How Common Is Erectile Dysfunction?

• Real, sourced prevalence figures by age, where reliable research is available.
• Understand what research tells us about ED in younger men, as well as in later life.
• A clear look at why reported prevalence may underestimate the true figure.
• Online consultation with UK-registered prescribers, if you decide you would like to explore treatment

Erectile dysfunction is common. Research reviewed by NICE found that 52% of men aged 40 to 70 reported some degree of ED, while a separate German study found prevalence increasing with age, from 2.3% in the youngest age group studied to 53.4% in the oldest. For wider context, estimates have suggested that around 30 to 50 million men in the U.S. have ED, while a major worldwide review found prevalence estimates ranging from 3% to 76.5%, depending on the population studied and how ED was measured. There is not a single percentage that applies to every man, because prevalence varies with age, population, health and study methods. Overall, the research shows that ED is common and is not limited to older men.

For young men in the UK who want a clearer picture of how common ED is, and who may be weighing up whether to seek private advice or treatment through an online UK-registered prescribing service, this page sets out what the research actually found, broken down by age where the data allows it, so you can see where you fit rather than relying on a single headline number.

It also explains why different studies report different rates, how doctors and researchers define and measure ED, the common causes seen at different ages, how many men in the UK receive treatment, and why getting assessed matters if erection problems are persistent, since ED can be manageable and can sometimes point to an underlying health issue.

How Common Is ED Overall?

Research reviewed by NICE found that 52% of men aged 40 to 70 reported some degree of ED, with prevalence increasing with age.

What the Research Actually Found

The most widely cited figure, drawn from an American study and summarised in NICE's evidence review, is that 52% of men aged 40 to 70 report some degree of erectile dysfunction.

A separate German study of men aged approximately 30 to 80 reported an overall prevalence of 19.2%. Within the study, reported prevalence increased from 2.3% in the youngest age group to 53.4% in the oldest age group.

Why Prevalence Figures Vary Between Studies

Different studies ask different questions, use different age ranges, and define "some degree of ED" differently, from very mild and occasional difficulty through to a complete and constant problem, which is exactly why the two headline figures above (52% and 19.2%) look different even though both come from credible research. The 52% figure covers any degree of difficulty across a 40-to-70 age band. The 19.2% figure averages across a wider 30-to-80 range, which pulls the overall number down because it includes many more men at the younger, lower-prevalence end.

Neither figure is necessarily inconsistent with the other; they come from different study populations and methods.

How Is "Some Degree of ED" Actually Measured?

Most of the research behind these figures asks men to self-report using a structured questionnaire, typically grouping answers into mild, moderate or complete difficulty rather than a simple yes-or-no. A study reporting "52% with some degree of ED" is combining all three of those groups into one headline figure, which is accurate but can make the number look more alarming than it is if you assume it means complete difficulty across the board. Reading past the single number to what it actually measures is worth doing before drawing conclusions about your own situation.

How Common Is ED by Age?

Reported ED prevalence generally increases with age rather than changing suddenly at a particular birthday.

ED in Your 20s and Teens

Large-scale, reliable prevalence figures specifically for men in their teens and twenties are limited, and the studies summarised by NICE start from around age 30. Psychological or situational factors such as stress and anxiety can contribute to ED in younger men, although physical causes can also occur.

ED in Your 30s

In the youngest age group covered by the German study, around 30, reported prevalence was 2.3%. ED can occur at this age, and psychological or situational factors such as stress and anxiety can contribute, although physical causes are also possible.

ED in Your 40s to 60s

This is the age range covered by the most widely cited figure: 52% of men aged 40 to 70 report some degree of ED.

Physical health conditions and cardiovascular risk factors, including diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol, become increasingly relevant contributors to ED with age, although psychological factors can remain important.

This is also the age band most large-scale research has focused on, which is part of why the 52% figure is the one most commonly quoted, even though it does not describe every young man.

ED in Men Over 70

The German study found reported prevalence increasing across the age range studied, reaching 53.4% in the oldest group. The research does not provide a separate prevalence figure specifically for age 70 or establish what happens beyond the study's oldest age group.

What Percentage of Men Get Erectile Dysfunction?

There is not one single percentage, because the honest answer depends on age, and on how strictly "ED" is defined in a given study.

The Headline Figures

The two figures worth remembering are 52% of men aged 40 to 70 reporting some degree of ED, and a separate study's range of 2.3% to 53.4% as age rises from around 30 to around 80. Both are drawn from research reviewed by NICE, and both point the same direction: ED affects a large minority to a majority of men, depending on age, rather than being a rare condition.

Why There Is Not One Single Percentage

"Some degree of ED" in these studies includes mild, occasional difficulty as well as complete, constant difficulty, and averaging across a wide age range produces a different number than looking at a narrower band. A single number, quoted without its age range or definition, is easy to misread as either reassuringly low or alarmingly high, depending on which study it is pulled from. The full picture, age by age, is more useful than any single percentage.

How Common Is ED in Young Men?

Reported ED prevalence is generally lower in younger men than in older age groups, but reliable prevalence data for men under 40 are more limited.

Why It is Often Underestimated

Most of the large studies behind the headline prevalence figures focus on men aged 40 and above, partly because that is where physical, age-related causes become more prominent and easier to study at scale.

Younger men's experience of ED may also be less visible in healthcare data because not everyone seeks medical advice for erection difficulties.

Causes and Risk Factors Differ by Age

In younger men, ED can be associated with psychological factors such as stress, anxiety, performance anxiety and depression, although physical causes can also occur. Lifestyle factors such as smoking, alcohol use, poor sleep and physical inactivity may also contribute to ED. Obesity and some chronic health conditions are also associated with an increased risk of ED.

Is Impotence as Common as ED?

Yes. "Impotence" and "erectile dysfunction" describe exactly the same condition, so every figure above for ED applies equally to what is sometimes still called impotence.

Impotence is an older term that has commonly been used to describe erectile dysfunction. 'Erectile dysfunction' is the preferred clinical term.

How Many Men in the UK Receive Erectile Dysfunction Treatment?

A historical Department of Health estimate referenced in NICE's evidence review estimated 177,000 men are prescribed a PDE5 inhibitor in UK primary care at any one time, with total prevalence of drug therapy for ED estimated at around 184,000.

These figures describe how many men are being treated, not how many men have ED, and the gap between them is informative in its own right. Common medical treatments include PDE5 inhibitors such as sildenafil and tadalafil, among other treatment options.

Sildenafil is effective in at least two-thirds of ED cases. Tadalafil can last up to 36 hours after ingestion. Set against the much larger prevalence figures above, it strongly suggests that a substantial number of men with some degree of ED are not currently receiving treatment for it, whether because they have not sought help, have not been formally assessed, or are managing it in other ways.

It is also worth knowing that treatment uptake is not a one-off event for everyone who starts it. Neither the prevalence figures nor the treatment figures capture that kind of detail, which is a further reason to treat any single number as a starting point rather than the full picture.

Why These Numbers Probably Understate the Real Picture

Reported prevalence may underestimate the true prevalence because ED can be under-reported, and some men may not recognise or disclose mild or intermittent erection difficulties.

Self-reported prevalence studies rely on men being willing to disclose difficulty, including in situations designed to protect anonymity, and there is a well-recognised pattern of under-reporting sensitive health symptoms generally. Men may also not recognise milder or intermittent difficulty as "ED" at all, rather than actively concealing it, which would also pull reported figures down without anyone intending to mislead a researcher. Combined with the gap between prevalence estimates and UK treatment figures above, the honest conclusion is that ED is at least as common as the headline statistics suggest, and quite possibly more so.

Why Prevalence Numbers Matter Beyond Curiosity

Knowing how common ED is is not just a statistic to satisfy curiosity, because prevalence and cardiovascular health are genuinely linked.

Because erectile function depends partly on healthy blood-vessel function, ED can sometimes be an early marker of cardiovascular risk. Persistent ED can therefore be a reason to discuss cardiovascular risk factors with a healthcare professional.

This is one reason the prevalence figures above matter beyond reassurance or comparison: a genuine, ongoing pattern of ED can be an early signal worth having checked, not simply a number to place yourself within. It is also part of why prevalence rises with age in step with cardiovascular risk factors such as diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol, which become more common in the same decades ED does.

What These Numbers Mean for You

Whatever the precise percentage at your age, ED is common enough that you are very unlikely to be the only man your age experiencing it, and it is manageable at any age once properly assessed.

Prevalence statistics describe populations, not individuals, so a low figure for your age group does not rule ED out for you personally, and a high figure does not mean it is untreatable or inevitable. What the numbers are genuinely useful for is context: a reminder that raising it with a prescriber is a common, unremarkable conversation, not an unusual one, at any young age.

Medical Disclaimer

This page is for general information only and does not replace individual medical advice. It does not diagnose erectile dysfunction and should not be used as a substitute for an assessment by a qualified prescriber. Treatment suitability depends on an individual clinical assessment, and results vary between individuals. If you are experiencing chest pain, sudden and complete loss of erections, or an erection lasting several hours, seek urgent medical attention.