Rising Trends in Online Dating (Jan-Jun 2010) A look at the popularity of Muslim dating Bickey Russell, Senior Industry Analyst, Google UK Elizabeth Song, Analyst Intern, Google UK

1. Muslim dating queries skyrocket The growth in Google searches for Muslim dating has surged far ahead of other ethno-cultural dating searches with an astonishing 81% YoY growth. This accelerated growth in Muslim dating queries reflects demographic trends tracked by the UK Office of National Statistics (ONS). According to ONS research, the total number of British Muslims increased ten times faster than overall population figures from 2004 to 2008. As Britain’s second largest religious group, the Muslim population totaled over 2.4 million in 2008 and continues to grow. As a result, Muslim dating sites are expected to rise in prominence and importance in the UK. Moreover, the Muslim demographic in Britain is much younger than the overall population, with more than 1.6 million people under the age of 35. This favorable age profile in terms of online activity suggests that online dating for British Muslims is poised to accelerate. Figure 1: Searches relating to Muslim dating outpace other ethnocultural online dating segments. Source: Google internal data for indexed brand and generic queries

2. SingleMuslim.com success story Searching on Google for specific dating sites is very popular and growing all the time. Among queries related to Muslim dating, SingleMuslim.com stands out as one of the most popular brands being searched for. SingleMuslim.com is a British-based company that has over 500,000 registered users worldwide. According to the site, roughly half of its online audience is composed uniquely of British Muslims, who provide over 20,000 unique visits and 500 new users registered each day. In a July 2010 poll of over 3,600 users, SingleMuslim.com found that religious compatibility was ranked as the most important dating criteria by 33% of Muslim singles, ahead of appearance or education level.

3. New opportunities on the horizon Given demographic trends and search data, the market for online dating for Muslim individuals is set to take off and become increasingly mainstream. Advertisers wishing to capture this highly active online audience should increasingly tailor their campaigns and resources for Muslim singles in Britain. Google UK – September 2010 Disclaimer: This report is for informational purposes only. Google makes no warranties, express, implied or statutory as to the information in this document. Complying with all applicable copyright laws is the responsibility of the user.© 2010 Google. All rights reserved.