Traditionally having an affair was a big taboo but with the rise of
extra-marital dating sites and a more open-minded attitude towards sex
in general that may no longer be the case.
Webite The Richest crunched data from hookup sites and Durex condoms to reveal the nationalities most likely to cheat.
But
it seams having a steamy affair is not always as taboo as might be
expected and the list shows the countries which are most often cited as
having illicit affairs.
10. Finland 36%
Just scraping into the top ten Finland has an interesting view when it comes to having an affair.
The
liaisons are called ‘parallel relationships’ and society is relatively
open-minded when it comes to having a bit on the side.
A survey by Match.com found one in five married men had had affairs with at least ten women – seven times the rate among women.
9. United Kingdom 36%
The
British aren't traditionally known for their fiery sex lives with other
more passionate countries mocking our cooler national
But that may have changed.
In fact the owner of a leading website, Ashley Madison, which helps arrange extramarrital affairs claims at least 1 million Brits are interested in cheating on their partners. Is your partner one of the one million Brits looking for something on the side?
It's
probably little comfort for concerned partners that Britons who cheat
are far more likely to feel guilty than their European counterparts.
Reuters
Don't kiss and tell: Ashley Madison founder Noel Biderman demonstrates his dating website on a tablet computer
8. Spain 39%
The southern European country is
associated with having a passionate and fiery temperament so it is
perhaps surprising that Spain does not feature higher up the list.
However,
while the influence of Spain's Catholic Church is waning, it seems to
still hold some sway since extra-marrital affairs remain somewhat taboo
in the country.
7. Belgium 40%
According to magazine New
Europe, Belgian married dating website Gleeden boasts 1.1million
members, with advisor Chantal Bauwens saying cheating is no longer taboo
in the country.
She said: ‘It is no longer a “wrong” that allows
the injured party to request separating due to the wrongs of the
infidel,’ she says. ‘Is your spouse cheating on you? Yeah, so? Do the
same or divorce!’
6. Norway 41%
According to dating
website Victoria Milan which caters for married men and women looking to
play away, Norwegians are less likely to use the site during the cold
winter months.
But when the mercury rises it seems that so does Norwegians promiscuity.
Victoria Milan
Married hook-ups: Norwegian site Victoria Milan helps those who want a bit on the side
5. France 43%
The Gallic people have always been thought of as fairly open-minded when it comes to matters of the heart.
In fact the traditional l'heure bleue refers to the hour after work when men would go and visit their mistress.
France
is the only country in which most people believe affairs are morally
acceptable and only 28 per cent of adulterers said they regretted their
affairs.
When President Hollande was accused of nipping off on a
scooter in the middle of the night to see his mistress his poll ratings,
rather than take a nosedive, actually went up.
4. Germany 45%
It might come as a surprise that the Germans are more likely than the French to have affairs.
But it seems the French have some frisky neighbours who are perhaps just more discreet about playing away from home.
3. Italy 45%
Getty
Promiscuous: Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi
The country that gave us the original ladies man Giacomo
Casanova famed for bedding hundreds of women lays a strong claim to
third place in the world ranking.
Italy also elected Silvio Berlusconi known as much for his Bunga Bunga parties as for his politics.
But it doesn't seem like the Italian's adultery is harming marital relations.
Although it has risen in recent years the country still has one of the lowest rates of divorce of any nation.
2. Denmark 46%
The
Scandinavian country always scores highly on ratings which judge the
happiness of its citizens, but it seems they also score highly when it
comes to adultery.
Although it seems that the activities of those living in the capital Copenhagen maybe pushing up the average rate.
More than one-third of people residing in Copenhagen have been unfaithful to their partners.
Despite that almost half those who are married admit having an affair.
1. Thailand 56%
Getty
Thai prostitutes standing on the side of a street waiting for customers in Bangkok's downtown redlight district
But it's Thailand which grabbed the top spot with 56% of the population admitting to being unfaithful.
Thailand has a whole host of being unfaithful including the traditional mia noi (minor wife).
The
younger generation also enjoys the casual kik culture where men and
women have extra friends they spend time with aside from their partners.
Not all of these relationships are sexual.
There has also been a growing sex-for-sale culture which is mainly aimed at men in massage parlours, clubs and brothels.
But in 2012 when a Durex survey suggested women were more adulterous than men they faced a backlash from the Thai media.
Of
course just because a country doesn't feature in the top ten it doesn't
mean there aren't plenty of men and women sneaking around there.
After footage of two office workers caught in a steamy encounter in New Zealand went viral it's perhaps surprising the southern hemisphere country didn't make the top ten.
