India is considered a traditional and family-oriented country, where marriage is considered a symbol of sanctity and the principle of ‘we do, hamare do’ is followed. But with time, the nature of relationships is also changing. Data from Gleeden, a popular extramarital dating app, clearly reflects this change.
The number of users in India on this app has now crossed 40 lakh (4 million). This number is not just a statistic, but it also reflects the changing thinking in the society towards relationships, marriage and personal happiness. Many married people are turning to such platforms when looking for a partner or feeling a lack of emotional support.
Bengaluru tops the list, with 18 percent share of total users. It is followed by Hyderabad (17%), Delhi (11%), Mumbai (9%) and Pune (7%). This trend is being seen more actively in IT hub cities, where busy lifestyles and work pressure are affecting relationships.
Among the users of this app, 65 percent are men and 35 percent are women. There has been an increase of 148 percent in the registration of women in the last two years. Many women consider emotional loneliness as the main reason. Users are generally between the age of 25 to 50 and come from tier-1 and tier-2 cities.
Gleeden conducted a survey on 1,503 married Indians in 2024, which found that more than 60 percent showed inclination towards swinging, open relationships and other non-traditional relationships. The highest activity of users occurs during lunch break (12 noon to 3 pm) and after 10 pm.
Ashley Madison, which is known for promoting extramarital affairs, reported last year that Kanchipuram, usually famous for temples and silk sarees, has now become one of the major centers of extramarital affairs. These figures show that what was once considered taboo is now becoming normal.
“It is not unusual to see this happening openly,” says Snigdha Ghosh (name changed), a marketing analyst in Mumbai. In most cases, the people involved in such relationships are well aware of each other, and now the concept of open marriages is growing rapidly.’
