Birmingham, known for its heavy metal music scene and treacherous canal system, has been pegged (ahem) as the 10th kinkiest city in the world, thrashing European hubs such as Amsterdam and Barcelona.
A new study from Australian sexual wellness company Pleasure Chest analysed a number of different variables to come up with the results.
For example, things such as the number of ‘sex toy’ searches, searches for ‘BDSM’, sex toy market sales per capita, the number of sex-related events, and the number of sex shops were all taken into consideration.
These results were then filtered into a “kink rank” which sorted the top global cities for sexual exploration and wellness. Imagine a rather frisky and liberal ‘Harry Potter’ sorting hat, if you will.
The sexual wellness market is predicted to reach $34.28 billion by 2032, and, as it turns out, brummies are top of the UK table when it comes to embracing all things kinky.
London was the only other UK destination to make the global ranking, edging in just in time at 20th position.
Birmingham has historically been considered a progressive and liberal place in the UK, particularly because of its flourishing LGBTQIA+ community, currently estimated to consist of 45,000 adults according to public records.
The Midlands city also dishes out a lot of money on sexual health, dedicating a whopping £16,462,000 in spending during the period of 2021 to 2022.
Sex. Love. Modern Mess. Listen to new Metro podcast Just Between Us
X Factor icon Diana Vickers and Metro’s dating expert Alice Giddings dive into your wildest sex, love, and dating dilemmas – every Tuesday.
Listen wherever you get your podcasts or watch on YouTube. And be sure to follow and subscribe so you never miss an episode.
You can also join the fun on our WhatsApp Group Chat here – share your dilemmas and Diana and Alice may just give you a call.
So, let’s get into the nitty gritty. Birmingham hosts over 104 sex-related events every year. In fact, the city’s annual fetish weekend is actually fast approaching!
The world's kinkiest cities
- United States – Los Angeles
- United States – Chicago
- Italy – Milan
- United States – New York City
- France – Marseille
- France – Paris
- Mexico – Guadalajara
- Canada – Montreal
- Mexico – Mexico City
- United Kingdom – Birmingham
- Italy – Rome
- Italy – Naples
- Germany – Munich
- Germany – Hamburg
- Spain – Valencia
- Netherlands – Amsterdam
- Mexico – Puebla
- Germany – Berlin
- Spain – Barcelona
- United Kingdom – London
Plus, Birmingham’s sex toy market sales are estimated at more than £13.8 million, making it the 5th highest in the world. That equates to £7.3 million per 10,000 residents. I’m not sure how anyone gets anything done up there.
However, while the West Midlands might know how to get freaky, it was Los Angeles that nabbed the top spot for the kinkiest city in the world.
Residents of La La Land spend $31,206,042 (£23,419,510) per capita on sex toys while also having 115 sex shops on the doorstep. The choices are endless in Hollywood.
Other top contenders included Chicago, New York City, Paris, and Milan. How on earth Berlin didn’t win is beyond me…
While we’re on the subject of kinky hot spots, let’s also give a big shoutout to Gloucester, which was recently crowned the BDSM capital of the UK.
After analysing over 200,000 UK-based search queries, it was discovered that 11% of all adult platform searches in the seemingly sleepy city were strictly related to BDSM-adjacent terms. Good for you, Gloucester!
Meanwhile, the tranquil city of Hereford was recently uncovered as the UK location that secretly buys the biggest dildos.
So, depending on what takes your fancy, it might be worth treating yourself to a well-deserved getaway.