Mail Order Bride Facts & Mail Order Marriage Statistics 2024
Mail order brides are a fascinating subject, and what better way to understand a fascinating subject than through facts and statistics.
Check out the most important statistics and facts from the world of international mail order brides. Or, if you are ready to start the romantic journey of a lifetime, take our one-minute quiz to get matched to your perfect dating website ⬇️
Best International Sites for Marriage & Dating 2024
Key online dating & mail order bride statistics
Before you get to learn the mail order success rate and other important metrics of international relationships, let’s look at the key dating statistics & marriage trends of foreign mail order brides and what you can expect.
- The most popular age group for foreign mail order brides is 20 to 30, although there are some younger and older brides as well.
- The Philippines is the number one global provider of mail order brides by a large margin, followed by a few other Asian, Latin, and Eastern European countries.
- The highest number of mail order brides entered the US in 2016, when over 37,000 K-1 visas were issued to foreign individuals.
- Over 70% of K-1 visa recipients in the US are employed, with their jobs ranging from domestic worker to sales executive, with some exotic jobs like zoo keeper in between.
- The 5 most popular states for mail order brides to arrive in the US are California, New York, Florida, Texas, and Washington.
In 2023, there have been 53.3 million users of online dating services in the United States, while in the world more than 350 million people use dating services daily.
Median age | 20-30 |
Marital status | Single, divorced, or widowed |
Occupation | None, student, service industry, sales, education |
Income | $2,000-$5,000 per year |
Level of English | Beginner to intermediate |
Looking for | A man from the US, UK, Canada, or Australia, preferably over 35, with a stable job and currently single |
Key values | Family, children, supporting her spouse |
How many mail order brides are out there?
This is the one type of mail-order marriage statistics that is really hard to estimate for one simple reason: there are so many popular mail order bride sites that have new profiles that appear daily, and calculating the exact number of women there seems like an impossible challenge.
By one estimate, there are between 100,000 and 150,000 foreign women advertising themselves as mail order brides. However, it’s hard to believe that this number stays the same year after year. So we can safely assume there are now between 200,000 and 300,000 single foreign women who want to marry Western men through mail order marriages.
Do mail order sites still exist in 2024?
They absolutely do! In fact, now that we rely on the internet for more and more aspects of our lives, the popularity of mail order brides has skyrocketed. On average, over 16,000 marriages to mail order brides are recorded in the US alone. For example, only in 2020, the mail order marriage statistics indicated that 16,849 foreign citizens got a K-1, or fiancé visa to the US. And that was a slow year due to COVID—a year before, almost 36,000 foreigners did the same.
Of course, the number of single American guys using mail order bride websites is definitely higher than that, but generally, men who are determined to find a wife, take their experience seriously, and use every available channel to meet their ideal woman, will succeed sooner or later. Another good news is that over 80% of mail order marriages last more than a year.
The popularity of online communication is increasing every year, and the number of mail order brides is a sign of that. Online dating statistics have shown the rising interest of Western men in foreign women from all over the world.
Mail order success rate: Do these relationships work out?
The success of any relationship, whether it’s with a mail order bride or a local woman, depends on numerous factors. Of course, chemistry and attraction are important, and the previous relationship experience of the partners also matters. However, one of the key factors influencing the success of relationships and marriage with mail order brides is time.
The length of dating before marriage statistics are unambiguous: the less a couple has dated before marriage, the more likely it is to eventually divorce. And the nature of mail order relationships means that no one is getting married after a few months.
The man and the woman take at least a year to get to know each other online, meet offline a few times, and make sure their love is meant to be. This is exactly why a mail order relationship is very likely to work out.
How many mail-order marriages end in divorce?
Any collection of mail order bride statistics will usually only include positives that showcase how great this type of marriage is. However, we want you to have the clearest idea about the mail order bride industry and its current state, and it won’t be complete without us also mentioning the outcome that no one wants—the divorce.
One of the reasons why mail order brides are so popular in the US is that they often come from conservative countries that look down upon divorce and discourage it in their populations. It means that a foreign bride is more likely to reconsider her decision to end the marriage and instead further work on it than an American woman.
Still, a certain part of mail order marriages does end in divorce. But how many marriages face this outcome exactly? Well, if we look at the percentage of successful marriages between American men and foreign brides once again, we will see that 80% of them cross the 1-year mark. It means that the remaining 20% end in divorce or annulment, which is not that bad, considering that almost 50% of marriages in the US end the same way.
Success rate in different countries
To fully understand the mail order success rate and choose the best direction for you, it’s not enough to just look at the general online dating marriage statistics. You also need to know the successful marriage statistics for different countries. We’ve decided to measure online dating & marriage statistics by the number of K-1 visa holders in 2019 and 2020.
The Philippines
Filipino-American marriage statistics clearly indicate that Filipinas are the most popular nationality of foreign brides. 7,134 Filipino brides in 2019 and 3,069 women in 2020 obtained K-1 visas to marry US citizens afterwards.
Japan
541 and 195 Japanese women for sale in 2019 and 2020 respectively married American men. And given that we don’t often hear about a Japanese wife/American husband divorce, we can assume these marriages work out better than some may expect.
South Korea
South Korea has always been a desirable country for American men looking for a beautiful and loyal spouse. 482 lucky guys in 2019 and 176 in 2020 achieved the enviable fate of becoming visa sponsors for a Korean bride who then came to the US to marry them.
Ukraine
The desire of American men to have Ukrainian wives is understandable: who doesn’t want a wife who is gorgeous, fun, and deeply devoted? 860 Ukrainian ladies in 2019 and 357 of them in 2020 moved to the US as fiancés to American men.
Colombia
Colombia is the number one destination for men who want a stunning, passionate wife who’s honest and loyal beyond belief. Only in 2019, 1,014 Colombian brides immigrated to the US, and in 2020, another 470 did the same.
Mail order bride facts: The top 10
Foreign marriage statistics give you a pretty good idea of the state of mail order bride relationships. But there are things you will never gather from numbers. Before you can go and build your own opinion about foreign brides, here are 10 mail order bride facts to get you started.
- Even a 20-year-old foreign bride can already be divorced because women abroad get married early.
- Similarly, a woman in her early 20s can already have children who she’ll bring to live with her if she marries you.
- At the same time, foreign brides have enough love for multiple kids and will gladly become caring stepmothers for yours.
- A foreign woman doesn’t view language and cultural differences as an obstacle—she believes they will make the relationship strong.
- The absolute majority of foreign brides who seek American husbands are also actively learning English for easier communication.
- Women in foreign countries are very close with their families, but you don’t need to worry about them being involved in your marriage because they have boundaries.
- Although most mail order brides don’t have a high income, they also don’t have unreasonable expectations of their future husband’s income.
- Even though the Philippines are the most popular mail order bride destination, this country prohibits marriage between its natives and foreign citizens. So if you want to marry a Filipina, you’ll need to do it in the US.
- The rights of foreign spouses of American citizens are protected by several pieces of legislation, including the Violence Against Women Act and the International Marriage Brokers Regulation Act.
- Most mail order bride platforms have significantly more single women than single men, so women usually don’t play hard to get.
Things people often get wrong about mail order brides
Mail order marriages and mail order brides have been somewhat of a controversial topic among those who know little to nothing about it. And people tend to create myths about things they don’t fully understand. These are a few misconceptions about mail order wives.
Mail order brides are a relatively modern phenomenon
If you think that mail order marriages appeared in the late 20th century with print and then online catalogs of brides, you are wrong. The earliest mail order marriages were recorded in the 17th and 18th century, when English and French women read matrimony ads from single Americans and arrived in the US to marry them without meeting them once.
Mail order brides are only motivated by money and citizenship
Sure, many foreign women are drawn to the opportunities that marrying a Western man and moving abroad provides. They are grateful for a chance to get a fresh start in life and achieve success. However, they are not overly materialistic. They often seek foreign husbands because they are simply unhappy with the way they are treated by local men and are looking for love.
Mail order brides are uneducated and don’t want to work
This is definitely a false assumption, as many mail order spouses are highly educated with at least one university degree under their belt. Moreover, while some mail order brides want to be housewives and raise their kids full-time, many of them work as teachers, nurses, cooks, beauticians, and occupy other important positions.
To sum up
Marrying a foreign woman you’ve met online is still an unconventional choice compared to marrying your high school sweetheart or a woman you’ve met at work. However, the uplifting mail order marriage statistics and the positive stories of men who are happily married to foreign brides should be enough to give you an idea to consider it for yourself. We, in turn, will be more than happy to provide you with all the information you need to succeed!
👉 More women profiles and success stories on our Instagram
FAQ
Every year, there are thousands of girls for marriage moving permanently into the United States to marry American citizens. In 2020, for example, there were almost 17,000 of them, and while there are no exact mail-order marriage statistics, the number of mail order brides in the US right can be a few hundred thousand.
The number one source of mail order brides for American guys around the world is the Philippines. Not only that, but the Filipino-American marriage success rate is also quite impressive. This, in part, can be explained by the fact that divorce is not really a thing in the Philippines, so Filipino women don’t usually see it as an option.
There are no mail order bride statistics that will tell you that because the success of the whole endeavor depends on numerous factors, from how many women you talk to at once to how strong your online dating game is. Generally, men report that it took them between 6 and 12 months to go from strangers to fiancés with a foreign bride.
Let’s start by saying that foreign mail order brides are not for sale, and any money you spend goes only towards making your experience more successful, not actually buying yourself a wife. Now that we got that out of the way, we can tell you that the whole journey from signing up on a dating site to bringing your bride to the US can cost you anywhere between $5,000 and $10,000.
They sure do, and the online dating marriage statistics are pretty promising. According to one research, 12% of Americans who are currently married met their spouse through online dating, and while obviously not all of that 12% are married to foreigners, there is a huge chance for you to succeed.