Love knows no age, but Facebook does.
A new study from Facebook explored the age difference between users in a relationship on the platform. The results: men are older in two-thirds of opposite-sex relationships, with the average age gap being 2.4 years.
The average age difference between those in same-sex relationships is even higher. In some instances, the age gap in same-sex relationships is almost double that of opposite-sex couples.

This age gap is much larger for older couples. Younger couples tend to be closer in age, with a higher probability that they met in school, according to Facebook. The research supported the idea that countries with higher affluence levels tend to have smaller age gaps, perhaps explained by the idea that more people find their partner while in college.

The data, which was released Tuesday, was pulled by Facebook's data science team as part of a series of blog posts leading up to Valentine's Day on Friday. A Facebook spokesperson did not elaborate on how many couples were examined for the data, but did say that "it’s a large sample representative of all relationships on Facebook."
The social network is known for keeping its demographics under wraps, so any glimpse into its user base is intriguing. On Monday, Facebook explored love and religion on the platform, revealing that inter-faith relationships on rare. Spain boasted the largest percentage of couples belonging to different religions, at 28%.
Tuesday's age data also revealed cultural differences around the planet. Egyptian couples have the largest age disparity on Facebook, with the average Egyptian man 5.1 years older than his partner. Women are older in only 6% of relationships in Egypt. Australia is at the other end of the spectrum, with an average age difference of only 1.8 years in opposite-sex relationships.

The U.S. is much closer to Australia in regards to the age difference within couples. Americans in their twenties are an average of one to two years older or younger than their partner; even Americans in their forties average an age gap of less than three years.
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