Studies estimate that roughly 10 to 54 percent of women experience squirting, with the wide range depending on how the question is asked and which population is surveyed. A 2024 Swedish study published in Sexual Medicine found that 58 percent of female participants had experienced ejaculation or squirting at some point, while a US-based study placed the figure at 41 percent. An earlier review estimated 10 to 40 percent of women experience it regularly or occasionally.
Why the Numbers Vary So Much
The gap between 10 percent and 58 percent is not a sign that the science is broken. It reflects real differences in how researchers frame the question. Some studies ask whether a woman has ever experienced squirting even once, which naturally produces higher numbers. Others ask about regular occurrence, which drops the figure considerably. Self-report surveys also rely on women recognizing and labeling the experience correctly, and many are unsure whether what happened to them counts. In the Swedish study, 6 percent of respondents said they weren’t sure if they had ever squirted.
Cultural factors play a role too. Stigma or unfamiliarity with the phenomenon can lead to underreporting in some populations, while increased awareness through media and sexual education may encourage more women to identify and report the experience in others. Studies from the US, Canada, Egypt, and Sweden have all produced broadly similar prevalence ranges, suggesting the experience crosses cultural lines even if reporting rates fluctuate.
Squirting and Female Ejaculation Are Not the Same Thing
Researchers now generally treat squirting and female ejaculation as two distinct events that sometimes happen simultaneously. Female ejaculation refers to a small amount of thick, milky fluid released from the Skene’s glands, two tiny glands located on either side of the urethra. This fluid contains proteins similar to those found in male semen, which is why the Skene’s glands are sometimes called the “female prostate.” The glands develop from the same embryonic tissue as the male prostate.
Squirting, by contrast, involves a larger volume of dilute, watery fluid expelled from the urethra. Imaging studies have shown that the bladder fills rapidly during arousal and empties during the expulsion, suggesting the fluid originates at least partly from the bladder. However, biochemical analysis has found that this fluid is not simply urine. It contains substances secreted by the Skene’s glands, making it a mixture rather than one thing or the other. In everyday conversation, most people use “squirting” as a blanket term for both, and many survey-based studies combine the two as well, which further explains why prevalence estimates vary.
What Determines Whether It Happens
There is no single factor that separates women who squirt from those who don’t. Anatomy appears to matter: the size and development of the Skene’s glands vary significantly from person to person, and women with more developed glands may produce fluid more readily. Pelvic floor muscle control and nerve sensitivity also seem to play a role, though research on these factors is still limited.
The type of stimulation matters too. Squirting is most commonly linked to G-spot stimulation, clitoral stimulation, or a combination of both. It can happen during orgasm, but it can also occur without one. Some women experience it only with a specific type of touch or in a particular position, while others find it happens unpredictably. Arousal level, relaxation, and comfort with a partner are frequently cited as contributing factors in survey research, though these are harder to quantify.
Some sex educators suggest that most women could potentially experience squirting with the right stimulation and enough relaxation. That claim is difficult to prove or disprove scientifically, but it aligns with the observation that many women first experience squirting later in life, sometimes after years of sexual activity, which hints that familiarity with one’s own body plays a meaningful role.
Why Many Women Are Unsure It Happened
One reason prevalence is hard to pin down is that squirting does not always look the way popular media portrays it. For some women, it involves a noticeable gush of fluid. For others, it is a small amount of wetness that could easily be mistaken for increased lubrication or a slight loss of bladder control. The fluid is typically clear or slightly cloudy and may have little to no odor, which makes it easy to overlook or dismiss.
Embarrassment also shapes how women interpret the experience. Because the fluid exits through the urethra, some women who squirt assume they accidentally urinated and feel self-conscious rather than recognizing it as a normal sexual response. This is one reason the 6 percent “unsure” category in the Swedish study likely represents an undercount of women who have actually experienced it.
The Anatomy Behind It
The Skene’s glands are so small they are not usually visible to the naked eye, but they respond to sexual arousal. Blood flow to the area causes the surrounding tissue to swell, and the glands begin secreting fluid. This fluid serves a dual purpose: it lubricates the urethral opening during sex and may help protect against urinary tract infections by creating a barrier against bacteria.
During heightened arousal or orgasm, these glands can release their contents more forcefully. In women who squirt, this glandular secretion combines with fluid that has accumulated in the bladder during arousal, and the mixture is expelled through the urethra. The process is involuntary, driven by rhythmic contractions of the pelvic floor muscles, which is why it often catches women off guard the first time it happens.