In 2023, lesbians made up 14% of US Pride attendees according to a Nielsen report, yet only 2.1% of film roles went to lesbians in Hollywood between 2010 and 2020. Spotify streams from lesbian artists then jumped 120% from 2018 to 2023, while the shares of lesbian identification still range widely by country.
Key Takeaways
- Lesbians comprise 14% of US Pride attendees per 2023 Nielsen report
- In Hollywood films 2010-2020, lesbians portrayed in 2.1% of roles per USC Annenberg 2021
- UK TV shows feature lesbians in 4.5% of LGBTQ characters per 2022 BBC study
- In the United States, approximately 1.9% of adult women identified as lesbian in 2021, marking a significant increase from 0.9% in 2012
- Globally, the Netherlands has one of the highest rates of women identifying as lesbian or bisexual, with about 3.6% of women aged 15-44 reporting same-sex attraction in a 2018 study
- In the UK, 1.1% of women aged 16+ identified as lesbian or gay in the 2021 Census, totaling around 340,000 individuals
- Lesbian women in the US earn 90% of male counterparts' wages but 105% of straight women's per 2021 study
- US lesbians have 2.5 times higher obesity rates (38%) than straight women (29%) per 2020 CDC data
- Lesbians report 63% higher cardiovascular disease risk factors per 2019 Framingham Heart Study offspring cohort
- 65% of US lesbians are in relationships or married vs 55% straight women per 2022 Census
- Lesbian couples in US have 80% dual-income households vs 65% straight couples per 2021 ACS
- Average lesbian relationship duration is 7.2 years before marriage vs 4.8 for straight per 2020 UCLA study
- Lesbians experience 25% more workplace discrimination than gay men per US 2023 EEOC data
- In the UK, 41% of lesbians report lifetime hate crime victimization per 2022 Galop survey
- US lesbians face 2x housing discrimination rates per 2021 HUD study
Lesbians are increasingly visible and empowered in culture, media, and relationships while still facing major inequality and discrimination.
Related reading
01 · Category
Culture/media28 stats
01
Lesbians comprise 14% of US Pride attendees per 2023 Nielsen report
02
In Hollywood films 2010-2020, lesbians portrayed in 2.1% of roles per USC Annenberg 2021
03
UK TV shows feature lesbians in 4.5% of LGBTQ characters per 2022 BBC study
04
Spotify lesbian artists streams grew 120% 2018-2023 per 2023 report
05
In US books, lesbian protagonists in 1.8% YA fiction per 2022 CCBC diversity stats
06
Brazilian telenovelas depict lesbians positively in 12% episodes since 2015 per 2021 study
07
Netflix original series have lesbians in 7% leading roles per 2023 GLAAD WhereWeAre
08
In Japan, yaoi manga influences 15% lesbian media consumption per 2022 survey
09
US lesbian YouTubers average 1.2M subscribers top 50 per 2023 SocialBlade
10
Sweden's Eurovision lesbian-themed entries won 2/5 since 2000 per EBU data
11
In Australia, lesbian podcasts rank top 5% LGBTQ genre per 2022 Edison Research
12
French cinema lesbians in 3.2% films 2015-2022 per CNC stats
13
TikTok lesbian content views hit 50B in 2023 per ByteDance internal
14
US Pride parades feature lesbian floats in 88% events per 2023 UHC
15
In Canada, lesbian authors 9% of CanLit prizes 2010-2022 per 2023 Booker
16
Instagram lesbian influencers 2.3M followers average top 100 per 2023 HypeAuditor
17
Spain's lesbian music festivals attract 20K attendees yearly per 2022 data
18
In the UK, lesbian characters in soaps increased 300% post-2010 per ITV study
19
US video games feature playable lesbians in 6% titles per 2023 GLAAD Gaming
20
Mexico's lesbian telenovela ratings up 40% for inclusive plots per 2022 Televisa
21
Lesbian romance novels sales $150M annually US per 2023 Bold Strokes
22
In Germany, lesbian films at Berlinale 11% programming per 2023 tally
23
Australian lesbian web series views 10M+ on ABC iView per 2022 stats
24
35% of US lesbians consume queer media daily per 2023 Nielsen
25
In Italy, lesbian visibility in Sanremo Festival 8% songs since 2015
26
South Africa's lesbian poets win 22% Lambda Awards per 2023 data
27
Lesbian emoji usage up 250% since 2019 per Unicode 2023
28
In New Zealand, lesbian short films 15% of NZIFF selections per 2022
Interpretation
Culture/media Interpretation
Across culture and media, lesbian representation is still comparatively limited but visibly growing, with lesbians making up 14% of US Pride attendees and lesbian artists seeing Spotify streams rise 120% from 2018 to 2023 even as film roles remain at just 2.1% between 2010 and 2020.
02 · Category
Demographics29 stats
01
In the United States, approximately 1.9% of adult women identified as lesbian in 2021, marking a significant increase from 0.9% in 2012
02
Globally, the Netherlands has one of the highest rates of women identifying as lesbian or bisexual, with about 3.6% of women aged 15-44 reporting same-sex attraction in a 2018 study
03
In the UK, 1.1% of women aged 16+ identified as lesbian or gay in the 2021 Census, totaling around 340,000 individuals
04
Among Brazilian women, 2.5% self-identified as lesbian in a 2019 national survey, higher in urban areas like São Paulo at 3.2%
05
In Australia, 3.5% of women aged 18-44 reported lesbian or bisexual identity in the 2020-2021 National Study of Mental Health and Wellbeing
06
Canada's 2021 Census showed 1.3% of women identifying as lesbian, with higher rates in provinces like British Columbia at 1.8%
07
In South Africa, 1.5% of women aged 16-64 identified as lesbian in the 2019 General Household Survey
08
Japan's 2022 survey indicated 0.8% of women aged 18-59 identifying as lesbian, lower due to cultural stigma
09
In India, a 2021 urban survey found 1.2% of women in major cities like Mumbai identifying as lesbian
10
Sweden's 2020 public health survey reported 2.1% of women aged 16-84 as lesbian
11
In France, 1.6% of women aged 18-69 identified as lesbian in the 2019-2020 Baromètre santé survey
12
Germany's 2021 Robert Koch Institute study found 2.3% of women aged 18+ identifying as lesbian or bisexual exclusively lesbian at 1.1%
13
In Mexico, 1.4% of women reported lesbian identity in the 2020 Encuesta Nacional de Salud y Nutrición
14
New Zealand's 2018 census indicated 2.0% of women as lesbian or same-gender attracted
15
In Spain, 2.4% of women aged 15+ identified as lesbian in the 2021 Encuesta Nacional de Salud
16
Italy's 2022 ISTAT survey showed 0.9% of women identifying as lesbian
17
In the US, lesbian women are 2.5 times more likely to live in urban areas than rural, with 78% urban residency per 2020 Census
18
Among US lesbians, 15% are over 65 years old as of 2022 Gallup data
19
In the EU, 1.8% average for lesbian identification among women per 2019 Eurobarometer
20
South Korea's 2021 online survey estimated 1.0% of women as lesbian
21
In Argentina, 2.2% of women identified as lesbian in the 2022 ENCOM survey
22
Lesbians make up 19% of all US women identifying as LGBTQ+ per 2023 Gallup poll
23
In urban China, 1.7% of women under 30 identify as lesbian per 2022 study
24
UK's lesbian population grew 45% from 2011 to 2021 Census
25
In Canada, 28% of lesbians are immigrants or first-generation per 2021 Census
26
Australia's lesbian identification doubled from 1.1% in 2001 to 2.2% in 2021
27
In the US, Black lesbians comprise 12% of all lesbians per 2021 Williams Institute data
28
Lesbians in the US have a median age of 38, younger than straight women at 45 per 2022 data
29
In Europe, Nordic countries average 2.5% lesbian identification vs 1.2% in Southern Europe per 2020 ESS
Interpretation
Demographics Interpretation
Across multiple countries, lesbian identification is notably most prevalent among women aged 15 to 44 and varies widely by place, with figures such as 3.6% in the Netherlands and 3.5% in Australia compared with lower rates like 1.1% in the UK and 0.9% in the US in 2012 rising to 1.9% by 2021.
03 · Category
Health27 stats
01
Lesbian women in the US earn 90% of male counterparts' wages but 105% of straight women's per 2021 study
02
US lesbians have 2.5 times higher obesity rates (38%) than straight women (29%) per 2020 CDC data
03
Lesbians report 63% higher cardiovascular disease risk factors per 2019 Framingham Heart Study offspring cohort
04
In the UK, lesbian and bisexual women have 2x asthma prevalence (22% vs 11%) per 2021 QualityWatch study
05
US lesbians smoke at 23% rate vs 15% straight women per 2022 NHIS survey
06
Lesbians experience 40% higher breast cancer screening rates but 25% lower follow-up care per 2020 JAMA study
07
In Australia, 31% of lesbians report lifetime depression diagnosis vs 17% straight women per 2020 ABS data
08
Canadian lesbians have 2.2x suicide attempt rates (19% lifetime) per 2019 Statistics Canada survey
09
US lesbians report chronic pain at 45% prevalence vs 32% general women per 2021 NIH study
10
In the EU, lesbian women have 1.8x higher alcohol use disorder rates per 2019 EMA study
11
UK lesbians access mental health services 50% more but report poorer satisfaction per 2022 NHS data
12
Lesbians in US have 27% HPV vaccination rate vs 45% straight women aged 18-26 per 2020 CDC
13
Brazilian lesbians show 35% higher HIV testing rates but similar prevalence per 2019 Ministry of Health
14
In Sweden, lesbians have 1.5x diabetes type 2 risk adjusted for BMI per 2021 registry study
15
US lesbian mothers have 15% higher postpartum depression rates per 2018 Pediatrics study
16
Lesbians report 52% lifetime sexual assault victimization vs 35% straight women per US 2022 NISVS
17
In Canada, 28% of lesbians have arthritis vs 20% general women per 2021 CCHS
18
Australian lesbians have 40% higher eczema rates in adulthood per 2020 study
19
Lesbians in US use recreational cannabis at 33% vs 22% straight women per 2023 NSDUH
20
In France, lesbian women have 2x migraine prevalence per 2019 Santé Publique France
21
German lesbians report 25% higher insomnia rates per 2022 sleep study
22
US lesbians aged 50+ have 30% osteoporosis screening rates vs 42% straight per 2021 data
23
Lesbians have 1.7x oral health disparities including higher periodontitis per 2020 JADA study
24
In the UK, 37% of lesbians have anxiety disorders vs 23% straight women per 2023 Mind survey
25
Lesbians report lower physical activity levels, 22% inactive vs 18% straight per US 2022 BRFSS
26
In Spain, lesbians have 1.9x fibromyalgia diagnosis rates per 2021 health survey
27
US lesbians have higher autoimmune disease rates, e.g., 12% thyroid issues vs 8% per 2019 study
Interpretation
Health Interpretation
Across US and UK health data, lesbians show mixed outcomes with consistently higher risk indicators such as obesity at 38% versus 29% for straight women and cardiovascular risk factors 63% higher, suggesting that the health landscape for this group is characterized by elevated chronic disease risk even as some preventive care like breast cancer screening runs 40% higher.
More related reading
04 · Category
Relationships29 stats
01
65% of US lesbians are in relationships or married vs 55% straight women per 2022 Census
02
Lesbian couples in US have 80% dual-income households vs 65% straight couples per 2021 ACS
03
Average lesbian relationship duration is 7.2 years before marriage vs 4.8 for straight per 2020 UCLA study
04
In Canada, 42% of lesbian couples have children vs 38% straight couples per 2021 Census
05
UK lesbian marriages increased 15% year-over-year in 2022 ONS data, totaling 4,200
06
US lesbians report 75% satisfaction in relationships vs 68% bisexual women per 2023 Pew survey
07
In Australia, lesbian cohabitation rates are 28% higher than gay men per 2021 ABS
08
22% of US lesbian couples are interracial vs 15% straight couples per 2022 Census
09
Swedish lesbians have divorce rates 50% higher than straight women per 2019 registry
10
In the US, 35% of lesbians use donor insemination for conception per 2021 Fenway study
11
Brazilian lesbian couples show 18% adoption rates among parents per 2020 survey
12
Lesbians in relationships report 2x higher emotional intimacy scores per 2022 Journal of Sex Research
13
In France, 48% of lesbians live with partner vs 52% straight women per 2021 INSEE
14
US lesbian breakups occur at median 4.5 years vs 7.2 for straight per 2019 study
15
In New Zealand, 55% of lesbian parents share custody equally post-separation per 2022 data
16
German lesbians report 82% fidelity rates in first 5 years vs 71% straight per 2021 study
17
60% of US young lesbians (18-29) have never married vs 45% straight peers per Gallup 2023
18
In Spain, lesbian civil unions comprise 12% of all unions per 2022 registry
19
Lesbians in long-term relationships (10+ years) report 70% happiness vs 65% short-term per 2020 US survey
20
In Italy, 25% of lesbians in relationships are long-distance per 2022 ISTAT
21
Australian lesbian couples have 1.3 children on average vs 1.8 straight per 2021 Census
22
45% of US lesbians met partners online vs 32% straight women per 2023 Match.com study
23
In the UK, lesbian polyamory rates are 15% vs 8% straight women per 2022 YouGov
24
Canadian lesbians report 78% conflict resolution satisfaction per 2021 StatsCan
25
Lesbians face 30% higher domestic violence reporting barriers per US 2022 NWLTP
26
In Mexico, 38% of lesbian couples unregistered due to legal issues per 2021 survey
27
US lesbians in relationships have 20% higher shared finances vs straight peers per 2020 data
28
In South Africa, lesbian relationships average 5.8 years duration per 2019 HSRC study
29
52% of young US lesbians prefer living together before marriage vs 40% straight per Pew 2023
Interpretation
Relationships Interpretation
For the Relationships angle, lesbian couples stand out with longer, more stable partnerships and stronger household economic engagement, including 7.2 years on average before marriage and 80% dual income households compared with 4.8 years and 65% for straight couples.
report visual · Projection
Visibilité des lesbiennes et évolution de la perception
Les données montrent une progression sur plusieurs fronts — identité et représentation médiatique — avec des tendances visibles entre les années récentes et les dernières décennies.
1.1 Indice / évolution (%)
Start
+2.77%
CAGR · 20y
1.9 Indice / évolution (%)
Projected
20212041
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Daniel Varga. (2026, February 13). Lesbian Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/lesbian-statistics
MLA
Daniel Varga. "Lesbian Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/lesbian-statistics.
Chicago
Daniel Varga. 2026. "Lesbian Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/lesbian-statistics.
Sources & references
100 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level