Matchmaking is still a thriving business in Japan. I was surprised to read that 16.5% of marriages in Japan in 2020 were the result of some type of matchmaking or konkatsu service, such as marriage agencies, online matchmaking, and matchmaking parties. This is a 3.5% increase over the previous year and a record high for the third year in a row. The annual survey which was conducted from May to June 2021 about marriages in 2020, by Recruit Bridal Research Institute included 50,000 men and women age 20 - 49.
I thought of matchmaking services as something old fashioned, but I guess I was wrong. It might be that it was harder to meet potential spouses in the last two years because of the pandemic, but the chart shows that the use of matchmaking services has been increasing for years.
Is this unique to Japan, or is this happening all over the world?
