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Top 15 Surprising Online Dating Statistics You Must Know in 2021

August 10, 2021
Top 15 Surprising Online Dating Statistics You Must Know in 2021

There are so many stats behind the best free dating apps in UK regions - and some you might not have been expecting!

Today, the Best10Dating team wanted to share some of the most interesting facts we've uncovered about the world of online dating, to shed some light on this massively growing sector.

1. Almost a Third of Singles Aged 18-34 Use Online Dating for Confidence

We often think about online dating and fake profiles or scammers - but there are many hidden positives!

About 30% of people between 18-34 say they created an online dating profile to help them work on their self-esteem.

Think about this - you've been single for ages, and create a decent profile with a few images. Within days you have more interest than you've received in months!

It's not hard to see why this is a driving factor behind online dating in young adults.

2. Nearly Half of the Single People in the UK Have Never Asked Anyone for a Date

Back in the day, online dating was seen as a bit desperate and for people who had no chance of finding a date in person.

The reality is that almost 50% of men and women in the UK who are currently single have never plucked up the courage to ask another person on a date.

There's no time like the present, kids! We'd suggest you sign up for one of the best dating apps in UK circles and give it a try.

3. About 30% of Men and Women Think Bars Are the Worst First Date Venues

We talk a lot about first dates and the importance of those early impressions. Our data tells us that it's best to steer well clear of a bar or pub!

While hookups on a drunken night out might have been the mainstay of the 90s, today's singles think a bar is the worst possible place to have a first date.

4. Young Adults Are More Likely to Meet Partners Online Than Anywhere Else

Yep, you heard it here - online dating is now the most common place to meet a date for young adults.

5. Between 50% and 80% of People Lie on Their Dating Profile

Now, it's always worth taking anything you read online with a pinch of salt - and a whopping 50% to 80% of online daters aren't entirely transparent in their profiles (who'd have thought it!).

The good news is that it's usually pretty harmless. Women tend to knock a couple of years off their age, whereas men commonly fib about their jobs more than anything else.

Other typical lies are around income, height and weight - but not the serious stuff.

6. Online Dating Has Tripled in 18-24-Year-Olds in Two Years

Call it the smartphone revolution, if you will; it's a fact that 18-24-year-olds are now exponentially more likely to use an online dating app than ever before.

Ask any young adult to check out their apps, and we'll bet you there's at least one swipe-dating profile on there from the best dating sites in Nottingham, if only for fun.

7. And It's Doubled in Seniors

Here's a statistic that's usually met with a few raised eyebrows!

Online dating is not only for the young ones. Seniors and mature dating profiles, typically for adults aged 50+ or 55+ (depending on the platform), are now the fastest growing online dating audience.

Perhaps it's about time we all realized that love doesn't have an expiry date or an age limit.

8. One in Five Daters Asks a Friend's Opinion To Help With Their Profile

It is awkward talking about yourself, and agonising over the right profile photo that shows your glorious roman nose in its best light isn't always easy.

Step forward the friend - because 20% of dating profiles are created with the assistance of a trusted confidante. Maybe they’re responsible for the fibs on ages and heights!

9. Most Daters Join an App for Fun, Not Romance

At its core, online dating is intended to be fun, exciting and an enjoyable experience.

Over half of all daters decide to join online dating without any preconceived expectations about their romantic life - but decide that it's something they'll do for a giggle.

10. Online Dating Has Been About Since the 1960s

Oh, you thought your Tinder app was the first innovative online dating platform? Think again!

Dating online is probably older than your parents and was a concept developed by Harvard undergraduates (those clever chaps!) back in 1966. Their invention, Operation Match, had 8,000 members.

They used questionnaires on punch cards to create data to type into their computer system and an algorithm to provide match suggestions. Not such a world away from the same processes dating apps use today!

11. Between 2002 and 2012, Over 30% of Newlyweds Met Online

Ah, here is a stat for the sentimental ones - between 2002 and 2012, over 30% of all newly married couples met through an online dating platform.

Compare that to 14% meeting at work, 12% through friends and 7% at school, and you can see that online dating was already way ahead of the trend.

12. Whereas Over 70% of LGBTQ+ Singles Meet Online

Digital matchmaking has done wonders for marginalised or minority groups, who often find that mainstream dating doesn't cater to them or prove any help in finding friends, partners, and like-minded groups.

LGBTQ+ dating apps are responsible for over 70% of relationships, and isn't that a beautiful thing!

13. Originality Isn't Always a Winner

The Best10Dating team will typically tell you that the best dating sites in Nottingham work best with a unique message - but the stats tell us that generic, auto-generated communications are 75% as effective as anything original.

Hmmm, for the 25%, it might still be worth putting in the effort!

14. Peak Online Dating Runs Between Boxing Day and Valentine's Day

Wondering when the best time to join is? Go for anywhere between 26th December and 14th February, and you'll be in good company.

15. The Average Tinder User Spend 90 Minutes a Day on the App

Last but not least - do you think you're addicted to online dating? The average person spends an hour and a half on Tinder every day, with average sessions from 8.5 minutes long for women and 7.2 minutes for men.

Lauren Edwards-Fowle
Lauren Edwards-Fowle
Lauren is a freelance writer passionate about how we develop rewarding experiences, and overcoming the barriers we face to living our best lives. Lauren writes regularly about the modern world of dating, relationships, parenthood, and social dynamics.