Online Dating Statistics, Trends, And Users: All You Need To Know Building Relationships In 2024

Irene Stevens

June 1, 2023

1016

11 min read

How do people meet in 2024? Is offline dating still relevant, or does everyone prefer online dating? The specialized apps and sites changed the way we approach relationships and love in general. Many people give up on the idea of falling in love at first sight or bumping into each other on the street, as in one of the popular rom-coms. Nowadays, they stick to the idea of finding a soulmate because they believe there’s someone out there for them. It’s easier to find a soulmate if you use a platform that allows selecting your preferences and offers a wide choice of people right away. 

The statistics of online dating prove the effectiveness of such a method because it makes the relationship more private and somewhat more accessible. For example, if you don’t have that many friends or colleagues who could possibly set you up with someone, the chances of finding your soulmate offline aren’t that high. Yet, on the other hand, you won’t have to worry about the fact that all the things happening in your relationship will be out and about because of mutual acquaintances. 

As you can see, this is a topic that can be viewed from different points, so we decided to come up with comprehensive research on online dating statistics 2024. Below, you can find out more about how many people opt for online dating, what profiles receive the most attention, and how often people use specialized dating sites and apps. Also, we’ll tackle the topic of scams and trends in the industry. So, buckle up, and let’s get down to the answers!

Online dating users—what are they like?

If you search “does online dating work,” statistics will show you the numbers that are quite impressive because every 10th person you meet (in the US) has met their significant other online. As for the US adults who have ever used online dating, it’s about 30%, and if we speak in gender terms, 32% of men and 28% of women. As for online dating age statistics, around 48% of people are from 18 to 29, 38%—at the age 30 to 49, and 19% of them are from 50 to 64. 

Speaking of the statistics on online dating related to the number of users, there are about 323.9 million people registered on specialized platforms and apps. Around 19% of Internet users currently use a dating app or site. Approximately 29% of white, 31% of black, and 28% of Hispanic people have profiles on dating sites. 

Users’ locations depend on the sites and apps they use. Yet, the US is the country with the largest number of its inhabitants using online dating sites. Namely, about 53 million people, or 15.7 percent, have accounts on such platforms. The following locations are the UK (11.5%), France (10.9%), and Germany (9.2%). Although in India (3.4%) and China (6%) there are seemingly lower numbers of people engaged in online dating, the countries’ populations are higher compared to European countries, which translates into increased revenues.      

What online dating services are the most popular?

As for the statistics about online dating in terms of dating apps vs. sites, the experts mentioned it’s hard to say that one dating site or app is better than another. The choice comes down mainly to the users’ expectations and goals. For example, those looking for serious and casual relationships are likely to opt for different platforms.

A man who wants to find a wife online will choose a site or an app with a well-thought-out filtering system because he wants to find a woman who will match his preferences and have similar intentions. Meanwhile, a guy who is looking for casual dating will prefer the platform with a large number of profiles and a swipe-friendly interface. 

Also, there are sites that offer to answer a certain number of questions to understand what you’re looking for and clarify your preferences. Some apps offer the standard swipe model, but thanks to these questionnaires, they match you not only with people of the opposite gender but with those who have something in common. 

Moreover, online dating usage statistics suggest that the messages people are more likely to respond to are the following:

• 29.1%—something funny
• 24%—a message related to something on your profile
• 17.3%—a simple “hey”

Dating sites profiles—what makes them stand out?

When considering the statistics of online dating success, it’s fair to say that when creating their profiles, users aim to present themselves as attractive as possible. They want to draw the attention of potential dates and accurately present themselves to let people know what to expect. Yet, users tend to self-present selectively, focusing on the characteristics they like about themselves the most and avoiding the traits that won’t give them an additional advantage. 

The online dating success statistics mention that users with a profile photo are more likely to attract other people because 85% of online daters won’t contact someone who doesn’t have any pictures. As for what matters most in dating profiles, recent research proved that it’s the emotional availability that can be shown by mentioning your hobbies and characteristics. 

Speaking of what matters the most to men and women in the potential partners’ profiles, these are the following:

• 33.5% of men and 20.6% of women care about the photo
• 19.2% of men and 30.6% of women pay attention to the “about me/description” section
• 21.5% of men and 19.1% of women believe that common interests are important

Additionally, if you’re looking for love, don’t forget to write this word on your profile. After examining 1.2 million profiles, the researchers found out that those who used such words as “love,” “romantic,” and “relationship” when writing profile descriptions were more successful at building committed relationships. Also, profiles containing photos of a person smiling are more likely to attract other users because it conveys happiness.

Notably, dating online statistics suggest that 35% of people lie on their profiles for fun, 25% alter information about themselves because of safety concerns, 16% do this to become more interesting for potential matches, and 15% don’t provide fully credible information because they don’t want their friends to recognize them.   

Online dating industry statistics: success and popularity

As per recent online dating industry statistics, around 323.9 million people use dating sites and apps, and 1 in 5 users in the US have accounts on such platforms. As for the users’ intentions when using dating sites and apps, around 44.1% of women and 38.4% of men are looking for serious and long-term relationships. Meanwhile, 22.6% of men and 14.8% of women use such platforms to find casual relationships. 

As for the online dating statistics worldwide referring to finding long-lasting love, over 13% of people got engaged or married to the person they met online. About 14.5% dated for less than a month, 14.7%—longer than one year, and 7.2% have been together between 6 months and 1 year. If we look at online dating success statistics in terms of people’s location throughout the US, we’ll see that the highest number of couples who are engaged or married thanks to meeting on a dating app is in the South, namely 16.3%. 

Online dating research statistics related to the frequency of using dating sites and apps mention that 79.3% of users check their accounts at least once per day. About 78% of respondents use their phones to access their online dating accounts, and about 44% of them use 2 dating apps simultaneously. 

As for the most used dating apps and platforms, you can check out the online dating website statistics below to see the platforms you can consider using:

How common is online dating scam, and how to avoid it?

Online dating marriage statistics in 2021 mentioned that online dating scams increased by 80% within the last couple of years. These scams cost users about $547 million. One of the most frequent schemes the fraudsters use are gift cards and wire transfers because these are the easiest ways for them to get money. Different online dating safety statistics point out that people aged 40 to 69 are most prone to becoming the victims of scammers, and those over 70 have the highest financial losses, about $9,500 per person. 

It’s critical to know how to avoid online dating scam and stay abreast when using such platforms if you don’t want to be left without a penny. These are some quick tips that will help you stay away from the statistics online dating related to those who faced scammers:

• Check expert and users’ reviews when selecting the site. You can find many comprehensive articles about different dating platforms by experts in the area. For example, our site has a bunch of such reviews that highlight the pros and cons of several dating platforms and apps. They’ll help you understand what to expect and whether you should register on the selected site. 
• Pay attention to the online dating site statistics on the site. Check the number of users, availability of different communication services, success rate, and amount of profiles and their quality. 
• Don’t fall for teary stories aimed at having your money. Often, scammers tell stories about how desperate they are and how great a man you are to get money from you. They’ll come up with a made-up reason for why exactly they need your financial help and might ask you to send it to them via wire transfer or by purchasing a gift card.
• Avoid sharing personal information. Don’t tell your address or financial data to women you barely know because you can’t be sure about their intentions and whether they’re real ladies. 

And these are some of the most popular ways that help users protect themselves from scammers:

• 60%—looked at the person’s social media
• 55%—searched their name online
• 21%—looked up their phone number online

Although online dating facts and statistics provide impressive numbers about how successful this industry is, it won’t hurt to stay vigilant. 

Online dating trends 2024 — where’s the industry heading? 

There’s a slew of online dating trends 2024 that are changing people’s approaches to relationships and love in general. Various dating platforms and communication tools make it easier for users to find their perfect soulmates and make the decision to reach out to a person they like right away without relying on hope and serendipity. A lot of people from different generations have started leveraging the benefits of online dating, especially millennials. The companies keep introducing new features to keep the users satisfied and help them meet their soulmates. 

So, these are some of the online dating market trends you can expect in the future:

1. Daters are becoming more exploratory. Being one of the most popular online dating trends, this one implies that users are now more connected to their inner selves and are considering building different kinds of connections. For example, they might search friends, lovers, and soulmates on dating sites.  
2. Slow dating is the new black. People take time to get to know each other instead of rushing into relationships with someone they barely know. They start valuing emotional connection and want to have partners who will make their lives more fulfilling. This is one of the online dating future trends that’s already changing the industry because users also take choosing dating sites and apps more seriously. 
3. Dating apps for all ages. There’s an increased demand for “dating apps for older people” because it’s never too late to find love. Online dating industry trends showcase that there’s an increasing number of sites and apps that start focusing not only on the representatives of the young generations but also on those who are in their 60s and older.   

Irene Stevens

Writer

Irene is a writer with a degree and plenty of experience in psychology, which allows her to write deep, informative guides to international dating based on her personal expertise. Irene specializes in relationships between people from other countries.