Younger generations around the world are embracing a more diverse and fluid understanding of sexual identity than ever before.
This is according to a study – “Sexual orientation on Zoe: A global analysis of a lesbian dating app” by Francesco Rampazzo, Canton Winer and Milan Kovačič – that was published in Demographic Research.
Using data from Zoe, a dating app for queer and nonbinary women, the researchers analyzed data from 913,253 users from 122 countries (including UK, US, Brazil, South Africa and Taiwan) between January 2023 and May 2025. Particularly, they examined self-reported sexual identities and their distribution across geography and age.
The researchers found that:
- lesbian and bisexual are the most commonly-cited identities; and
- younger users are far more likely to describe themselves using newer or broader terms such as queer, pansexual or asexual, suggesting that traditional labels are evolving rapidly.
“Younger generations are showing us that sexuality is not a fixed category – it’s a spectrum,” said Rampazzo, lead author of the study. “Across the world, more young people are comfortable describing their identities in diverse and fluid ways.”
The researchers stated that the results showed that openness about sexuality often depends on cultural and social context – e.g. countries in Europe, North America and Oceania had the greatest diversity of identities, while users in some parts of Africa and Asia were less likely to share information about their sexuality. For them, “greater diversity in wealthier nations and among younger generations suggests that societal acceptance and generational change may influence identity expression.”
“Where people feel safe, they are more likely to express who they really are,” said co-author Winer. “In places where LGBTQ+ identities remain stigmatized or even criminalized, that freedom is much narrower.”
For the researchers, this is not just about numbers; instead, it’s also about visibility.
The findings also show a small but visible proportion of users identifying as asexual, an often-overlooked orientation that’s now appearing beyond Western contexts. This hints at a growing global recognition of lesser-known identities.
