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

2025 XBIZ Miami Speaker Lineup Announced

XBIZ is pleased to announce the release of the full speaker lineup for XBIZ Miami, the latest edition of the adult industry’s premier creator conference, set to take place May 19-22 at the Nautilus Sonesta Miami Beach hotel in South Beach.

AV Bulletin: Arizona's About-Face, What New Laws Mean for Adult

Industry stakeholders and free speech advocates have anxiously been awaiting the Supreme Court’s decision in Free Speech Coalition v. Paxton, which could significantly impact state age verification laws around the United States. In the meantime, state legislatures continue to weigh and pass AV bills, the U.K. and the EU are moving ahead with their own AV mandates and strategies, and legal challenges continue to play out in U.S. courts — with some cases on hold pending the SCOTUS ruling in Paxton.

Million Billion Media Launches New Website

Management and PR agency Million Billion Media (MBM) has launched a new website.

'Neon Nightswim' Party Returns to XBIZ Miami

XBIZ is pleased to announce that the annual Neon Nightswim Pool Party will once again illuminate XBIZ Miami on Tuesday, May 20.

FSC Addresses UK Age Verification Guidelines

The Free Speech Coalition (FSC) has published an article offering guidance on the U.K.'s Online Safety Act and the various guidelines put forward by the country's telecommunications regulator Ofcom.The article follows:

European Commission Posts AV Guidelines, Seeks Feedback

The European Commission has made public its draft guidelines on protecting minors online under the Digital Services Act, including age verification requirements covering adult sites and platforms.

'White-Hot' Party Set to Kick Off XBIZ Miami

XBIZ is pleased to announce that the annual White-Hot Party, the official opening bash of XBIZ Miami, is set for Monday, May 19, at Mynt Lounge in South Beach.

AEBN Publishes Popular Searches for March, April

AEBN has announced the top search terms for March and April from its straight and gay theaters in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

Takedown Piracy Adds 'Search Max' Feature

Takedown Piracy has launched Search Max, a search engine for detecting, verifying, and removing Google infringements.

Sex Workers' Group Fights Proposed Swedish Ban on 'Remote' Sexual Services

The European Sex Workers’ Rights Alliance (ESWA) has launched a campaign against a Swedish government proposal to expand current laws against purchasing sexual services to apply to acts performed remotely by cammers, streamers and custom content creators.

Show More