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Mail Order Brides: Sites, Statistics & Trends

US issues over 20,000 K visas annually. Learn how long international marriages last, why they fail, and how to prevent it. Only facts and hard data about mail-order brides.

By David KrantPublished 10 months ago Updated 4 months ago 11 min read
Mail Order Brides: Sites, Statistics & Trends
Photo by NATHAN MULLET on Unsplash

The mail order bride industry is very much alive. Platforms like HalfAccess.org show how the mail order brides niche remains active, even if mail order dating isn’t as common as meeting through travels or social media. Here are just a few hard facts to prove it:

  • 150,000 to 500,000 women join mail order bride sites every year.
  • The number of new international marriages doubled between 1980 and 2024.
  • Most mail order brides come to the US from the Philippines, Colombia, Thailand, Russia, and Ukraine.
  • Over 30% of Americans use online dating sites and apps, including niche platforms for international singles.

Let’s unpack and add more data to paint a full picture of what the mail order bride dating niche looks like in 2025!

Top-5 reputable mail order bride sites

Not sure what the best mail order bride sites are about? See the top platforms for connecting to women who are really interested in a foreign husband and starting a family abroad.

  1. 🔥 SofiaDate – Best for relationships with Eastern European women. Registration free. Join now and 20 free credits will be yours!
  2. SakuraDate – Best for interactive matching with singles from Asia. Registration free.
  3. LatiDate – Best for easy search and communication with Latin women ready for a new connection. Registration free.
  4. UkraineBrides4you – Best for long-distance romance with Slavic women with multiple communication ways. Registration free.
  5. GoChatty – Best for looking for a suitable partner worldwide without limits. Registration free.

1. SofiaDate

  • Brides from: Ukraine, Belarus, Poland
  • Free features: Registration, likes, favorites
  • Price: start from $2.99
  • Gender ratio: 50-50

Pros:

  • A lot of mail order brides
  • Very detailed profiles
  • Free “Like” game and search
  • Gift delivery
  • Cons:

  • No app
  • No voice calls

This mail-order bride & dating site is the #1 option for those interested in a Slavic partner for a serious relationship. It’s trusted and legit, has a good reputation, and offers several extra features that can make building a long-distance relationship easier.

We’re talking about such features as virtual and real gifts, but that’s not all: here, the users can exchange photos and videos and even request the contact information of other members!

There’s also a bonus for new users here: join SofiaDate now and 20 free credits will be yours!

2. SakuraDate

  • Brides from: Japan, China, Korea, Thailand, Vietnam
  • Free features: Registration, “Like”, favorite lists
  • Price: start from $2.99
  • Gender ratio: 40-60

Pros:

  • A very nice and user-friendly interface
  • A large dating pool
  • A convenient live chat
  • The “Like” game
  • Free profile browsing and search
  • Real success stories from people who met there

Cons:

  • No app
  • No ID verification

SakuraDate is a new mail-order brides service that is now one of the most trusted apps in this area. There are thousands of users here, most of them being Asian women, and most of them have very detailed profiles.

There’s no ID verification on SakuraDate, but according to what we know, the site’s team still checks some profiles to make sure they’re real. Anyway, this is one of the best dating apps regarding the number of features: a nice live chat, gift delivery, Contact Info Request, the “Like” game, and other features make it 100% worth the money.

But it’s not like paying right away is necessary: just sign up on SakuraDate, and you’ll get 20 free credits!

3. LatiDate

  • Brides from: Colombia, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina
  • Free features: Registration, profile browsing
  • Price: start from $2.99
  • Gender ratio: 40-60

Pros:

  • A very large dating pool
  • ID verification
  • The customer support team is available 24/7
  • A high response rate

Cons:

  • No mobile app
  • Only 2 search filters
  • No video calls

LatiDate is not just one of the most legitimate international mail order bride sites, it’s also one of the most popular ones! It has more than 1,100,000 monthly visitors, which is a doubtful result in this niche. Most users here are from South America, and most have ID verified profiles, so if you’re interested in a relationship with a real Hispanic woman or man, it’s a must-visit website for you.

There’s also a nice bonus for every new member, so if you join it now, you will get 20 free credits!

4. UkraineBrides4you

  • Brides from: Ukraine, Poland, Czech Republic, Belarus
  • Free features: Registration, profile browsing, liking profiles
  • Price: start from $2.99
  • Gender ratio: 35-65

Pros:

  • Very detailed profiles
  • ID verification
  • A perfectly optimized mobile version of the site
  • Welcome bonus

Cons:

  • No video calls
  • No voice calls

UkraineBrides4you is not only about Ukraine—there are thousands of users from Poland, Belarus, Czech Republic, and other Slavic countries here.

This website would work perfectly for anyone looking for a serious relationship—thanks to all those premium features like gift delivery and virtual gifts, it becomes much easier to maintain long-distance relationships.

And there are free credits here, too: join UkraineBrides4you right now, and you’ll get 20 credits immediately!

5. GoChatty

  • Brides from: Asia, South America, Europe
  • Free features: Registration, favorite list, search
  • Price: start from $19
  • Gender ratio: 50-50

Pros:

  • A straightforward and convenient interface
  • A lot of real women and men from all over the world
  • Typically, the profiles are pretty detailed
  • The reply rate is around 60%

Cons:

  • Only 2 search filters
  • No app

It’s a popular dating brides app with an incredibly easy-to-use design, it looks great, it’s very convenient, and it’s generally one of the best international dating websites because of several reasons: the quality of profiles, the reply rate, the price (it’s one of the most affordable dating apps on this list), and so on.

As for the premium features, well, GoChatty isn’t exactly a top-notch dating app, but it has a convenient live chat and virtual gifts. And there’s a welcome bonus, of course—2,000 free credits!

Mail order brides – Key statistics

Unfortunately, there’s little to no research dedicated to the mail order bride industry that doesn’t focus exclusively on the potential negatives. That’s why we had to estimate and correlate much of the data based on mail order bride dating site membership numbers and demographics, courtesy of SimilarWeb.

Metric – 2015 – 2018 – 2021 – 2023

  • Number of brides registered on niche sites: 2M 2.5M 4M 5M
  • Number of K-1 visas issued: 35.6K 28.6K 21.9K 23K
  • Marriage success rate: 66% 68% 71% 66%
  • Average age of brides: 24 26 27 28

12.1% of new marriages in the US are with foreign-born nationals. Among all marriages in the US, the number of international couples is also on the rise. It exceeded 21% back in 2013. Still, mail order bride services are not as popular as other means of meeting potential partners. On average, less than 1% of single Americans seek wives on niche services.

There’s no hard data on the duration of international marriages in the US. However, research shows that divorce is less common in international couples (35.8% to 41.3% compared to the US-wide average of 48%). And the average duration of the first marriage in the US is 21 years. The second marriage typically lasts 17 years, and the third — 13 years.

Where do mail order brides come from?

Among all foreigners, Americans marry Mexicans most often, as around 20% of all international marriages include a Mexico-born spouse. But these are usually couples who meet through mutual acquaintances, on vacation or business trips. When it comes to mail order bride dating, these are the top five countries:

Country – % of Brides – Average Age – Common Destination Countries

  • Philippines 13.7% 23 USA, Canada, Australia
  • Ukraine 0.7% 29 USA, Germany, UK
  • Russia 1.4% 30 USA, France, Italy
  • Colombia 4.3% 27 USA, Spain, Canada
  • Thailand 1.9% 26 USA, Australia, UK

Filipinas have been indisputable leaders among mail order brides for years, and they continue to arrive in the US en masse. They are especially popular among Hawaiian singles.

Regional trends in mail order brides

Understanding the peculiarities of mail order brides from different regions is crucial for building successful lasting relationships. Although these are mere generalizations, most women from the top three mail order bride regions share these traits:

  • Eastern European women are usually highly educated; most have Bachelor’s or advanced degrees. They come from conservative societies mostly untouched by liberal values, that’s why they share traditional family values and gender role expectations.
  • Asian mail order brides share modesty and respectfulness, especially toward older people and those of higher status. Most Asian girls are brought up in multi-generation households and taught to take care of their families, especially their future husbands and children.
  • Latin American women are renowned for their passionate and affectionate nature and explosive emotions. Not only are most Latinas deeply religious, but they also value family above all and tend to maintain strong family ties regardless of distance and circumstances.

Naturally, these generalizations cannot encompass the character of every mail order bride. That’s why it’s critical to research their culture, traditions, and etiquette to better understand their needs and expectations and avoid offending them.

Who marries mail order brides?

A stereotypical man looking for a mail order bride is a three-time divorced retiree with enough money to spare, but it couldn’t be further from the truth. Online dating sites and changing dating dynamics prompt more men to seek international relationships. Here’s a portrait of an average guy looking for a mail order bride:

Characteristic % of Groom Users

  • Aged 35-50 – 55%
  • Above-average income – 40%
  • Divorced – 70%
  • Never married – 25%

Most men looking for mail order brides are from the US, the UK, Canada, Germany, and Australia. The average age of men looking for mail order brides is 46, but there are guys as young as 35 and as old as 65+ on mail order bride dating sites.

Although individual motivations differ, most men interested in international dating are disappointed in past relationships with local women. They are looking for stable, long-term relationships and marriage with women who share conservative values and want to start families.

Success rate of international marriages

On average, international marriages are more stable and long-lasting than local relationships. Although many factors can affect the numbers (such as women’s financial dependency on their husbands), the hard numbers paint a positive picture:

  • 38% of international marriages in the US end in divorce (compared to 48% US-wide).
  • 72% of women remain married nine years after marriage.
  • Common reasons for divorce cited in surveys include:

- Cultural differences leading to arguments – 56%.

- Unrealistic expectations regarding adaptation – 45%.

- Financial issues and power imbalance – 44%.

Lack of commitment and infidelity are also relatively common, and domestic abuse remains the reason for around 25% of divorces.

Trends in international dating industry

Although the first women became mail order brides in the 17th century, the industry evolved and adopted new technology to ensure the best relationship outcomes for partners separated by the oceans. Here’s how the mail order bride platforms changed in the last decade:

  • Video chats become a must-have. Up to 30% of online relationships start with video calls or messages on dating sites, social media, or other platforms.
  • AI helps generate compatible matches. Up to 40% of dating platforms use algorithms in the background to help singles find suitable partners, even if most Americans (97%) don’t want dating sites to use AI.
  • Romance scams are down. Anti-scam policies and awareness programs ensure the number of fake profiles and successful catfishing attempts slowly declines, even if the losses are still over $1.14 billion in 2023 (compared to $1.4 billion in 2022).
  • International regulations protect mail order brides. Various countries pass laws designed to minimize the risks of violence and domestic abuse against mail order brides. For instance, there’s IMBRA in the US and Anti-Mail-Order Spouse Act in the Philippines.

As you see, the mail order bride industry rises up to the challenge to meet the singles’ needs.

Challenges of international marriages

No relationship is trouble-free, and mail order bride dating introduces a host of unprecedented challenges, which neither partner has encountered before:

  • Immigration process. The average processing time for Form I-129F varied from 8 to 36.5 months, depending on the Service Center. And the visa application process takes a few more weeks or months.
  • Language barrier. Around 57% of international couples face troubles in communication because of the language barrier, but it doesn’t instantly lead to separation.
  • Cultural differences. Although arguments caused by diverse cultural backgrounds are among the leading reasons for divorce (56%), studies show that most international couples are as satisfied with their relationships as culturally homogenous couples.
  • Social stigma. Although over 90% of Americans approve intermarriage, mail order brides still face ridicule and suspicion, thanks to the proliferation of negative stereotypes.

While these challenges seem severe, they are not insurmountable.

How to overcome these challenges?

Every couple has their unique way to deal with the challenges of international dating, but you can start with these three effective strategies:

  • Intensive language classes. The more a mail order bride speaks, reads, and hears English, the faster her skills will improve. However, texting and video chats cannot replace formal education. Men can return the favor by taking foreign language classes. Getting at least the basics of each other’s languages helps build connection and trust between partners.
  • Integration with local immigrant communities. Relocation to another country hits most mail order brides hard after all the legalities are over. To rebuild their sense of connection to their homeland, husbands should encourage them to explore the local immigrant communities. At the same time, mail order wives should try to expand their options and explore local communities as well, like book clubs, workout classes, etc.
  • Careful financial planning. After the initial investment into relocation and before a mail order wife can join the local workforce, she has to rely on her husband for financial support. Understanding the increased financial load and planning expenses within the first six to twelve months can reduce tension. It’s especially important for couples who plan to have children soon after marriage.

There’s no way to predict and prevent all potential issues in international relationships, but implementing these strategies can minimize the risks.

The future of mail order brides & international dating

Not even the pandemic could ruin the mail order bride industry. Although there was a temporary slump in the number of international (and local) weddings, the numbers bounced back. And considering the current trends, the number of mail order brides will keep rising:

  • Slow growth of international marriage numbers. While we do not predict a jump in mail order bride marriages, they will keep rising steadily, adding up to 1% to international marriages in the next five years.
  • New, stricter mail order bride regulations. American, European, and other authorities are working out new ways to regulate the international dating industry to reduce scams and ensure privacy protection and safety for all parties.
  • Popularity of hybrid dating. AI-based matchmaking will become more prevalent across mainstream dating apps and mail order bride platforms. AI-powered features will generate compatible matches based on profile data, suggest conversation starters, and offer tips on handling common issues.

At the same time, the political changes can affect these and other online and international dating trends, so consider these predictions a general outline, not a precise blueprint for the industry’s evolution in the coming years.

Final thoughts

There are millions of mail order brides globally, and around 20,000 receive K-1 fiance visas to relocate and marry US citizens every year. Despite the language barrier, cultural differences, and extended legal procedures, international spouses are as happy as traditional couples, and their marriages are even more stable, resulting in divorce less frequently.

Considering mail order bride dating services keep evolving to integrate video chats and AI-powered matching algorithms, they are bound to attract more users looking for lasting relationships over short-term flings. And local and international regulations will improve to offer even more protection for both spouses.

The concept of mail order brides survived over 400 years, and it will likely be around for at least a few more decades.

dating

About the Creator

David Krant

I am a dating expert, and founder of DatingSites.org. My deep knowledge of human behavior and master’s degree help me analyze how people represent themselves and their behavior in online dating communities, and choose the best platforms.

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