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There is no national survey on sex toy use in Greece. The only Greek picture in circulation is a 2023 ranking from SHOPFLIX, with no published sample or method. We put it next to surveys from Europe and the US, with their limits, and say qualitatively what we see in the shop ourselves.
THE BASICS IN 30 SECONDS
- Greece: no national survey on sex toys. There is one commercial ranking (SHOPFLIX 2023) putting vibrators first, with no published method.
- Europe (six countries, 2022, 11,944 people): more than half own or have owned a sex toy. Greece was not included.
- USA: 52.5% of women and 43.8% of heterosexual men reported vibrator use, in nationally representative surveys.
- For lubricant there is a national US sample. For Greece we have a number only for condoms, and it covers young people aged 18-30.
- All of these surveys rely on self-report. The ones that link toys to satisfaction show correlation and leave the cause open.
For almost 17 years I have heard two questions at the till again and again: "What do most people prefer?" and "Do more men or more women come in?". Behind them there is usually one thought: "Am I normal?". Here I answer with published surveys and leave the shop's sales books out. Every number comes with an organisation, a country, a year, a sample and a link to the source. It is written for adults (18+).
What we know and what we don't know about Greeks
We start from the gap, because it is the most useful finding. We checked whether a national survey with a random sample on sex toy ownership or use in Greece exists. We looked at ELSTAT, Eurostat, Eurobarometer, the European Social Survey, the large Greek polling companies, the national public health organisation (EODY) and university repositories. We found none (checked on 21/10/2026).
We found only one commercial ranking from a platform (SHOPFLIX), surveys by condom makers on frequency and satisfaction, and academic studies on sexual health. Of all these, only the first measures toys.
What such a survey should measure
- A random sample of adults from the whole country, with a stated response rate and margin of error.
- A distinction between "ever used", "used in the past year" and "use regularly".
- The type of toy, and whether it is used alone or with a partner.
- Age, gender, region and relationship type, so differences between groups show.
- Anonymous collection and the same questions every few years, so a trend appears.
What SHOPFLIX 2023 shows about sex toys in Greece
In September 2023 the Greek platform SHOPFLIX published preferences by age and city, reproduced by newmoney.gr and Greek City Times. Vibrators come first in Athens, Thessaloniki and Patras. Interest appears equal between men and women.
SHOPFLIX did not publish a sample size or a method. It is search and purchase data from the customers of one platform, not a poll. That is why we keep only the order and no percentages.
I take it as an indication and nothing more. From our own figures I will neither confirm nor deny the ranking. The shop's numbers stay in the shop, and the comparison below uses published surveys only.
Europe: six countries and 11,944 people
The most recent comparison came out of Hald's group at the University of Copenhagen, with data from May and June 2022 in Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, France and the United Kingdom (Journal of Sex Research, 2025). More than half of participants owned or had owned a sex toy. The most common were dildos and vibrators, followed by handcuffs, penis rings and anal toys.
Of the owners, 55-65% use them alone or with a steady partner, and 10-15% with casual partners. Ownership and use were linked to higher sexual satisfaction and life satisfaction.
Its limits: the sample came from online panels, so it is a convenience sample. Greece was not included. The link with satisfaction is a correlation. It does not show that the toy causes it, nor that someone without one is unhappy.
And in Germany?
On to Germany: YouGov asked 1,009 people on 22-25 November 2016, in a sample it describes as representative (YouGov Deutschland). 25% of Germans owned a sex toy: 37% of those aged 18-29 and 12% of those over 60. Men and women owned them almost equally often. Among owners, 68% had a vibrator and 46% a dildo.
A 2016 survey, of one country. It does agree with the European picture that vibrators and dildos are the most common, and with SHOPFLIX that interest is equal in men and women.
The vibrator in the US: two national surveys
The US has two nationally representative surveys from Indiana University. Among women aged 18-60 (3,800 invited, 2,056 responded), 52.5% reported vibrator use (Herbenick et al., 2009). 71.5% had never experienced genital symptoms associated with use.
Among heterosexual men, 43.8% had used a vibrator at some point in their lives. About 94% of male users had used one during sexual play with a partner (Reece et al., 2010).
These percentages do not transfer to Greece. They show how common the vibrator is in a country where it was measured properly. How many Greeks own one stays unknown. If you are looking for one, our guide explains how to choose a vibrator.
Lubricant, anal sex and condoms
For lubricant there is a US national sample from 2012: 65.5% of women aged 18+ had ever used lubricant and 20% had used it in the past 30 days. It was used most often during intercourse (58.3%) and partnered sexual play (49.6%), to make sex more comfortable and pleasurable or to reduce discomfort (Herbenick et al., 2014). To choose, see our lubricants, the lubricant guide and the comparison of water and silicone.
On anal sex, a large US national survey of 5,865 men and women aged 14-94 found that more than 20% of men aged 25-49 and women aged 20-39 reported it in the past year (Herbenick et al., 2010). The anal toys have their own category.
The only Greek number in this section is about the condom. In an online questionnaire of 1,833 young people aged 18-30, only 40.4% said they always use one and 48.6% had never been tested for STIs (Voyiatzaki et al., 2021). It covers only young people and only those who answered, so it is not a picture of the whole country.
For sexually transmitted infections, pain during intercourse or anything that worries you, talk to a doctor. Neither this article nor a survey replaces medical advice.
The surveys side by side
| Survey | Country, year | Sample | Finding | Link to Greece |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SHOPFLIX | Greece, 2023 | Not stated | Vibrators first in three cities | Direct, no method |
| Voyiatzaki et al. | Greece, 2021 | 1,833 young people 18-30, online | 40.4% always use a condom | Young people only, not toys |
| Hald et al. | 6 European countries, 2022 | 11,944, convenience sample | More than half own or have owned a toy | Indirect, no Greece |
| YouGov | Germany, 2016 | 1,009 | 25% own a toy | Indirect, dated |
| Herbenick et al. | USA, 2009 | 2,056 women, national | 52.5% vibrator | Indirect |
| Reece et al. | USA, 2010 | Heterosexual men, national | 43.8% vibrator | Indirect |
| Herbenick et al. | USA, 2014 | Women 18+, national | 65.5% lubricant | Indirect |
| Herbenick et al. | USA, 2010 | 5,865, national | Over 20% anal sex (age groups) | Indirect |
What we see in the shop
We see it too: "Am I normal?" reaches us in a thousand forms, from customers of every age. The surveys help here. They show that where it was measured properly, sex toy use is common and needs no excuse.
Here we disagree: with the phrase that a toy "replaces" the partner. In the European study, higher relationship satisfaction was linked to use together with a partner, not without one.
"Men or women?" I will not answer from the shop. We have no reliable way to measure it, and a basket does not show who will use what is in it. The surveys above show almost equal interest.
The most frequent question at the till is "what do most people prefer?". The honest answer: what most people choose does not tell you what to buy. It helps more to know what you want the product to do, what material it is made of and whether it works with the lubricant you have.
How to read a survey about sex
- Self-report. People answer about something personal, and some exaggerate or understate.
- Random or convenience sample. If anyone invited online can answer, the result shows those who answered, not the country.
- Who publishes. A platform or a product company has a motive, even when the numbers are honest. OLA4U is a shop too.
- Correlation. People who own a toy report more satisfaction, but that does not prove the toy brought it.
- Country and year. A figure from Germany in 2016 is not a figure for Greece in 2026.
Picks that fit the findings
We did not choose them from sales. They fit what you just read and are in stock today.
For the vibrator finding, a silicone vibrating egg:
For lubricant, a thick water-based gel:
For the condom, a very thin one:
For rings, a silicone set:
ADDICTED TOYS | Set Of Pressure Silicone Cock Rings
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View productAnd for the anal sex finding, a silicone butt plug, for those who already know what they are looking for, with a water-based lubricant on top:
Frequently asked questions
How many Greeks use sex toys?Nobody knows reliably, because there is no national survey with a random sample. The only Greek picture is the 2023 SHOPFLIX ranking, with no published method. For comparison, in six European countries (without Greece) more than half owned or own a sex toy, in a convenience sample.
SHOPFLIX puts vibrators first in Athens, Thessaloniki and Patras, but with no published method. In Europe the most common are dildos and vibrators, and in Germany the vibrator was the most common among owners (YouGov, 2016).
The available surveys show equal interest: SHOPFLIX for its users overall and YouGov in Germany, where men and women owned sex toys almost equally often.
Hald's European study found a correlation between ownership and use and higher sexual satisfaction. Relationship satisfaction was linked to currently owning one and to frequent use together with a partner. We are talking about correlation, and the cause stays open. If your relationship or sexual function worries you, talk to a doctor or sex therapist.
It depends on the sample, the organisation, the country and the year. National surveys with a random sample give a firmer picture, but they rely on self-report. Commercial data and convenience samples show a direction. They do not give population percentages.
Have a question?