Is internet adoption changing how Pakistanis search for marriage partners?
Last reviewed:
Direct answer
The opportunity for digital search has expanded sharply: HIES reports that internet use among people aged 10 and above rose from 17% in 2018–19 to 57% in 2024–25, while household internet access rose from 34% to 70%. That makes online introductions far more feasible, but HIES does not ask whether the internet was used for matrimonial search. Research on Pakistani online matrimony shows digital and family practices interacting. Adoption supports a plausible channel of change; it does not measure the share of rishtas that began online.
17% → 57%Recent internet use among people aged 10+, HIES 2018–19 to 2024–25
Sources used
Household Integrated Economic Survey 2024–25
Pakistan Bureau of Statistics
National survey of 32,814 households covering education, internet, fertility, family planning, household size, income and consumption.View sourceSecurity and Privacy Perceptions of Pakistani Facebook Matrimony Group Users
Human-computer interaction research preprint
Interview study with 23 Pakistani matrimony-group users; useful for identifying privacy concerns, not measuring national prevalence.View sourceFamily Participation in Pakistan's Digital Matrimony
Weddme Research
Analyzes family-managed and self-managed Weddme profiles in a frozen production snapshot.View source