DISCLAIMER
If you have any medical questions or concerns, please talk to your healthcare provider. The articles on Health Guide are underpinned by peer-reviewed research and information drawn from medical societies and governmental agencies. However, they are not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
A lot of guys have some anxiety about the size of their penis, but statistically speaking, most guys have an average-sized penis. How big is that? Probably not as big as you think.
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Average penis length and girth
A 2015 research review found that the average erect penis size is 5.17 inches long (13.12 cm). And the average erect penis circumference (aka “girth”) is 4.59 inches (9.31 cm). For a flaccid penis, that size goes down a bit to 3.6 inches (9.16 cm) long on average, with an average girth of 3.67 inches (9.31 cm) (Veale, 2014).
Why, then, do most men think the average penis size is more than 6 inches long? We can thank a researcher named Alfred Kinsey for that (King, 2020). He and his colleagues published a report in the 1960s that claimed that the average penis size was over 6 inches, and unfortunately, that problematic number has buried itself deep in our psyche (Kinsey Institute, n.d.). After more extensive research on the topic, we now know that it was an overshoot of about 20% beyond the actual number.
How many guys have 7 inches or more?
It’s rare. Super rare. According to the available research, just one in a hundred guys have a penis that measures between 7–8 inches erect.
Numerous studies have found that Kinsey’s original estimate of 6 inches is around a full inch longer than average. While we’ll take his findings with a grain of salt, Kinsey’s other research showed that extremely large penises (over 7–8 inches) are exceedingly rare. In fact, the original Kinsey penis-size survey found that only (Kinsey Institute, n.d.):
- 1% of men have a penis between 7–8 inches
- 6 in 1000 guys (0.6%) have a 9-inch penis
- Just over 0.2% of guys have a penis larger than 9 inches—that’s 2 in 1000
Up to 90% of male penises are within an inch of the average size. Statistically speaking, that means most guys have a normal-sized penis. No, really. Your penis is most likely within the normal range.