UK average!
The second most vulnerable age group to experience frequent erectile dysfunction is young adults, with 1 in 3 16-24-year-olds (33.1%) experiencing impotence during over half of all sexual encounters.
The safest men are 55 or above, experiencing erectile dysfunction, with under half struggling with impotence at all (49.9%) and less than 1 in 5 (18.2%) experiencing it more than half the time.
They are also the most likely to be private about their sexual experiences, with 1 in 7 preferring not to answer (13.4%).
Adults between 35 and 44 are more likely to be open about their experiences with erectile dysfunction, with only 1 in 20 respondents being unwilling to answer (6%).
Where in the UK does erectile dysfunction pose the biggest problem?
Erectile dysfunction can originate from a number of factors such as mood, stress level, insomnia and distractions. So what about weather and city noise? Can location affect susceptibility to erectile dysfunction? To find out, we separated our respondents into their locations by region and city across the UK.
Londoners are the most vulnerable men in the UK, with over two-thirds of respondents in Greater London claiming they experience erectile dysfunction at least occasionally during sex (67.7%).
However, men in Yorkshire and the Humber are the most likely to experience infrequent impotence, with over a third claiming they do struggle with erections, but during less than half of their sexual encounters (36.7%).
Only 42.9% of men in Northern Ireland experience erectile dysfunction, 13.5% below the average of 56.3%.
Men in Northern Ireland are also the most likely to keep their sexual experiences private, with 1 in 5 preferring not to answer (19%).
Men in the city of Norwich are more vulnerable to frequent impotence than anywhere else in the UK, with 1 in 10 stating they experience erectile dysfunction during every single sexual encounter (10.8%) and over a third experiencing it more than half of the time (35.1%).
What are the most common causes of erectile dysfunction?
Physical and Medical Causes
Most men are surprised to learn that ED isn’t usually “all in your head.” According to the British Association of Urological Surgeons, 90% of diagnosed erectile dysfunction cases stem from underlying physical health issues rather than psychological factors.
Here’s what’s typically behind ED:
Cardiovascular problems (40%) – Including high blood pressure and high cholesterol
Diabetes (33%)
Hormone imbalances and medications (11%) – Such as low testosterone, high prolactin, or side effects from common medications like antidepressants, blood pressure tablets, antihistamines, and recreational drugs
Neurological disorders (10%)
Pelvic surgery or trauma (3-5%) – Including prostate surgery and injuries to the genital area
Physical abnormalities (1-3%) – Such as tight foreskin, short penile frenulum, or Peyronie’s disease (penile curvature)
Lifestyle Factors
Our daily habits matter when it comes to erectile function. The statistics show clear links between certain lifestyle choices and ED.
These habits affect your body’s production of nitric oxide – the essential chemical that helps your blood vessels relax for proper erections.
Psychological Factors
Though physical issues cause most ED cases overall, psychological factors account for about 10% of all cases. Erectile dysfunction and mental health are closely linked, with each potentially affecting the other.
The Kinsey Institute recognised pornography-induced erectile dysfunction (PIED) as a real problem back in 2007. In fact, according to consumer surveys, 67% of men with ED found they never have erectile, arousal, or climaxing difficulties when masturbating with porn.
Recent search trends from Google Trends show more and more men are looking up ‘porn induced erectile dysfunction’ – suggesting growing awareness and concern about how adult content might affect sexual function.
ED can create a difficult cycle. Once you’ve experienced problems getting or keeping an erection, you might start worrying about it happening again. This performance anxiety often makes the situation worse.
Which areas of England prescribe the most medication for erectile dysfunction?
In light of our findings, we used Open Prescribing to analyse prescription data across each ICB in the UK in 2025. Over the years, over 4.7 million drugs for erectile dysfunction were prescribed across all ICBs in the UK, costing the NHS £15.7 million.
We found that:
Doctors in Lincolnshire prescribe more erectile dysfunction medication than any other ICB in England, distributing 84.66 prescriptions per 10,000 people per month in 2025, nearly one and a half times the UK average of 64.6!
It’s closely followed by the Humber and North Yorkshire, and South Yorkshire, which prescribe these drugs 83.45 and 83.06 times per 10,000 people every month, respectively.
The area least likely to issue prescriptions for erectile dysfunction is North West London, prescribing medication 44.77 times per 10,000 people per month.
We found clear differences in prescription rates between regions across England. Generally, ICBs in the North are more likely to issue prescriptions for erectile dysfunction medications.
The region of the North East and Yorkshire has the highest prescription rate for erectile dysfunction medication in the country, prescribing it an average of 106.4 times per 10,000 people each month.
The second highest rate is claimed by the South West, which prescribes erectile dysfunction drugs 76.5 times per 10,000 people.
Despite having the highest rate of erectile dysfunction in the country, Greater London issues the fourth highest number of prescriptions in the UK – an average of only 63.1 prescriptions per 10,000 people per month!
The lowest demand for erectile dysfunction medication in England is experienced in the Midlands, which issues a monthly average of only 49.5 prescriptions per 10,000 people.
What is the UK’s most popular way to manage erectile dysfunction?
Thankfully, there are plenty of treatment options available for sufferers of erectile dysfunction around the globe. We wanted to find out which treatment is the most popular in the UK: to do this, we used SERanking to analyse average monthly Google search rates for the treatments ‘Sildenafil’, ‘Tadalafil’, Avanafil’, ‘Vardenafil’ and ‘Penis Pump’ across the UK in 2025.
Sildenafil – otherwise known by the brand name Viagra – is the most popular erectile dysfunction treatment in the UK, amassing 49,500 per month in 2025.
This was closely followed byTadalafil, which is its closest competitor (40,500).
Penis pumps are the third most popular impotence solution, with people in the UK searching for them an average of 22,200 times per month.
Those looking for erectile dysfunction treatment searched for Vardenafil 3,600 times per month.
People search for Avanafilonly 140 times per month across the UK, making it the least popular solution for erectile dysfunction.
Which UK cities are more interested in erectile dysfunction treatments?
Getting a prescription to treat ED involves talking to a doctor about potentially embarrassing problems. Because of this, prescription data may not tell the whole story about how many men need these medicines across the UK. To find out how many people are looking into erectile dysfunction medication, we used Google Search Trends to analyse search data from the past five years for the most popular ED treatment: Sildenafil.
Rank
Town/City
Area & Region
Interest*
1
Bridgewater
Somerset, South West England
100
2
Southall
Ealing, Greater London
98
3
Horden
County Durham, North East England
96
4
Ormesby
Redcar, North East England
96
5
Bilston
Wolverhampton, West Midlands
95
6
Coinsbrough
Doncaster, Yorkshire and the Humber
93
7
Farnham Common
Buckinghamshire, South East England
92
8
Saltburn-by-the-Sea
Redcar, North East England
91
9
Foulridge
Lancashire, North West England
91
10
Winterton-on-Sea
Norfolk, East of England
91
*Values are calculated on a scale from 0 to 100, where 100 is the location with the most popularity as a fraction of total searches in that location, a value of 50 indicates a location which is half as popular. A value of 0 indicates a location with insufficient data for this term.
Half of the top ten cities searching for erectile dysfunction medication are in the North of England, with Redcar in the North East appearing twice in the top ten list.
Smaller towns like Bilston and Farnham Common show high search activity, suggesting many men feel more comfortable researching ED treatments online rather than discussing it with their GP
Coastal areas with older populations, such as Winterton-on-Sea, with a population of approximately 73.1% over 40, also show higher search volumes, which makes sense given that ED becomes more common with age.
