Online dating in Russia - statistics & facts
Hit by the exit of Bumble, Badoo, and Tinder in 2022 and 2023, the Russian dating market saw a decline in the revenue, which was not expected to return to 2021 levels in the coming years. Since 2022, the industry has been undergoing a transition. An existing market player, VK, expanded its dating service, while a new platform Twinby rapidly increased its audience.
In general, the country's large population, together with high internet and smartphone penetration rates, offer favorable conditions to the industry; however, online dating is less popular in Russia than in many other countries. In 2023, only around six percent of Russian singles used dating services, compared to 18 percent in the United States and eight percent in Brazil. Matchmaking is the largest segment, followed by online dating and casual dating.
Even though the Russian dating market experienced a decline in 2022 and saw major players leave it, it is gradually growing due to the expansion of domestic platforms. Thus, the revenue of dating services is expected to grow by 20 percent between 2024 and 2028. Moreover, the number of users was forecast to exceed the 2021 figure already in 2024 and to increase gradually in the following four years.
In general, the country's large population, together with high internet and smartphone penetration rates, offer favorable conditions to the industry; however, online dating is less popular in Russia than in many other countries. In 2023, only around six percent of Russian singles used dating services, compared to 18 percent in the United States and eight percent in Brazil. Matchmaking is the largest segment, followed by online dating and casual dating.
Some of the key domestic platforms have been in the market for decades
Online dating in Russia first developed hand-in-hand with social media platforms. When networks like OK (Odnoklassniki) and VK (VKontakte) first appeared in the 2000s, their users utilized them to connect with friends and search for partners. In addition, dating portals like LovePlanet and Mamba emerged in that decade. These platforms increased their popularity following the market exit of Western companies. The most-downloaded dating app in 2023, Mamba recorded a peak revenue of over 1.6 billion Russian rubles in that year, having almost doubled it from 2022. LovePlanet was among the dating websites with the highest reach, which stood at one million users.Twinby and its popularity
Dubai-based dating service Twinby, founded by Veronika Yakovleva and Valery Klimov from Russia, entered the country's market in June 2023. After having launched a few successful marketing campaigns and raised 240 million Russian rubles in investment as of October 2024, the platform has attracted millions of users, some of which were previously using Tinder and Bumble. Throughout 2023, the app was installed nearly 1.3 million times, which the fourth-highest number of downloads in the dating category. Twinby's distinguishing feature in comparison to some other companies is that it uses machine learning algorithms for psychological matchmaking. At the start of 2024, the company launched monetization, offering premium features like video calls, advanced search, and no ads.Even though the Russian dating market experienced a decline in 2022 and saw major players leave it, it is gradually growing due to the expansion of domestic platforms. Thus, the revenue of dating services is expected to grow by 20 percent between 2024 and 2028. Moreover, the number of users was forecast to exceed the 2021 figure already in 2024 and to increase gradually in the following four years.
