The International Matchmaking Market: Finding Love, For A Price

The International Matchmaking Market: Finding Love, For A Price

Matchmakers are the traditional, off-line, personal touch professionals that help singles to find their soulmates, for a hefty fee. This profession is estimated to be worth $1.2 to $1.5 billion globally, with nearly 40% of the market located in the United States. This Marketdata study is the ONLY in-depth business analysis that covers the international matchmaking market. Data outside the U.S. is extremely rare.

Matchmaking is till primarily a mom & pop business, with lots of independent female operators, both in the U.S. and abroad. The market is easy to enter, requiring minimal investment and no licenses or certifications, as most matchmakers rely on intuition based on their personal experience in making matches.

The market has rebounded significantly in 2022, as the pandemic waned and as matchmakers shifted to a new mix of in-person and virtual services, embracing online technology more fully. More matchmakers have entered the profession, seeing the potential benefits of being their own boss and working from home. The new, younger matchmakers that have entered the business offer services at lower prices than the long-established, nationally known ones -- opening up the potential market for younger clients such as Millennials and Gen Z.

Industry sources estimate that there are now 2,000+ professional matchmakers now operating in the United States, and Marketdata’s research finds that there are thousands more operating in China, Japan, South Korea, India and Europe.

The study examines: how matchmaking services operate—typical models/revenues/fees/profits, market structure, typical fees, U.S. market size from 2005 to 2020, pandemic and recovery in 2021-2022, International outlook and market size by country, 2023 & 2027 Forecast, market trends and developments, user demographics, and 2021 operations survey results from the Matchmaking Institute (revenues, marketing, fees). Separate analyses for 13 national markets: U.S., Canada, China, Japan, South Korea, Australia, India, United Kingdom, France, Spain, Germany, Italy, Switzerland (the singles population, $ market size, top competitors, nature of the market/cultural differences).

Includes competitor profiles for top matchmakers: Patti Stanger, Valenti Intl., Samantha Daniels, Bonnie Wills, Kelleher & Associates, Diane Bennett, Barbi Adler, Lisa Ronis, Kailen Rosenberg, and Leora Hoffman.