Tops, Bottoms & World Domination: A Global Tour of Grindr Preferences
- Prideloop
- Jul 31
- 3 min read
Alright, let’s get into it. You know how people love turning just about anything into a topic of deep discussion? Coffee orders, astrology signs, whether pineapple belongs on pizza… Well, in the gay community, one of the go-to conversation starters is: “So… are you a top or a bottom?
Thanks to some openly shared insights from Grindr’s Unwrapped feature, an annual round up of user behavior, we now have a global peek into how men across different countries describe their bedroom preferences. And let’s just say… the results are delightfully varied.
But First: A Few Notes Before We Dig In
Before taking these stats too seriously, there are some caveats worth keeping in mind:
This isn’t scientific research. The data comes from Grindr users who voluntarily choose to share their preferences, so it’s more of a fun snapshot than a full demographic survey.
Sexual roles are personal. People’s preferences can change over time or shift depending on their partners and experiences.
Cultural context matters. Ideas around masculinity, sexuality, and expression differ greatly from country to country and that can influence how people identify.
With all that said… let’s take a tour.
Countries with More Self-Identified “Tops”
Over the last few years, Grindr's reports have shown that some countries consistently have a higher percentage of users identifying as tops. These include:
Bolivia
United States
South Korea
Greece
India
Kenya
China
Trinidad & Tobago
Morocco
Israel
Chile
Jordan
Singapore
What do these places have in common? Not much geographically which just goes to show how diverse masculinity and sexual identity can be. Cultural norms around dominance or masculinity may play a role, but there's no one size fits all explanation here.
Countries with More Self-Identified “Bottoms”
On the flip side, some countries stand out for having a larger share of users who identify as bottoms:
Denmark
Japan
Serbia
South Africa
Peru
Vietnam
Sweden
Thailand
Poland
Finland
Interestingly, countries like Finland also appear frequently in the “versatile” category, suggesting a well-balanced community that values flexibility (pun fully intended).
And Then There’s “Versatile” and “Side”
Not everyone likes to pick one box. Many users identify as versatile, meaning they’re open to different roles depending on the vibe and the person. According to Grindr Unwrapped, higher percentages of versatile users are found in countries like:
Russia
Finland
Croatia
Germany
Taiwan
Argentina
Mexico
Australia
Czech Republic
Costa Rica
There’s also a smaller but meaningful group that identifies as “side” people who prefer sexual intimacy without penetration. This group is more prominent in places like:
China
New Zealand
Australia
Singapore
Philippines
Why This Is All Fascinating But Not Definitive
These stats are fun to look at, but they should be taken as what they are: trends based on app data, not hard truths. The actual reasons behind geographical patterns likely involve a combination of social norms, cultural attitudes toward queerness, comfort levels with disclosure, and even how widespread the app is in each country.
Most importantly, bedroom preferences are just one small part of who someone is. No matter where you fall on the spectrum or even if you don’t identify with these roles at all, it’s the diversity of the community that makes it vibrant.
Source:
The insights referenced in this article are based on Grindr’s publicly shared Grindr Unwrapped reports from recent years, which highlight anonymous, aggregated user behavior trends across the platform.
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