What is the average time to ejaculation during vaginal intercourse for men by age group?

1. What the stopwatch studies actually measured — and why that matters

Clinical research defines IELT as the time from penile intromission to start of intravaginal ejaculation and usually records it by stopwatch kept by partners; that method produced a median IELT of 5.4 minutes across samples and a positively skewed distribution with wide individual variation from under a minute to over 40 minutes ^{[3] [2]}. The stopwatch method is regarded as more objective than recall or survey estimates and therefore underpins most commonly cited “average” figures ^[2].

2. How IELT changes by age, according to the main study cited

A multinational study of 500 couples found median IELT fell with age: 6.5 minutes for ages 18–30, 5.4 minutes for 31–50, and 4.3 minutes for men older than 51 — a statistically significant decrease ^[2]. Summaries and reviews repeat that pattern and place the typical penetration-to-ejaculation interval in the 5–7 minute range overall ^{[1] [5]}.

3. Where the common “5.4 minutes” and “5–7 minutes” numbers come from

The 5.4-minute figure appears as the median in the 500-couple stopwatch dataset and is echoed in later overviews and popular articles that cite that Journal of Sexual Medicine–era research; broader clinical overviews list 5–7 minutes as an average measured by stopwatch ^{[3] [1] [4]}. Popular health sites and clinician summaries commonly report “about five to six minutes” as a practical benchmark ^{[6] [7]}.

4. Variation is large — why a single “average” can mislead

The distribution of IELT is strongly right-skewed: many men cluster at shorter times while a minority have much longer sessions. Reported ranges span roughly 0.55 to 44.1 minutes in the stopwatch studies, so any mean or median masks huge between-person and within-person variability ^{[3] [2]}. Clinical guides warn that sexual satisfaction and distress, not just stopwatch time, determine whether a timing is treated as a problem such as premature or delayed ejaculation ^[1].

5. Alternative findings and conflicting claims in other reporting

Most sources agree on the 5–7 minute benchmark and the age-related decline ^{[3] [1] [2]}. Some popular or commercial outlets state similar averages (around 5.4–5.5 minutes) without further age breakdowns ^{[4] [6]}. A few consumer sites or blogs suggest age does not shorten IELT or even claim older men last as long or longer; however, the cited stopwatch study and major reviews document a clear decline with age ^{[2] [1]}.

6. Limitations and gaps in available reporting

Available sources focus on heterosexual vaginal intercourse measured in stable-couple samples and do not represent all sexual practices, orientations, or single men; they also often exclude or do not stratify by health conditions, medication use (SSRIs can prolong IELT), cultural differences, or relationship dynamics ^{[2] [5]}. Available sources do not mention age brackets finer than the 18–30, 31–50, >51 groups in that primary stopwatch study ^[2].

7. Practical takeaway for readers and clinicians

If you want a benchmark by age: use the stopwatch-study medians — about 6.5 minutes (18–30), 5.4 minutes (31–50), and 4.3 minutes (>51) — while remembering averages hide wide individual differences and that clinical concern depends on distress and function, not clock time alone ^{[2] [1]}. If medication, chronic illness, or relationship issues are present, IELT can shift substantially and should be discussed with a clinician ^[5].

Sources cited in-text: the multinational stopwatch study and its summaries ^[2], reviews and clinical overviews that state 5–7 minutes or 5.4 minutes as the typical IELT ^{[3] [1]}, and accessible summaries and popular reporting that repeat these findings ^{[5] [4] [6] [7]}.