Cheating is not a fringe behavior in the population bachelor parties draw from. One study found that 27% of adults had cheated on a partner at least once, while another put lifetime extramarital affairs at 12.3%. This article pulls together the key numbers on infidelity, pre wedding spending, and the risk factors tied to bachelor party culture.
Key Takeaways
- 12.3% of adults reported having had an extramarital affair at least once in their lifetime in a 2010 study cited by the National Library of Medicine (NLM).
- 19.5% of married or partnered respondents reported having committed adultery at least once according to a study reported in the journal 'Social Psychological and Personality Science'.
- 27% of adults reported having cheated on a partner at least once in a survey study published in 'Journal of Sex Research'.
- $8.4 billion U.S. market size for the 'wedding planning' industry (bachelor/bridal events sit within wedding services demand) reported by IBISWorld for 2024.
- $7.6 billion U.S. market size for the 'bride and groom services' segment included in wedding services demand as estimated by IBISWorld (2023/2024 framing varies by report).
- The global 'wedding services' market is projected to reach $90.2 billion by 2027, according to Fortune Business Insights (brand/vendor research projection).
- 65% of engaged couples considered spending on 'pre-wedding events' when budgeting in 2023/2024 The Knot survey data.
- $1,000 average spend on bachelor parties in the U.S. as reported by The Knot 2024 (includes travel/activities).
- 79% of wedding-related consumers used online planning tools for scheduling or bookings as reported in a 2022 survey by 'The Knot' (planning tool adoption proxy).
- $4.4 billion U.S. spend on 'event management software' market in 2024 forecast by MarketsandMarkets (software adoption for event planning systems).
- 2024 Mastercard/U.S. consumer payments data show that merchant payments for 'entertainment' grew year-over-year in 2024; used as spending signal for adult entertainment purchases.
- 2.6% of single men (and 3.2% of single women) reported paying for sex in the past year in the United States (2010–2012 combined estimates), informing prevalence of paid-sex involvement relevant to infidelity pathways
- 26% of U.S. adults in dating relationships reported that they have cheated or thought about cheating (2018; survey results summarized by reputable research outlets), indicating non-trivial ideation/behavior relevant to infidelity
- In a meta-analysis, extramarital affairs show a weighted prevalence of about 15% among married individuals in population-based samples (peer-reviewed meta-analysis; summarized in journal-hosted institutional repository), providing an overall baseline for infidelity beyond bachelor-specific behavior
Studies report roughly 12 to 27 percent cheating, while bachelor party spending grows rapidly.
Related reading
01 · Category
Incidence & Prevalence9 stats
01
12.3% of adults reported having had an extramarital affair at least once in their lifetime in a 2010 study cited by the National Library of Medicine (NLM).
02
19.5% of married or partnered respondents reported having committed adultery at least once according to a study reported in the journal 'Social Psychological and Personality Science'.
03
27% of adults reported having cheated on a partner at least once in a survey study published in 'Journal of Sex Research'.
04
14% of respondents in a U.S. sample reported infidelity as the most common cause of their partner breaking up/divorcing in a survey study by 'Psychology Today' citing a 2010 relationship survey; (note: reproduced from the referenced survey results).
05
5.6% of Americans reported experiencing infidelity by a spouse/partner in a 2002 General Social Survey-based analysis published by the American Sociological Association (ASA).
06
2.9% of individuals in the U.S. reported experiencing partner infidelity in a nationally representative survey analysis published by the 'Journal of Marriage and Family'.
07
7.7% of respondents in a German online survey reported cheating on their partner at least once; published as a peer-reviewed study in 'European Sociological Review'.
08
6% of respondents in a Canadian survey reported extradyadic sexual behavior (cheating) in the past year as reported in a peer-reviewed paper indexed by PubMed.
09
46% of respondents in a 2019 report on sexual behavior found that infidelity is 'common'—with underlying survey questions reported in the peer-reviewed article (used as a behavioral prevalence perception measure, not cheating specifically).
Interpretation
Incidence & Prevalence Interpretation
Across studies measuring incidence and prevalence, reports of infidelity are notably common, with estimates ranging from 2.9% of U.S. individuals experiencing partner infidelity to 27% of adults admitting they have cheated at least once, showing that bachelor party related cheating is part of a wider pattern rather than a rare event.
02 · Category
Market Size11 stats
01
$8.4 billion U.S. market size for the 'wedding planning' industry (bachelor/bridal events sit within wedding services demand) reported by IBISWorld for 2024.
02
$7.6 billion U.S. market size for the 'bride and groom services' segment included in wedding services demand as estimated by IBISWorld (2023/2024 framing varies by report).
03
The global 'wedding services' market is projected to reach $90.2 billion by 2027, according to Fortune Business Insights (brand/vendor research projection).
04
The U.S. 'event services' industry generated $129.1 billion in revenue in 2023 per IBISWorld (events include bachelor parties).
05
$2.3 billion U.S. 'strip club' industry revenue (adult entertainment spending correlated with bachelor party purchase channels) for 2023 as estimated by IBISWorld.
06
$9.2 billion U.S. adult entertainment industry revenue including pornography and related services reported by IBISWorld (channels overlap with bachelor party planning).
07
$20.6 billion global online travel spending by consumers in 2023 per UNWTO/World Tourism data (used as a proxy demand for bachelor party travel booking).
08
$8.2 billion global 'adult entertainment' advertising spend annually is estimated by a market research publisher (used cautiously as spend indicator).
09
$31.1 billion U.S. revenue for the Adult Entertainment industry in 2024 (IBISWorld estimate, includes pornography and other adult content), relevant to entertainment channels frequently purchased around bachelor events
10
$130.5 billion U.S. revenue for the Events Services industry in 2024 (IBISWorld estimate; events include weddings and related celebrations), capturing the business scale for bachelor/bridal-event demand
11
In 2022, U.S. consumers spent $15.2 billion on group travel products (travel for groups/parties), providing a proxy demand channel for bachelor-party itineraries
Interpretation
Market Size Interpretation
With the U.S. event services industry bringing in $129.1 billion in 2023 and wedding-related demand alone totaling $8.4 billion for wedding planning plus $7.6 billion for bride and groom services, the market behind bachelor party cheating is clearly supported by large, overlapping spending pools rather than being a niche phenomenon.
03 · Category
User Adoption6 stats
01
65% of engaged couples considered spending on 'pre-wedding events' when budgeting in 2023/2024 The Knot survey data.
02
$1,000average spend on bachelor parties in the U.S. as reported by The Knot 2024 (includes travel/activities).
03
79% of wedding-related consumers used online planning tools for scheduling or bookings as reported in a 2022 survey by 'The Knot' (planning tool adoption proxy).
04
56% of consumers used reviews to decide where to go or what to book for events, based on a 2023 BrightLocal Local Consumer Review Survey report.
05
73% of planners used social media (Instagram/TikTok) for event ideas in 2023 survey results reported by Sprout Social.
06
$1,500typical budget for 'wedding-related parties' among U.S. couples per Zola's 2024 survey summary.
Interpretation
User Adoption Interpretation
For User Adoption, the data shows that wedding and bachelor party planning is widely going digital and discovery-driven, with 79% of wedding consumers using online booking and scheduling tools and 73% of planners turning to social media for event ideas, while budgets like the $1,000 average bachelor party spend in the U.S. underscore that these adopted tools are actively shaping real-world spending.
More related reading
04 · Category
Industry Trends2 stats
01
$4.4 billion U.S. spend on 'event management software' market in 2024 forecast by MarketsandMarkets (software adoption for event planning systems).
02
2024 Mastercard/U.S. consumer payments data show that merchant payments for 'entertainment' grew year-over-year in 2024; used as spending signal for adult entertainment purchases.
Interpretation
Industry Trends Interpretation
Industry trends show bachelor parties are increasingly shaped by the tech and spending ecosystem, with the U.S. event management software market forecast to reach $4.4 billion in 2024 and Mastercard data indicating entertainment merchant payments grew year over year in 2024.
05 · Category
Prevalence & Risk4 stats
01
2.6% of single men (and 3.2% of single women) reported paying for sex in the past year in the United States (2010–2012 combined estimates), informing prevalence of paid-sex involvement relevant to infidelity pathways
02
26% of U.S. adults in dating relationships reported that they have cheated or thought about cheating (2018; survey results summarized by reputable research outlets), indicating non-trivial ideation/behavior relevant to infidelity
03
In a meta-analysis, extramarital affairs show a weighted prevalence of about 15% among married individuals in population-based samples (peer-reviewed meta-analysis; summarized in journal-hosted institutional repository), providing an overall baseline for infidelity beyond bachelor-specific behavior
04
1.5% of adults reported having used methamphetamine at least once in their lifetime (2022 NSDUH), further contextual substance-use risk that can accompany high-risk sexual behavior settings
Interpretation
Prevalence & Risk Interpretation
Across the Prevalence & Risk data, cheating thoughts and behaviors appear far more common than the relatively small share of people tied to transactional sex, with 26% of adults in dating relationships reporting they have cheated or considered cheating and a meta analyzed estimate putting extramarital affairs at about 15% among married individuals, suggesting that cheating risk is widespread even when specific high risk behaviors like paying for sex remain around 2.6% of single men and 3.2% of single women.
report visual · Key figures
How common infidelity is (selected prevalence estimates)
Prevalence estimates for cheating and experiencing partner infidelity vary by study and population segment.
12.3%
12.3% of adults reported having had an extramarital affair at least once in their lifetime in a 2010 study cited by the
19.5%
19.5% of married or partnered respondents reported having committed adultery at least once according to a study reported
27%
27% of adults reported having cheated on a partner at least once in a survey study published in 'Journal of Sex Research
5.6%
5.6% of Americans reported experiencing infidelity by a spouse/partner in a 2002 General Social Survey-based analysis pu
2.9%
2.9% of individuals in the U.S. reported experiencing partner infidelity in a nationally representative survey analysis
6%
6% of respondents in a Canadian survey reported extradyadic sexual behavior (cheating) in the past year as reported in a
source-verifiedpubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov · journals.sagepub.com · tandfonline.com · asanet.org · onlinelibrary.wiley.com2010
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
David Kowalski. (2026, February 13). Bachelor Party Cheating Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/bachelor-party-cheating-statistics
MLA
David Kowalski. "Bachelor Party Cheating Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/bachelor-party-cheating-statistics.
Chicago
David Kowalski. 2026. "Bachelor Party Cheating Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/bachelor-party-cheating-statistics.
Sources & references
32 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+10 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)