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There is no reliable country-by-country list of cultures that “don’t kiss.” A 2015 study found romantic-sexual lip-to-lip kissing in 46% of the 168 cultures it sampled—but that finding is about cultures in the sample, not the share of people who kiss, and it says nothing definitive about greeting kisses.
What does “kissing” mean?
The answer changes depending on the kind of kiss. The 2015 study by William R. Jankowiak, Shelly L. Volsche, and Justin R. Garcia examined romantic-sexual lip-to-lip contact, whether prolonged or not. It did not measure every form of affection or the use of cheek kisses as greetings. Read the study in American Anthropologist.
A cheek kiss between acquaintances, a kiss between romantic partners, and another customary gesture are distinct practices. Not routinely greeting people with a cheek kiss does not mean a community lacks romantic kissing.
What did the cross-cultural study find?
The authors reported romantic-sexual kissing in 46% of their 168-culture sample. The unit is cultures—not individuals or countries. The result therefore cannot be read as meaning that 54% of the world’s people never kiss, nor does it establish current behavior in every community.
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The study’s finding supports a limited conclusion: romantic lip-to-lip kissing is not universal across cultures. It does not provide an exhaustive list of cultures where it is absent. Cultural anthropologist Catharina Laporte made the same broad point in a 2025 Texas A&M interview, saying, “Romantic lip-to-lip kissing is not a cultural universal and it’s definitely not innate.” Read the Texas A&M article.
How do greeting customs differ?
Greetings may involve a handshake, a bow, a palms-together gesture such as namaste, or a cheek kiss. Which is appropriate can depend on familiarity, formality, setting, gender norms, and the preferences of the people involved. A university study-abroad guide advises visitors to watch how people greet one another or politely ask if they are unsure. See the study-abroad guide to greetings.
These are options, not fixed national rules. A custom used among friends may be unsuitable in a formal encounter, and individuals within the same community may have different preferences.
What should travelers do?
- Observe first: Notice how people in that setting greet one another.
- Choose a lower-contact option if uncertain: A handshake or a respectful nod may be more comfortable than initiating a cheek kiss.
- Ask politely when needed: A simple question is better than assuming someone welcomes a particular greeting.
- Respect the individual: A generalization about a culture cannot tell you what one person wants.
Why a simple list would mislead
The available evidence does not establish a robust, current, exhaustive country-by-country list of cultures that do not kiss, and it offers no comparable named statistic for greeting kisses. The 46% figure concerns a specific behavior in a cross-cultural sample; it cannot be extended to a whole continent, religion, nationality, or every person in a community.
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Texas A&M’s account includes attributed examples of communities where kissing is regarded as abhorrent, as well as an account of a belief that the mouth is a portal to the soul. Such examples illustrate that attitudes can differ; they are not grounds for assigning one belief to everyone in a region.
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