Six dating trends to look out for in 2025

In 2024, 62 per cent of new couples met online, far outpacing every other way of meeting a partner (friends, work, family, hobbies). However, the dating landscape changes frequently: last year was all about breadcrumbing, ghosting, and situationships; 2025 will be about AI, matchmaking, and younger men. Based on survey data from 2,000 singles across major cities, here are the biggest trends you can expect if you’re single and trying to mingle in 2025.

AI as a dating assistant

There are plenty of accessible services (personal training, therapy, career coaching, nutrition planning) and tools (Oura Rings, virtual assistants) to help optimise busy lifestyles. However, when it comes to love, support options are either inaccessible (high-cost matchmakers) or inaccurate (TikTok and Instagram “therapists”). AI, when correctly trained, is far better than humans at summarising data, identifying patterns, and offering light therapy.

A new crop of dating apps, led by Sitch, is successfully using AI to guide their customers—helping them figure out what kind of person they are looking for, introducing two interested users (like a friend would), planning dates, and even offering analysis and advice on interacting with potential partners. AI is acting just like Seema Aunty (Indian Matchmaking on Netflix) would, but at a fraction of the cost!

Using background checks

It’s easy to pretend to be someone else on legacy dating apps that don’t ask for verification selfies, IDs, or mandatory Instagram or LinkedIn profiles—all of which would make online dating significantly safer. A whopping 88 per cent of women said safety was their biggest concern on apps, and 71 per cent of users admitted to spending an hour Googling their online dates. Given these concerns, people are likely to gravitate towards services and apps that perform rigorous background verifications, reducing the likelihood of catfishing. Yay for safer dating!

Parents on apps

With the average age of marriage creeping higher, parents are becoming increasingly involved to ensure they become grandparents ASAP. Indian parents meddling in their children’s love lives is nothing new, but globally, dating apps have flagged that parents are creating profiles on behalf of their kids, chatting with potential matches, and even setting up dates. In response, apps in the US (Sitch, Lox Club) are now allowing parents (or grandparents) to purchase subscriptions as gifts.

Women paying

Only 8 per cent of Tinder, Bumble, and Hinge users currently pay for the apps, 96 per cent of whom are male. However, newer dating apps are eliminating their free offerings entirely, insisting that unless both genders invest financially, users rarely meet in real life.

The average person takes 5,600 swipes to meet one person in real life—a time-consuming and exhausting process. This process is significantly sped up when users pay for the service. While women were once reluctant to pay for dating apps, 46 per cent of those surveyed said they are now willing to do so, and 43 per cent are even considering paying for a matchmaker. Recognising the opportunity cost of prolonged singlehood, women are putting their money where their mouth is.

Younger men

The age-old adage of marrying a man five years older is slowly losing steam. In fact, 47 per cent of women said they had expanded their age range to include younger men in the last year. The top reasons to date younger? Increasing financial independence (meaning less need for a “settled” partner), more flexibility in relationships (both partners being less fixed in their ways), and popular culture influences (e.g. Family Affair, The Idea of You). Men have been dating younger forever—it’s time for women to do the same!

Being public about your search for love

Sixty-one per cent of people surveyed said they had asked their friends to set them up in the last year. In 2025, expect a complete normalisation of the public search for love. From friends asking to be set up to publishing “date me” documents (popular in Silicon Valley) and even posting flyers (like artist Dan Perino’s flyers all over New York), the quest for love is becoming more open and creative.

Lead image credit: Netflix

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