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.
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.
According to data from the U.S. Census Bureau, the average age of marriage for men is 30 years old, whereas for women it’s 28 years old.[6]
As of 2021, 25% of 40-year-olds in the U.S. had never been married, approximately a 400% increase from 1980 (when it was 6%).[4]
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]