The Top 10 Countries in the World that Accept Infidelity
- Worldwide poll reveals countries that accept infidelity the most when married
- Married couples in Czech Republic accept affairs the most, but also have the fourth highest divorce rate in the world
- Extra-marital affairs are least accepted in Turkey
- 15% of Brits say extra-marital affairs are not a moral issue
- However, 57% of Brits would go through a divorce if their partner had an affair
- Survey reveals what people class as “cheating”
Our research gathered infidelity data from around the world to see which countries, if any, accept extra-marital affairs and how this compares to divorce rates globally.
A separate survey of 2,000 Brits, recently conducted alongside this research, revealed that 57% of people would divorce their partners if they were found to be having an affair, although many said it would depend on the situation. The country most likely to accept affairs is the Czech Republic at 17%.
The global views on morality study, conducted by Pew Research Center, which looked at 40 countries worldwide, revealed that 12% of those countries consider affairs to be morally acceptable.
France has the highest number of people who do not consider affairs to be a moral issue, at 40%.They were then followed by Spain (27%), Germany (26%) and Britain (15%).
Affairs considered not to be a moral issue (top 10)
- France (40%)
- Spain (27%)
- Germany (26%)
- Senegal (24%)
- Canada (17%)
- Chile (16%)
- Italy (16%)
- Britain (15%)
- Japan (14%)
- Australia (13%)
Noel Biderman, owner and founder of the controversial Ashley Madison ‘dating site’, which helps married men and women engage in affairs, was once quoted saying: “Having an affair can save a marriage. None of us anywhere are engineered for monogamy. People don’t want to get divorced, they just want to have their cake and eat it too.”
By contrast, our survey shows that 56% do believe we are engineered for monogamy, and that we should only be intimate with one person and no-one else.
Despite Brits saying this, 19% admit they have cheated, and 1 in 10 admit they do not trust their other half. The average number of sexual partners in the UK was 7.
When comparing infidelity data to divorce rates, there does seem to be a slight correlation.
Divorce rates around the world
The UN’s Demographics and Social Statistics Division keeps track of the ratio of marriages to divorces in each country, and the stats demonstrate that certain nationalities are significantly more likely to get divorced than others.
The country with the highest divorce rate is in fact Belgium, with around 32,000 Belgians signing divorce papers every year and only about a third of marriages lasting a lifetime.
Czech Republic as a country has the fourth highest divorce rate globally and, according to website therichest.com, at one time it had the highest divorce rate in Europe. Around 11% of men and 13% of women in the country are divorced, which has helped to de-stigmatise the topic.
What do people class as cheating?
The First4Lawyers survey reveals what people class as cheating and what they would accept when in a relationship. Just over half of Brits would divorce their partner if they had an affair according to the research, yet 20% admit to having cheated themselves and kept it a secret.
While the majority believe that sexting and having a Tinder account is cheating, 39% think a secret social media account counts. Surprisingly, only 37% say groping another person’s bum is cheating, and less than half saw texting your ex in secret to be the same.
Further research into what is acceptable or unacceptable when in a relationship found that 75% say flirting with another person at work is unacceptable, yet only 1 in 10 said they would have a divorce or break-up if they caught their partner doing so.
Whilst 84% say it’s unacceptable for their partner to receive a private strip dance, only 16% consider it to be cheating, with 15% saying they would go through a divorce or break-up if they found their partner had visited such an establishment.
In contrast, a quarter of respondents say they would not be bothered by their partner sharing a peck on the cheek with a person that they fancy. 1 in 6 respondents also said they would find it acceptable if their partner was consistently complimenting another person, and a similar amount of people said the same about liking another person’s picture on social media in a flirtatious manner.
Andrew Cullwick, spokesperson at First4Lawyers said:
"The data has revealed some interesting statistics about married life around the globe. It’s rare to find a couple who doesn’t run into hurdles in their relationship at one point or another. However, our advice is to talk, be open and listen to each other to try and work through these issues.”
Divorce and Family Law Solicitors
If you are in need of Family Law or Divorce Advice contact First4Lawyers, we have solicitors throughout the UK who can help in most Family Law matters.
