Pornhub Reports 'Hentai' Is Top Worldwide Search Term

Pornhub Reports 'Hentai' Is Top Worldwide Search Term

MONTREAL — Following a two-year hiatus, Pornhub has released its annual “Year in Review” infographics report, revealing that the top worldwide search term on the platform is “hentai.”

The report was released through the company’s data analysis marketing division Pornhub Insights.

It is the platform's eighth “Year in Review” report and covers “2021’s hottest trends, terms, searches and a recap of everything that happened during the year,” and including “commentary to touch on the main trends and breakdown the details to see how the year that was 2021 affected the porn viewership of people around the world.”

Highlights from the report include:

  • Trends that have found unique popularity among Pornhub browsers this year are words linked to romance (“romance,” “romantic,” “passionate,” “bromance”), group sex (“threesome,” “group,” “FFM,” “MMF,” “orgy”), fitness (“yoga,” “running,” “exercise,” “gym”), swapping (“swap,” “swapping,” “swinger,” “swinging,” “cuckold,” “cheating”), challenge (“buss it,” “jerk off challenge,” “try not to cum”), transgender (“trans"), goth, roommate (“lesbian roommate,” “gay roommate,” “fucking roommate”) and "How to…" (“…squirt,” “…eat pussy,” “…suck dick,” “…put on a condom”).
  • Besides "hentai," the Top 10 most-searched terms of 2021 worldwide were “Japanese,” “lesbian,” “MILF,” “Pinay,” “Asian,” “stepmom,” “anal,” “ebony” and “big ass.”
  • The Top 10 most-searched porn stars in 2021 were Lana Rhoades, Abella Danger, Eva Elfie, Riley Reid, Mia Malkova, Angela White, Mia Khalifa, Jordi El Nino Polla, Lena Paul and reigning XBIZ  "Female Performer of the Year" Emily Willis.
  • The Top 10 countries by traffic were the United States, U.K., Japan, France, Italy, Mexico, Canada, Germany, Philippines, Brazil and Spain.
  • The Top 10 most viewed categories were Japanese, lesbian, ebony, hentai, MILF, anal, mature, amateur, "popular with women" and threesome.
  • The Top 10 gay search terms were “twink,” “femboy,” “hentai,” “straight,” “black,” “Japanese,” “Pinoy,” “Asian,” “yaoi” and “anime.”
  • The average age of Pornhub visitors was 37.
  • The percentage of Pornhub visitors accessing the site via smartphones was 83%.

Why 'Hentai'?

As for the top worldwide term, the Pornhub Insights report explained that in Japanese culture, "'hentai' can refer to any sort of sexual fetish. But around the world it most often describes the pornographic form of anime, a style of Japanese film and television animation. Hundreds of thousands of hentai videos can be found on Pornhub, including professional productions, homemade animations made by fans and 3D generated scenes.”

Dr. Laurie Betito, clinical psychologist, sex therapist and director of the Pornhub Sexual Wellness Center, pointed out that “cartoons are more fantastical than regular porn. They may offer more visual stimulation in terms of movements, angles, colors and facial expressions. Because it’s not real, it can go further, with less constraints that reality offers. Hentai porn also tends to have more of a storyline and people seem to be more and more drawn to context.”

To read the full 2021 “Year in the Review” results, visit Pornhub.com.

Copyright © 2025 Adnet Media. All Rights Reserved. XBIZ is a trademark of Adnet Media.
Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission is prohibited.

More News

Adult Networking Platform SpicyGigs.com Launches

SpicyGigs, a new adult industry networking platform, has officially launched.

Pineapple Support to Host 'Cream Pie Challenge' Fundraiser

Pineapple Support is hosting its Cream Pie Challenge through August to raise funds for mental health services for industry performers.

Kyrgyzstan President Signs Measure Outlawing Internet Porn

President Sadyr Japarov of Kyrgyzstan on Tuesday signed into law legislation outlawing online adult content in the country.

NC Legislature Overrides Veto of Extreme Anti-Adult Industry Bill

The North Carolina state legislature on Tuesday voted to override Gov. Josh Stein’s veto of a bill imposing regulations that industry observers have warned could push adult websites and platforms to ban most creators and content.

Report: VPN Downloads Soar in UK Following Age Verification Deadline

Virtual private network apps, which can be used to circumvent geo-specific age verification requirements, are topping Apple App Store downloads in the U.K. in the wake of new Online Safety Act rules, the BBC is reporting.

Strike 3 Holdings Sues Meta for Pirating Vixen Media Group Content to Train AI

Vixen Media Group owner Strike 3 Holdings filed suit in federal court this week, accusing Facebook parent company Meta of copyright infringement and alleging that Meta has extensively pirated VMG content to train its artificial intelligence models.

Pineapple Support, Streamate to Host 'Navigating Grief and Loss' Support Group

Pineapple Support and Streamate are hosting a free online support group to help performers cope with grief and loss.

Friday is Final AV Compliance Deadline in UK

Friday, July 25 marks U.K. media regulator Ofcom’s deadline for user-to-user services such as tube, cam and fan sites to implement its requisite “highly effective age assurance” measures for preventing minors from viewing adult content.

AEBN Publishes Popular Searches for May, June

AEBN has released the top search terms for the months of May and June from its straight and gay theaters in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

Ofcom Releases Transparency Reporting Guidelines

Ofcom, the U.K. media regulator, has made public its official guidance detailing how online service providers — including adult sites — will be required to publish annual transparency reports on their efforts to protect children from online harms.

Show More