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Most single men and women between the ages of 18 and 34 (53% and 68%, respectively) say they want a romantic relationship, according to a 2024 study commissioned by dating platform Tinder, which surveyed 8,000 heterosexual participants in the U.S., U.K., Australia and Canada. However, nearly all respondents—including 91% of men and 94% of women—say they think the current dating environment is more difficult than ever.[1]
Is finding love more challenging today than in the past? Here’s what current statistics and Forbes Health relationship experts say—including what matters most to daters, burnout and what AI has to do with it.
- Provides users with a curated selection of matches based on their compatibility
- Have complete confidence that all of your compatible matches are looking for the same thing you are, love that lasts
- Align with individuals who desire deeper and more meaningful relationships
- Millions of couples have found lasting love
Dating in 2025
What Our Expert Says
“The general state of the world is sensed as less predictable and less secure [than in the past],” says Kathryn Ford, M.D., a psychiatrist and couples therapist based in San Francisco and author of “The Aperture Effect: A Radically Simple Approach to Finding Joy and Connection in Your Relationship.” For some people, this lack of predictability and security results in an increased need to find a partner while for others it can create a hesitancy to make decisions and commitments, she explains.
What the Data Says About Dating in 2025
According to 2025 data from online dating platform Match’s “Singles in America” survey of 5,000 single people, completed in partnership with researchers from The Kinsey Institute:
- 46% of single people surveyed are ready for a long-term relationship.
- A small percentage of participants (8%) believe that being single is socially frowned upon.
- Dating is expensive, with the average cost being $213 per month and active daters spending over $300 per month.[2]
The same survey shows there’s a certain amount of romance in the air:
- 73% of singles surveyed say they believe romantic love can last forever.
- 69% of participants report they believe in destiny.
- 63% of men say they’re romantic, as do 58% of women.
- 51% of those surveyed think there is one perfect match out there for them.[3]
More Dating Statistics
How Many People Are Single?
If you’re simply looking at people who aren’t married—the way “single” is defined on tax forms, for example—about 49% of U.S. adults aged 15 and older are unmarried, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.[4]
But if you define “single” as people who aren’t married, living with a partner or in a committed romantic relationship, that figure drops to 30%, according to data from the Pew Research Center, a nonpartisan organization specializing in public opinion polls, demographic research and other data-driven social science research to inform the public about issues and trends. The Pew Research Center also says:
- Adults under 30 represent the age group with the highest percentage of single people, at approximately 47%.
- The next-largest group of singles includes people 65 and older, with 39% being single.[4]
What Percentage of Men and Women Are Single?
According to that same Pew Research survey of U.S. adults:
- 63% of men younger than 30 reported that they’re single (defined as not married, living with a partner or in a committed romantic relationship). Meanwhile, only 34% of women in the same age group described themselves as single.[5]
The age gap appears much smaller in older age groups, according to that same survey:
- For people ages 30 to 49, 25% of men reported being single compared to 17% of women.
- For individuals ages 50 to 64, 28% of men described themselves as single compared to 30% of women.
- For people ages 65 and older, 25% of men reported being they were single, compared to 39% of women.[5]
Average Age of Marriage in the U.S.
What Matters Most to Daters
According to Match’s 2025 “Singles In America” survey:
- 90% of singles say sexual chemistry is crucial in relationships, with 72% of people saying they can gauge sexual chemistry within the first three dates.
- Other important traits include kindness and empathy (48%), physical attraction (39%) and shared values (35%).[2]
Generational Divides
There are distinct patterns depending on generation, according to Match’s survey.
Gen Z (people born between 1998 and 2007, as defined by the survey) is considered the most sexually conservative generation, with 29% saying sex should happen after a committed relationship. Additionally:
- 69% of Gen Z respondents say they’re not ready for a relationship (even though many want one).
- People in this generation are most likely to be intentionally celibate.
- Only 49% of Gen Z participants say they want children at some point, which is lower than past generations at the same age.[2]
Among millennials (people born between 1982 and 1997, according to the survey):
- Most people—64%—want a committed relationship, although 39% are open to casual dating.
- 52% of people in this generation feel behind in their life goals, especially with regard to marriage and children.
- This is the most sexually active generation, with more than half of people saying they have sex at least once a month.
- This generation also uses dating apps the most.[2]
Gen X (people born between 1966 and 1981) is the most likely to feel behind in life goals (55%), especially when it comes to relationships.
- 48% of people in this generation have been divorced
- They use dating apps much less than millennials or Gen Z and instead prefer in-person meetings or introductions through friends.[2]
Other Dating Trends
According to the “Singles In America” survey, 53% of singles reported dating burnout and 46% percent took breaks to recharge—with most of them (64%) saying they came back with a clearer idea of what they want.[2]
Other notable trends include:
AI involvement
- The same survey also reports that 16% of singles say they have interacted with AI as a romantic companion, including 33% of people in Gen Z and 23% of millennials.[2]
- 40% say having an AI boyfriend/girlfriend is cheating.[2]
Less Confidence in Making the First Move
- The “Singles In America” survey data shows that 63% of singles say there’s more passivity in making the first move, as relationship dynamics are more ambiguous now—with people unsure of what the other person is looking for in terms of traditional vs modern gender roles.[2]
Romantic Ideals
According to the Match survey data:
- 51% believe there’s one perfect match for them
- 43% think they’ll end up in a picture-perfect romantic relationship.[2]
- 41% of single people believe romantic media has set unrealistic expectations for love.
Dating App Statistics
Online dating allows access to more possibilities, says Dr. Ford, and is often easier when making first contact, especially for introverted or socially shy people. However, it can also feel superficial and dangerous, and there’s added complexity if someone becomes interested in a partner who’s geographically distant, she adds.
- About 42% of U.S. adults say online dating has made the search for a long-term partner easier, while 22% say it has made the search for a long-term partner or spouse more difficult. Another 32% say it hasn’t made a difference, according to data from the Pew Research Center.[7]
- According to the same report, 21% of adults think that dating sites and apps could use their computer programs to determine whether two people will eventually fall in love. But the majority of adults in the U.S. are unsure about that claim; 35% of people say they don’t believe computer programs can predict love while another 43% are unsure.[7]
Why People Are Using Dating Apps
There are two main reasons people are using dating sites or apps, according to Pew Research Center data:
- 44% of current and recent dating platform users say they want to meet a long-term partner.
- 40% say they want to date casually.[7]
Some people also say a major reason they use dating apps is to have casual sex (24%) or make new friends (22%).[7]
Who Is Using Dating Apps
According to dating statistics from eharmony, around 80 million people in the U.S. are now using dating apps or websites—or about 30% of the adult population.[8]
- About 34% of men are on dating apps, compared to 27% of women.[8]
How Old Are People Using Data Apps?
When you look at online dating based on age groups, the people who are online dating include:
- 53% of people 18-29
- 37% of people 30-49
- 20% of people 59-64
- 13% of people age 65+[8]
Online dating is more common among younger adults, with 53% of people under 30 having tried a dating site or app compared to 13% of people 65 and older.[8]
What’s the Most Popular Dating App?
According to the Pew Research Center, Tinder is the most popular dating app—especially among adults under 30. Additionally:
- 46% of online daters say they’ve used Tinder.
- 31% say they’ve used Match, 28% say they’ve used Bumble. OkCupid, eharmony and Hinge are each used by roughly 20% of online daters, and 31% say they tried another online dating platform not covered in the survey.
- 79% of online daters under 30 say they’ve used Tinder, compared with 44% of users ages 30 to 49, 17% of users 50 to 64 and just 1% of those 65 and older.[7]
Dating app users 50 and older are about five times more likely to use Match than Tinder, or 50% versus 11%.[7]
Overall, 43% of adults say people have the right amount of options for dating on these platforms, but 37% think there are too many choices—and just 13% say there aren’t enough options.[7]
Preferred Relationship Type
Single people are increasingly interested in long-term relationships rather than casual encounters, according to eharmony’s dating statistics, which show:
- Serious relationships are a high priority, with 35% of online daters saying that’s what they’re looking for (up from 26% in 2022).
- 35% of people are looking for someone they can also consider a friend, and 38% are prioritizing genuine connections with long-term potential.[8]
Dating App Success Rate
The definition of success may vary from person to person. For some, the term may simply mean actually finding dates and meeting new people, and having an overall enjoyable experience. For others, it may mean that using a dating app results in a committed relationship.
- When it comes to the overall experience of online dating, 53% of people who have ever used a dating site or app say their personal experiences have been very or somewhat positive—but 46% say they’ve been very or somewhat negative.[7]
- 10% of partnered adults (those who are married, living with a partner or in a committed romantic relationship) met their current significant other through a dating site or app.[4]
Dating and Safety Concerns
Nearly half of online daters—47%—say companies should require background checks, and women and older people are more likely than men to say online dating isn’t very safe, according to data from the Pew Research Center, which also shows:
- 62% of Americans ages 65 years and older say online dating isn’t safe, versus 42% of adults younger than 50.
- 56% of women under 50 who have used dating sites or apps say they’ve been sent an unsolicited sexually explicit message or picture.
- About 43% of women say they’ve had someone continue to contact them after they said they weren’t interested.
- 37% of women say they’ve been called an offensive name.
- 11% of women say they’ve received threats of physical harm.[7]
Those experiences were generally less common among women ages 50 and older, and they were also less common among men of any age.[7]
Dating and Mental Health Statistics
According to a 2023 Forbes Health/OnePoll survey, which polled 5,000 U.S. respondents who have actively dated in the past five years, 76% of respondents reported that they either ghosted someone or had been ghosted while dating. Results from the survey showed that:
- Over half of the survey participants say being ghosted made them feel upset, and about 39% say it made them feel inadequate. Another 22% feel angry about the situation.[9]
There are other ways dating can impact mental health as well:
- A survey of over 1,000 adults found that almost half of U.S. adults—47%—are stressed about their love lives, according to BetterHelp, an online therapy platform.[10]
- Among current or recent online daters, 54% of women say they’ve felt overwhelmed by the number of messages they’ve received, while about half as many—25%—of men say the same.[7]
- However, 64% of men say they’ve felt insecure about the lack of messages received, compared to 40% of women.[7]
- According to a 2020 study in BMC Psychology that looked at swipe-based dating apps, users report higher levels of depression, anxiety and psychological distress compared to people who aren’t using those apps.[11]
Another pitfall in dating is the constant self-evaluation as you take the risks of meeting new people, says Dr. Ford. Be aware of this hazard, and counter it by spending a lot of your time with people you already know and trust, she suggests.
Our Experts’ Advice
There are a few things people should prioritize, according to Dr. Ford. For starters, “Focus on being the person you want to be. Self-respect and liking yourself are the most important keys to dating,” she says. It’s also important to spend time around people who make you feel good about yourself, and who inspire you to learn and be a better person, she notes. And finally, “As you move toward commitment, consult both your heart and your head; don’t ignore the wisdom of either,” she advises.
