Yep it's a fact. Intimate relationships are on the increase. Not just because of population growth, but partially due to the rise of access to the Internet. According to recent Internet World Stats published by online market research company e-Consultancy, there are more than 1.076 billion Internet users globally.

Here's A Cursory Breakdown:

o US: 209,024,921 (19.4% share) [Nielsen//NetRatings, October, 2006]
o China: 123,000,000 (11.4%) [CINIC, June, 2006]
o Japan: 86,300,000 (8%) [eTForecasts, December, 2005]
o Europe: 308,712,903
o India: 40,000,000 (3.7%) [IWS, November, 2006]
o UK: 37,600,000 (3.5%) [ITU, September, 2006]

In 2005. 40% of users were women, but since then that has grown. And with the growth of Social Networking websites, relationships are now on the increase. Women now have more choices than before and increasingly are seeking partners, for one reason or another.