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An Army of Swipers: Dating in the Modern Age

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Widespread cultural shifts from generation to generation are nothing new.

The digital era has helped fuel a surge in mobile and online dating among younger, tech-savvy generations. In fact, almost half of Americans today between the ages of 18 and 29 years old report having used a dating site or app to find a partner.

online dating demographics

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For the millions of people around the world diving into the world of digital dating, there are dozens of online dating platforms to choose from. Increasingly though, many of these brands are controlled by a single company.

A Match Made In Heaven

Forget traditional face-to-face interactions—online dating has emerged as the most popular way couples are meeting today. Though the volume of users is increasingly large, the number of companies in the space continues to narrow.

The largest in this space, Match Group, has gone all-in on online dating, acquiring some 20 companies throughout its brief history. As a result, Match Group now has an impressive 45 dating services in its growing roster.

match group timeline

Taking a familiar page out of the Big Tech playbook, Match Group’s big bet has so far paid off.

They’ve managed to execute on an asset-light, software-based subscription model that results in plenty of recurring revenue. This strategy has also led to operating margins that rival those of Big Tech companies like Facebook or Microsoft.

tech vs match operating margins

The result? Since their 2015 IPO, Match Group’s stock is up 600%, reaching a market capitalization of $25 billion, eclipsing many other well-known household names.

Wall Street Swipes Right

While Match Group does frequently boast about its diverse set of dating platforms, much of the success boils down to a few moving parts. One big part in particular, is Tinder and its impressive userbase of 59 million people.

Tinder’s “army of swipers” continues to grow. If the app’s userbase were a country, it would rank 25th in the world. Alternatively, imagine if every citizen of Canada, Jamaica, Ireland, Sweden, and Albania combined decided to pop open their app store and download Tinder at the same time.

tinder userbase compared with countries

Tinder now has upwards of 6 million paid subscribers, charging a subscription fee around $20 per month. These revenues continue to form a large piece of the overall equation.

How important is Tinder for Match? In their investor presentations, they provide separate data on Tinder while labeling all other apps under the “All Other Brands” category.

tinder match revenue

In recent times, Match Group has commented that they see “traditional dating” as their biggest competitor. Socio-cultural, demographic, and tech trends seem to suggest mobile online dating is not just a fad, but a concrete and dominant means through which people connect.

User growth figures have not shown weakness either. Both Millennials and Gen Z make up the bulk of Match Group’s userbase—and both generations are comfortable with digitalization as well as delaying life milestones such as marriage. This may suggest their layover in the so-called “dating period” will be lengthy—good news for giants like Match Group.

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Mapped: Internet Download Speeds by Region

North America and East Asia have the speediest internet.

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Map illustrating median download speeds in each global region.

Mapped: Internet Download Speeds by Region

This was originally posted on our Voronoi app. Download the app for free on iOS or Android and discover incredible data-driven charts from a variety of trusted sources.

In today’s fast-paced world, internet speed isn’t just a convenience—it’s the driving force behind how we work, play, and connect.

In this map, we illustrate median download speeds in each global region, based on data from the World Bank’s Digital Progress and Trends Report 2023.

North America and East Asia Have the Speediest Internet

According to the World Bank, download speeds in high-income countries increased significantly between 2019 and 2023, while speeds in lower-income countries stagnated.

As of 2022, North America and East Asia have the speediest internet.

RegionMedian mobile download speed (Mb/sec)Median fixed broadband download speed (Mb/sec)
East Asia & Pacific90171
Europe & Central Asia4485
Latin America & the Caribbean2674
Middle East & North Africa3636
North America83193
South Asia2743
Sub-Saharan Africa1615

This difference in broadband speeds can mainly be attributed to investment.

In 2020, nearly 90% of global telecommunication investment came from East Asia and the Pacific, Europe and Central Asia, and North America. These regions not only concentrate the highest-income population but also the top technology hubs.

Meanwhile, low- and middle-income regions such as Latin America and the Caribbean, South Asia, and Sub-Saharan Africa accounted for less than 10% of total investment.

Most of the investment is directed towards fiber optic and 5G mobile networks. According to the mobile industry association GSMA, mobile operators alone are projected to invest more than $600 billion between 2022 and 2025, with 85% of the total allocated for 5G.

In 2023, broadband speeds in high-income countries were 10x faster for fixed connections, and 5x faster for mobile connections compared to those in low-income countries.

Fixed broadband connections, which provide high-speed internet to residences or businesses, reached 38% of the population in high-income countries. In comparison, fixed broadband penetration was only 4% of the population in lower-middle-income countries and almost zero in low-income countries.

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