The Southern European country of Portugal nestles on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean to the west of Spain and to the south of France. It has a population of 10.5 million people with most people living in small rural towns and cities. The capital, Lisbon, has a population of just half a million people but is a popular transport hub for some of the 10 million visitors who visit the country each year.
Portugal has a colourful history and has influenced other nations including parts of South America. Ties remain strong with places like Brazil and there is a strong connection between the two countries, not just with a shared language and culture but evidently in taste for porn (see Porn Viewing Trends, below).
In this guide, we take a look at the country’s attitude towards sex, the adult industry as well as some key factors influencing sex in Portugal.
Contents
Sex in Portugal
Portuguese women are some of the most satisfied women in Europe when it comes to the quality and quantity of the sex they receive. In a recent study, 88% of women from Portugal were satisfied with their sex lives. This despite the fact that over half of the respondents had only ever had one sexual partner (4% had 10 or more).
This statistic markedly demonstrates the two polar opposites of attitudes towards sex in Portugal. A traditional country (in many respects) with a high proportion of the population practicing Catholicism, monogamy and the institute of marriage is held sacred by many. However, modern Portugal is becoming more open-minded and the under 30s in particular are experimenting more and being more promiscuous than the previous generation.
That said, casual sex in Portugal is less common than in other parts of Europe however there are ways you can hook up, particularly in the capital (see ‘Personals Sites’, below).
Swinging is quite popular in Portugal and there are plenty of clubs, especially in the capital. Because brothels are illegal, swinging clubs offer singles and couples the chance to cruise for casual encounters at a fraction of the cost of paying for a prostitute and these venues are similar to the sex clubs found in Northern Europe.
According to data published annually by the Demographic and Health Surveys and Knowledge report, one in four women aged 18 are sexually active vs 69% of males. Sex education in Portugal is considered to need improvement and the teen pregnancy rate for the country is high at 17 births per 1000 women (aged 15-19).
Despite being a largely Catholic nation, contraception in Portugal is pretty high at 73.9% although condom usage is low at around 15% (Moldova has a rate of 54.5% and the Ukraine has 64.3%). Despite this, STI rates in Portugal are not that high though the prevalence of HIV/AIDS is one of the highest in Europe (0.6% of the population have contracted the disease).
Since 2012, prostitution in Portugal has been on the increase with a marked rise in the number of the over 30s entering the trade. This is mainly due to the downturn in the country’s commensurate economic situation but has also been a result of increased migration of sex workers from Eastern Europe.
Adult Industry in Portugal
There are no adult film studios in Portugal and the adult industry is mainly restricted to distribution and resale of pornographic material from other countries, mainly from Spain. Certainly, adult stars from Portugal are working for other European (and sometimes American) porn studios.
The country offers quite a lot of options when it comes to adult entertainment including strip clubs, erotic massage parlours and sex shops. Because brothels aren’t legal, prostitution is typically carried out through escort services.
Prostitution Laws in Portugal
Prostitution in Portugal is legal though third-party activities relating to the industry are prohibited. This means that brothels, pimping and prostitution rings are illegal.
In recent history, up to the early 1960s, prostitution was regulated and legalised. In 1963, the government adopted an abolitionist approach, closing both brothels and running houses. The change in legislation had little impact on the numbers of prostitutes working in Portugal and the law was partially repealed in 1983 to decriminalise the act of selling sexual services but maintaining a ban on profiting from this trade by others.
Prostitution in modern Portugal comes in a variety of forms including street prostitution, massage parlours, contact bars and even unofficial brothels. Escorts can be found on classified sites and through specialist directories.
Street prostitution is becoming more rare mainly because of the dangers associated with street walking but also because of diminished tolerance in the cities and built-up areas. You can find migrant women working in remote areas of towns and cities providing ‘drive thru’ services.
Because of the lack of regulation, the numbers of prostitutes working in Portugal is difficult to calculate but the most recent estimates place this figure at around 30,000 of which only half are Portuguese.
Portugal: Porn Viewing Trends
Each year the internet giant of online porn, PornHub, produces insights on the porn viewing trends of its global audience and the most recent data for Portugal reveals some interesting statistics.
Traffic to the site ranks Portugal as the 41st most active country on PornHub.
Whilst most people around the world tend to view their porn on a Sunday, the Portuguese enjoy viewing on a Monday though the time they view is more typical being between 11pm and 1am. In terms of online stamina, the Portuguese spend just ten seconds less time viewing their porn than the global average of 9 minutes and 36 seconds.
The most popular search terms across the site coming out of Portugal are typically nationalistic with ‘Portugal, ‘Tuga’ and ‘Portuguese’ topping the list. The top ten more specific porn search terms are currently:
- MILF
- Lesbian
- Hentai
- Anal
- Massage
- Teen
- Big ass
- Bit tits
- Ebony
- Casting
The combination of these popular search terms result in the most porn viewed coming from the categories of Anal, MILF and Lesbian.
Interestingly, though not surprisingly, the Portuguese watch more Brazilian, Anal and Outdoor action than anywhere else in the world.
The runaway most popular porn star watched from Portugal is the homegrown talent of Diana Cu De Melancia closely followed by global favourites, Mia Khalifa, Lisa Ann and Nicole Aniston (all from the USA). In fact the only non-American on the top ten list (other than Cu De Melancia) is Spanish born Jordi El Niño Polla (Jordi ENP).
The average age of porn viewers in Portugal is 35 years old with the gender split being 22% female, 78% male.
As well as PornHub, the Portuguese enjoy several adult websites with the following ranking in the most popular 50 sites according to traffic volumes:
- 14th most visited site in Portugal: Live Jasmin – Adult cam site
- 26th most visited site in Portugal: XVideos – Porn tube site
- 30th most visited site in Portugal: Bonga Cams – Adult cam site
- 36th most visited site in Portugal: Porn Hub – Porn tube site
- 49th most visited site in Portugal: XHamster – Porn tube site
Top Portuguese Porn
The top searches in Portugal for free porn come primarily from those sites listed above where amateur footage can be viewed as well as clips from professional studios.
In addition, a good deal of search traffic can be found coming from Portugal for porn tube sites, Porn Doido, Samba Porno, Porno Carioca, Porno Mineiro and SexoQuente.tv
Most of the hot searches across these tube sites is for free Brazilian porn although a range of local search terms can also be found including ‘Tuga’ and ‘Português’.
According to XVideos, the most popular Portuguese porn stars worldwide are Erica Fontes, Susana Melo and Charyse Bella. With over 149 million video views between them, these Portuguese ladies work with some large European and American studios including Reality Kings, Fake Agent UK, Euro Girls on Girls, Legal Porno and the Brazzers Network.
LGBTQ in Portugal
Since the fall of authoritarian rule in Portugal during the early 1970s the country has slowly enjoyed more liberalism. The legacy of a strict regime of governance along with Portugal’s strong links with Catholicism has influenced the country’s attitudes towards homosexuality and gender diversity over the last fifty years.
However, Portugal’s march towards liberalism has been swift and the last decade has seen some significant improvements in LGBTQ rights. Despite a late start with homosexuality being decriminalised in 1983, their approach to anti-discrimination and equality is now seen as progressive.
As a result of recent changes to legislation, Portugal’s LGBTQ community enjoys some of the best recognition in terms of equality in law around the world.
The age of consent for homosexuals was equalised in 2007 and is 14.
Same sex unions were legalised in 2001 and, in 2010, Portugal became the 8th nation in the world to legalise same sex marriage. Shortly after, the Law of Gender Identity was ratified to simplify the process for transgendered persons changing their sex; at the time this legislation was the most advanced of its kind in the world.
The Constitution of Portugal prohibits discrimination in any area of the law based on sexual orientation and the LGBTQ community enjoys protection in all areas including employment, family and criminal law and is also extended to those who seek asylum in the country.
Interestingly, this liberal approach appears to be in a small amount of conflict to public opinion with polls taken in 2011 suggesting that almost 50% of the Portuguese opposed same sex marriage. From a country where over 4 out of 5 people are Catholic, this is not a surprise.
Despite the country’s relatively recent period of oppression and continuing links to the traditional Catholic church, Portugal is a safe and forward-thinking place for the LGBTQ community and the major cities cater well to the ‘Pink Euro’.
Pride events are run annually in the capital, Lisbon, as well as in Porto.
Top Classified/Personals Sites in Portugal
Convivio CM
A Portuguese language site, Convivio CM offers a personal classifieds service across Portugal. At the time of writing there were over 270 listings for Women Seeking Men. Many of the ads were clearly for escort services with a handful of more genuine personals. Some massage service were also available.
You can filter the results by area and the site is free to use with contact details being given without any need for registration.
Do U Like?
www.doulike.com/browse/portugal/personals.html
A free online dating website, Do U Like has a dozen or so listings for women looking for men. The site has a European coverage so you can bookmark it if you travel frequently.
You will need to register to access profile information including photos but you can do this via Facebook to speed things up.
Lava Place
www.lavaplace.com/Personals/portugal/pt/
Lave Place has a couple of dozen single women looking for men with most being over 30. The site has a good European coverage and you will need to register an account before you can contact any of the members.
From our initial browse we found most of the women looking for something more serious but a couple were open to casual encounters.
Love City
www.lovecity.com/personals/female_dating_pg-0-2.htm
Another European wide personals dating site there are about two dozen listings on Love City for singes in Portugal. Not a huge selection but a range of women looking for hook ups.
You can view profiles for free but you do need to register in order to contact other members.
F-Dating
https://fdating.com/dating-portuguese-women.html
F Dating has over 200 listings on their site for Portuguese women looking for men. There’s a good mix of ages and backgrounds and though many are looking for more than just a one-night stand, there are plenty of ads where a casual encounter is on the cards.
The site is free to use but you will need to register a profile before contacting anyone.
Craigslist
https://lisbon.craigslist.pt/search/w4m?lang=en&cc=gb
Craigslist has an international reputation for being the home of the casual encounter and, though the site only covers Lisbon, you can find plenty of offers for a hook up. Not all of the listings are posted by genuine personals and many are offering paid sexual services.
The key to using Craigslist is to check it regularly and to reply to ads promptly. The genuine listings get a lot of attention so apply ‘the early bird gets the worm’ rule to be in with a chance.
Featured image via Pixabay.
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