How common is urolagnia compared to other paraphilias and across age or gender groups?
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Executive summary
Urolagnia (urophilia) is a recognized paraphilia in which sexual arousal is tied to urine or urination, and the best-quality population data indicate it is less common than many other fetishes but present at measurable rates within kink communities and general surveys; prevalence estimates vary widely and cannot be confidently extrapolated to the entire population [1] [2] [3]. Paraphilias in general are more frequently reported by men and by younger people in recent studies, and urolagnia follows similar demographic trends in the limited empirical work available, though methodological limits and sampling biases constrain firm conclusions [4] [5].
1. What urolagnia is and how it’s classified
Urolagnia—also called urophilia, undinism, watersports or “golden showers”—is defined as sexual excitement associated with urine, urination or related stimuli; clinical manuals have historically listed it under miscellaneous or “not otherwise specified” paraphilias and modern diagnostic frameworks treat such interests as paraphilias only when they cause distress, impairment, or harm [1] [6] [7].
2. How common urolagnia appears in kink-focused studies
Research drawn from BDSM and fetish communities shows urolagnia is detectable but not dominant: for example, Rehor’s community sample (reported in secondary sources) shows many kink practices far outnumber it—spanking and sensory-play items were reported by the majority while watersports ranked lower—so within kink subcultures urolagnia exists but is not among the most prevalent practices [2] [1]. Internet-group counts also suggest body-fluid interests—including urolagnia—account for a minority of fetish-related online groups (about 9% in one 2007 count of fetish-named groups focused on body parts/fluids) [1].
3. Population surveys and relative ranking among fetishes
Population-scale or nationwide surveys give some comparative perspective but remain imperfect: the 2017 Channel 4 Great British Sex Survey ranked “watersports” ninth among sexual fetishes in the UK, indicating it is less common than many other fetishes but still present in mainstream survey data [1]. Provincial and general-population surveys of paraphilic interests find a range of paraphilias occur at measurable rates, with “extreme” or illegal paraphilias rare; these broader studies show the overall pattern that unusual sexual interests exist in the general population but vary substantially by specific interest [3] [5].
4. Age and gender patterns—what the evidence shows
Across studies of paraphilic interests, younger age and male gender predict greater endorsement of paraphilic fantasies or behaviors, and urolagnia appears to follow that pattern where data exist: recent research identifies younger people and men as more likely to report paraphilic behaviors, and one comparative study noted gender and age as significant predictors for engaging in paraphilic acts, including urophilia [4] [5]. Sources caution, however, that these predictors are correlational and influenced by recruitment channels (for instance, FetLife users are overrepresented in kink samples) [5].
5. Limits, controversies and alternative interpretations
All prevalence claims are qualified by major methodological limits: many estimates come from convenience samples within BDSM communities or from online groups, which cannot be extrapolated to the general population [1] [2]. Diagnostic framing matters too—clinical manuals now emphasize distress/impairment when labeling a paraphilia as a disorder, so many people who practice urolagnia will not meet criteria for a psychiatric diagnosis [1] [6]. Cultural variation, stigma, legal contexts and the anonymity of internet reporting further complicate measurement and comparison across countries and cohorts [8] [7].
6. Bottom line: relative commonality and demographic contours
Relative to other paraphilias, urolagnia is neither the most common nor the rarest: it ranks below many widely reported kink interests (e.g., spanking, fetishistic use of materials) but above extremely rare or criminalized paraphilias in community and survey data, and it shows the same demographic skew toward younger people and men that is observed for paraphilic interests more broadly; nevertheless, precise population prevalence is uncertain because available studies are biased by sampling frames and differing definitions [2] [1] [3] [4] [5].