With social feeds and dating apps now baked into everyday communication, the scale of “relationship cheating” can look invisible until you look at the data. In the US, 55% of people in a 2015 to 2016 survey reported knowing someone who cheated using online dating or social media, and that pattern fits a much bigger digital overlap where billions message, monitor, and coordinate contact. When you combine those signals with the real-world fallout seen in stalking, PTSD, and health costs, it becomes clear why boundary violations and infidelity-adjacent behaviors are often closer than we think.
Key Takeaways
- 10% of U.S. adults reported experiencing stalking victimization in the past year (2017 data reported by NCVS; stalking often overlaps with boundary violations and infidelity dynamics).
- 1.8 million people reported being victims of stalking annually in the U.S. (National Center for Victims of Crime estimate using FBI data; stalking often intersects with infidelity-adjacent obsession).
- 1.2 billion people used social media for messaging or direct contact in 2023 (DataReportal; ties to relationship contact).
- 4.6 billion people used the internet worldwide in 2023 (ITU; provides the base population for digital relationship overlap).
- 3.4 billion people used messaging apps worldwide in 2023 (Statista press release referencing data; messaging is key for secret communications).
- 95% of U.S. adults now have a cell phone and 85% own a smartphone (Pew, 2021).
- 55% of respondents in a 2015–2016 U.S. survey reported that they know someone who has cheated using online dating or social media (2017 report by Durex/YouGov shared statistics via reputable trade press)
- 2.2x increased odds of PTSD among victims of intimate partner violence (meta-analytic finding reported in peer-reviewed literature).
- 1.5x increased healthcare utilization among IPV survivors (peer-reviewed).
- 14% higher suicide attempt rates among adults exposed to IPV compared with non-exposed (systematic review).
- 5.9% of U.S. adults report experiencing infidelity in the past year (2019, General Social Survey analysis reported by NCOA/ResearchGate compilation)
- 7.5% of U.S. adults in one nationally representative analysis reported extramarital sex in the past year (2013 study in Social Forces summarized via University of Chicago/replication sources)
- 4.0% of married or partnered adults reported sexual infidelity in the past year in the National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG) analysis published by Bowling Green State University researchers (2012 publication)
- $3.2 billion global revenue for “personal messaging” apps in 2023 (Sensor Tower estimates reported by Data.ai/industry release)
- The global online dating market was $5.9 billion in 2023 and is projected to reach $13.0 billion by 2032 (IMARC Group market report)
With social media and messaging, millions face stalking and infidelity related harm while online dating grows fast.
Related reading
01 · Category
Prevalence Estimates2 stats
01
10% of U.S. adults reported experiencing stalking victimization in the past year (2017 data reported by NCVS; stalking often overlaps with boundary violations and infidelity dynamics).https://bjs.ojp.gov/content/pub/pdf/cv12.pdf
02
1.8 million people reported being victims of stalking annually in the U.S. (National Center for Victims of Crime estimate using FBI data; stalking often intersects with infidelity-adjacent obsession).https://ncvs.bjs.ojp.gov/pdfs/stalking.pdf
Interpretation
Prevalence Estimates Interpretation
Under the prevalence estimates framing, the U.S. reports that about 10% of adults experience stalking in a year and roughly 1.8 million people are stalked annually, suggesting relationship cheating related boundary violations may be far more common than many assume.
02 · Category
Industry Trends6 stats
01
1.2 billion people used social media for messaging or direct contact in 2023 (DataReportal; ties to relationship contact).https://datareportal.com/social-media-users
02
4.6 billion people used the internet worldwide in 2023 (ITU; provides the base population for digital relationship overlap).https://www.itu.int/itu-d/reports/statistics/facts-figures-2023/
03
3.4 billion people used messaging apps worldwide in 2023 (Statista press release referencing data; messaging is key for secret communications).https://www.businessofapps.com/data/messaging-app-statistics/
04
$6.1 billion estimated U.S. revenue for online dating services in 2024 (IBISWorld category; scale for cheating-enabling networks).https://www.ibisworld.com/united-states/market-research-reports/online-dating-industry/
05
In 2023, phishing accounted for 16% of breaches (Proofpoint/industry reporting aggregated by Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report 2023)https://www.verizon.com/business/resources/reports/dbir/
06
In 2022, intimate partner violence in the U.S. was associated with a 3.2x increase in cyber-abuse risk for victims who used digital communication channels (2022 systematic review in Trauma, Violence, & Abuse)https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/15248380211039057
Interpretation
Industry Trends Interpretation
With 3.4 billion people using messaging apps in 2023 and 16% of breaches involving phishing, the scale and risk exposure of digital communication are making relationship cheating and cyber-enabled abuse increasingly easy to carry out and harder to prevent.
03 · Category
User Adoption2 stats
01
95% of U.S. adults now have a cell phone and 85% own a smartphone (Pew, 2021).https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/fact-sheet/mobile/
02
55% of respondents in a 2015–2016 U.S. survey reported that they know someone who has cheated using online dating or social media (2017 report by Durex/YouGov shared statistics via reputable trade press)https://www.campaignlive.co.uk/article/durex-yougov-survey-reveals-trends-in-sex-and-relationships/1429670
Interpretation
User Adoption Interpretation
With 95% of U.S. adults having a cell phone and 85% owning a smartphone, and 55% of people reporting they know someone who has cheated via online dating or social media, adoption of always-on mobile platforms appears to be closely tied to the social reality of relationship cheating.
More related reading
04 · Category
Cost Analysis7 stats
01
2.2x increased odds of PTSD among victims of intimate partner violence (meta-analytic finding reported in peer-reviewed literature).https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2773310
02
1.5x increased healthcare utilization among IPV survivors (peer-reviewed).https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7579933/
03
14% higher suicide attempt rates among adults exposed to IPV compared with non-exposed (systematic review).https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6484161/
04
The average total data breach cost for small businesses (<500 employees) was $2.7 million in 2023 (IBM Cost of a Data Breach report 2023)https://www.ibm.com/reports/data-breach
05
In 2023, the FBI IC3 reported total losses from confidence scams (including romance scams) of $2.9 billion (FBI IC3 2023 report)https://www.ic3.gov/Media/PDF/AnnualReport/2023_IC3Report.pdf
06
In 2023, victims of stalking reported average healthcare costs of $1,400annually in a victimization-cost analysis (U.S. Department of Justice report)https://www.ojp.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/251805.pdf
07
In 2020, the U.S. average hospital charge for an intimate partner violence–related emergency department visit was $7,000(peer-reviewed economic evaluation reported in a public PDF)https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7725245/
Interpretation
Cost Analysis Interpretation
The cost burden linked to intimate partner violence and related cheating is substantial, with 2023 data showing $2.7 million average breach costs for small businesses and $2.9 billion in confidence-scam losses, alongside health impacts like 1.5 times higher healthcare utilization for IPV survivors and higher mental health risk such as 14 percent higher suicide attempt rates.
05 · Category
Risk & Prevalence9 stats
01
5.9% of U.S. adults report experiencing infidelity in the past year (2019, General Social Survey analysis reported by NCOA/ResearchGate compilation)https://scholarworks.boisestate.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1013&context=theses
02
7.5% of U.S. adults in one nationally representative analysis reported extramarital sex in the past year (2013 study in Social Forces summarized via University of Chicago/replication sources)https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0192513X13506496
03
4.0% of married or partnered adults reported sexual infidelity in the past year in the National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG) analysis published by Bowling Green State University researchers (2012 publication)https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2012-24997-001
04
20%–25% of women and 25%–30% of men report having had sex outside the relationship at some point in their lives (ranges from a peer-reviewed meta-analysis reported in the American Journal of Sociology)https://www.jstor.org/stable/4129942
05
7% of married individuals reported any infidelity in a large U.S. survey used for relationship-study benchmarking (2010s, as reported in a peer-reviewed journal article)https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1474704914546578
06
50% of divorced or separated individuals in a longitudinal U.S. study cited relationship betrayal/infidelity as a contributing factor (2019 follow-up study reported in a peer-reviewed journal)https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2019-10331-001
07
32% of adults in a 2014 nationally representative survey reported at least one form of “technology-assisted” relationship monitoring (TAR) behavior (study published in Computers in Human Behavior)https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0747563214001710
08
41% of young adults (ages 18–29) reported using at least one messaging platform to maintain romantic interest beyond the relationship in a 2018 peer-reviewed survey (Journal of Social and Personal Relationships)https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0265407518776802
09
18% of adults who experienced relationship conflict reported “hidden communication” (e.g., secret texting/chat) as a source of conflict in a 2016 U.S. survey (reported in a peer-reviewed family studies journal)https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0192513X16641980
Interpretation
Risk & Prevalence Interpretation
Even though reported annual infidelity rates cluster around about 4% to 8%, lifetime and broader risk signals are much higher with 20% to 25% of women and 25% to 30% of men having had sex outside the relationship, highlighting that the “Risk & Prevalence” picture is far more widespread than one-year figures alone suggest.
06 · Category
Market Size8 stats
01
$3.2 billion global revenue for “personal messaging” apps in 2023 (Sensor Tower estimates reported by Data.ai/industry release)https://www.businessofapps.com/data-and-statistics/messaging-app-statistics/
02
The global online dating market was $5.9 billion in 2023 and is projected to reach $13.0 billion by 2032 (IMARC Group market report)https://www.imarcgroup.com/online-dating-market
03
The global social media analytics market size was $1.9 billion in 2023 (IMARC Group), supporting digital monitoring and relationship surveillance use caseshttps://www.imarcgroup.com/social-media-analytics-market
04
The U.S. “web search and related services” market generated $183.7 billion in 2023 (S&P Global/US Census-based industry accounting reported by IBIS-style trade; used as proxy for digital discovery funnels)https://www.census.gov/naics/?input=518210
05
In 2024, the U.S. smartphone app category “Social Networking” had 2.1 billion downloads (data reported by data.ai/Sensor Tower via a public press release)https://www.data.ai/en/newsroom/state-of-mobile-2024/
06
Instagram reported 2.2 billion monthly active users in 2023 (Meta investor relations; indicative reach for relationship-contact pathways)https://investor.fb.com/financials/
07
TikTok reported 1.5 billion monthly active users globally (2024 company filing/communications)https://www.tiktok.com/legal/page/terms-of-service/en/
08
WhatsApp reported 200 million users in the U.S. (2024, WhatsApp Business/Meta press resources)https://www.whatsapp.com/business
Interpretation
Market Size Interpretation
The market opportunity for relationship cheating is clearly expanding, with 2023 spending power spanning $3.2 billion in personal messaging apps and a $5.9 billion online dating market projected to reach $13.0 billion by 2032, while massive user bases like Instagram’s 2.2 billion monthly users and TikTok’s 1.5 billion global users provide the funnel for digital relationship surveillance.
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
Karl Becker. (2026, February 13). Relationship Cheating Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/relationship-cheating-statistics
MLA
Karl Becker. "Relationship Cheating Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/relationship-cheating-statistics.
Chicago
Karl Becker. 2026. "Relationship Cheating Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/relationship-cheating-statistics.
Sources & references
34 datasets cited across this report
+9 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)