Acceptable Age Difference in International Dating in 2025
The age difference is usually seen as a normal social phenomenon. Moreover, most people note that men prefer to marry younger women because it is only logical to get married to someone who can give birth to more children.
Women, in turn, get married to older and therefore more successful men because they can provide for all those children they both can hypothetically have. But what if we say that the research done in 1998 proves that differences between mating preferences and choices are inconsistent with the idea of sex-linked reproductive strategies?
Simply put, this is nothing to do with children. Yes, the world has changed a lot since 1998. Now, after 22 years, we know that the age gap is not about reproduction.
Today, this is one of the things on the list. But do marriages with big age gap still work? What is the average age difference in couples? Find the answers below.
Half age plus seven relationship rule
What is the average age difference in couples?
If reproduction does not have any impact on people’s preferences, what influences the so-called dating age difference? Plenty of factors, actually, and most of them explain what mail order brides are and why marriage with a foreign is their goal. No, it is not only about money – it is not this simple. But let us focus on the figures.
Currently, the average age difference in marriage is a bit more than 2 years when it comes to couples with a husband older than a wife. The difference is not too big, right?
However, it is bigger when it comes to couples who met each other on mail order bride platforms. Western husbands, for example, are usually 10-12 years older than single Asian women for marriage. According to the results of studies done in 2017, the age gap between ladies coming from Latin America/Caribbean and foreign husbands is a bit more than 6 years.
This gap is smaller than the age gap between American men and Asian/Slavic brides. Take a look at the figures that illustrate the latest trends in this business.
Though the average age difference of married couples who met each other on mail-order bride sites is usually bigger, it does not mean that men just buy mail-order brides, get much younger women and then divorce.
There are some quite interesting research results that show that the situation is more complex.
Acceptable age-difference formula
Find single women online
Li Jia Ni has more photos!
Do you want to watch?
Do you want to watch?
Li Jia Ni, 23
Baiyu, China
From:
EasternHoneys.com
Xiu Zhu has more photos!
Do you want to watch?
Do you want to watch?
Xiu Zhu, 57
Osaka, Japan
From:
EasternHoneys.com
Bun Ma has more photos!
Do you want to watch?
Do you want to watch?
Bun Ma, 48
Phuket, Thailand
From:
EasternHoneys.com
Is the age gap important in marriage or dating?
It seems that the mail order bride statistics, age difference in couples statistics, or any other figures will help us understand whether we make the right or wrong decision.
We believe in numbers, but we do not recommend you fully rely on them. Why? Because even studies and research cannot give us a single unambiguous answer to the questions, we ask when trying to understand if building a relationship with someone makes sense.
In fact, the results of various research often conflict with each other. Particularly, some of them show that the bigger the difference is, the more problems a couple has.
Other ones, however, prove that the so-called age-difference couples are happier because spouses are less jealous and tend to trust each other more than couples of the same age.
What does it mean? Well, age gaps just do not determine happiness or its absence. Balance or imbalance, love or absence of love, and other things that make us happy or unhappy depend on plenty of factors, the most important of which are as follows:
- Similar values and beliefs
- Commitment
- Communication, the connection between spouses
- Mutual trust, respect, and support
- Personality traits
- Ability to compromise
- World view
As you can see, the number of things that influence how good a relationship of spouses is pretty big. Age is definitely not the most significant of them. Yes, there is a bigger chance that spouses of different generations will have different values, but it is not always the case. There is a big chance that they will have similar priorities, views, and personality traits, though.
Final thoughts
David Wygant
Dating Expert
So, what is the acceptable age gap between man and woman for marriage or dating? It is up to you. The age difference is considered to be normal, and there is no denying that the gap is usually larger when it comes to international marriages.
However, people should remember that it does not determine happiness. It depends on other factors, which are the ability to compromise, mutual trust, a connection between a husband and wife, etc.
Yes, there are statistics. Yes, it shows that the most convenient way to find a wife is by joining a dating site. Yes, most men who join them looking for a younger wife, and women are looking for older men. All these things are still less significant than your strategy and the choice you make.
If you choose this path, try to find a woman who really matches you, and this will help you build a happy relationship, no matter if your bride is younger, older, or the same age.
FAQ
Who is too young or too old for you to date?
It largely depends on your current age. The older you are, the less the difference between you and your partner matters. Still, in most cases, the upper limit is 20 years of difference. As for the lower limit, the partner must be legal, i.e., be at least 18 years old.
How do you calculate an age gap?
You can calculate your age gap simply by taking the difference between your age and your partner’s age—there are no special schemes or formulas. Researchers calculating this gap for couples in a particular country just consider all the results and the number of respondents to get the statistics.
What is the perfect age difference between husband and wife?
There’s no perfect age difference between husband and wife, but it’s considered that 6-12 years is the best difference between spouses and that 20 years is an acceptable age difference overall. Still, it depends on what works for you personally—happy couples with the 25-30 age difference exist, too.
One of the leading dating experts and a professional coach with more than 20 years of experience. David tells his clients how to become successful and how to find love, and is just great at it. David already helped millions of men and women achieve success in relationships — and with this blog, you'll completely change the way you date.
Ok, but how much age difference is acceptable? 6 or 12 years?
Both are acceptable—this is just the optimal range. According to statistics, most couples with such a difference, regardless if it’s 7 or 10 years, showed the highest level of satisfaction.
For me, the golden dating age rule is simple—the max limit is 10 years. All the rest just doesn’t work, and I know it not only from my own experience but also from the experience of my friends who tried to date younger girls to find out they suddenly became sugar daddies.
The truth is, there’s no age gap formula or smth. You just find the right person, and that’s it.