Western burnout, eastern boom: Dating apps find fresh love in Asia; India among top markets

Online dating companies are increasingly turning to Asia as user growth slows in North America and Europe, where “swipe fatigue” has set in and customer engagement is weakening.

Executives say Western markets have become harder to crack, while adoption across Asia is rising, helped by growing numbers of women joining dating apps as social stigma fades.

“It’s become more troublesome to flirt and date in the workplace and harder for people to connect with people when they are spending all their time at work,” said Malgosia Green, Asia chief executive of Match Group, which owns Tinder, Hinge and OKCupid.

“Unlike in the west, the majority of Asian daters are [highly] intentional and marriage orientated.”

Western slowdown pushes regional pivot

The strategic shift comes as the world’s largest dating platforms struggle to retain users in mature markets. Tinder’s active user base fell 10 per cent to 51 million in the first half of 2025 compared with the same period in 2024, according to Sensor Tower. Bumble’s active users declined 5 per cent to 20.8 million over the same timeframe.

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Asia, however, has emerged as a rare bright spot. User numbers are expanding rapidly in several countries, even though revenues and profits are growing more slowly.

Three Asian countries ranked among the top five global markets for dating app downloads in 2025: India, which far outpaced others with 205 million downloads, China and Indonesia. Yet when measured by revenue, only Japan appears in the top five, ranking second behind the US with $2.3bn in the first 11 months of 2025.

The head of French dating app Happn, which was acquired by a Chinese social networking company in 2025 and is now targeting Asian markets, said the industry needed to “reinvent itself” to remain appealing.

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Cultural norms reshape dating platforms

Shn Juay, worldwide chief executive of US-founded Coffee Meets Bagel (CMB), said the increase in dating app usage across Asia reflected shifting attitudes among women.

“Women are no longer relying on family and friends to introduce them to their future partners, they don’t want to leave it to chance,” said Juay, who has worked in the dating industry for more than a decade. “They want to take control through these digital platforms.”

Juay said dating companies expanding in Asia needed to tailor their services to local customs, which often differ sharply from Western norms.

“Asian daters tend to be very goal oriented,” she said. “They are often focused on finding a long-term partner, not just casual hookups.”

In Singapore and Hong Kong, CMB’s interface prioritises personal information such as education and profession, while its Australian version places greater emphasis on photographs. Asian users, Juay said, were more likely to engage with profiles that were fully completed.

“When singles evaluate each other, they assess how much effort they have put into their dating profile,” she said. “If you leave gaps it is seen as disrespectful.”

In Japan, the most popular dating app is Pairs, a homegrown platform acquired by Match Group a decade ago. The Japanese government has encouraged dating app use as part of efforts to boost fertility, with Tokyo launching its own app in 2024.

“They become almost like infrastructure for society,” said Green.

In South Korea, Pairs requires employer verification for male users, with the feature optional for women.

India, where arranged marriages are in decline, has become one of the fastest-growing Asian markets. Match Group recently launched its invitation-only The League app in Mumbai and Delhi, targeting affluent professionals. While domestic apps dominate downloads, western platforms, including Bumble, Tinder, Hinge, Pure and Grindr, generate the most revenue.

Juay said the change initially led to a drop in user numbers after its July rollout, but was beginning to recover, ultimately creating a safer platform.

“People tend to be a lot more respectful and kinder when they know that we hold their national identification number and can hand it over to the police,” she said.