December is the time of the year for lists and recaps and gay dating hookup app Grindr again did just that. It tells us some semi interesting facts about typical or not queer destinations we (don’t) go to. Why am I looking at ‘Grindr Unwrapped 2025‘ for Trip By Trip? While Danny is not a user, I am. And certainly when I’m travelling I like to at least look at the local fauna and flora. And I’m far from alone in doing that. Almost all of my LGBTQIA+ friends – I don’t talk sex with my straights friends so I wouldn’t know about them – go on dating and hookup apps when travelling.
Grindr Unwrapped 2025 now paints an even fuller picture of a year defined by big numbers, big personalities, and very specific national identities.
Beyond the global trends already revealed, the latest data shows that the United Kingdom has unexpectedly become the world’s capital of fem tops, with users there leaning femme in public but decidedly dominant behind closed doors. The UK also ranks second worldwide for hung bottoms, just behind France, reinforcing its reputation as a nation of multitalented overachievers. London’s status as the top global gaycation destination only strengthens the country’s star power on the grid.
Across the Irish Sea, Ireland emerges as a haven for bears, leading the world in users who proudly embrace their bigger builds and body hair, with only the United States, Greece, and South Africa trailing behind.
The UK also appears high on the bear charts, rounding out the global top five. Meanwhile, anyone hunting for daddies will find them most densely concentrated in the United States, followed by Australia, the UK, and New Zealand.
Switzerland remains the unrivalled home of twinks and, interestingly, also sends the highest number of nudes, preferring the virtual route to connection.
South Korea continues to stand out for its high proportion of open relationships, and Italy’s national devotion to feet remains unmatched. Globally, users fired off almost 13 billion taps this year, underscoring just how busy the grid has been.
On the cultural front, the latest additions reinforce familiar favourites. ‘Abracadabra‘, Lady Gaga’s single from February, became the most-used profile track of the year, accompanying her previously noted Album of the Year win for ‘Mayhem‘.
Jonathan Bailey added Grindr’s Hottest Man of the Year title – and a joint Best Bulge win alongside Bad Bunny – to his run as People’s Sexiest Man Alive.
Pedro Pascal retained his place as Daddy of the Year, and Joey Mills held his spot as the community’s favourite adult film star. Gaga’s ‘Mayhem Ball‘ continued to move the needle, triggering spikes in app activity of around seven percent in every city she performed.
Daniel Howell and Philip Lester, known as Dan and Phil, are Gaymer(s) of the Year.
All told, the expanded dataset confirms what users already sensed: 2025 was a maximalist, unapologetically queer year on the grid, shaped by national quirks, cultural icons, and a user base that showed up in record-breaking force.
Other findings
- Taipei in Taiwan, Berlin in Germany, London in England, Mexico City and Montreal in Quebec are the most favourited cities.
- In Tokyo in Japan, Seattle in the US state of Washington, Taipei, San Diego in California, and Minneapolis in Minnesota, Grindr is also eagerly used to find friends.
- Countries with British Empire heritage – the United States, Australia, the United Kingdom, New Zealand, and Canada – love daddies.
- Ireland, the US, Greece, South Africa and the UK love bears.
- Switzerland, the Netherlands, Belgium, Austria, and Germany love twinks.
- South Africa, South Korea, Japan, Vietnam, and Finland are bottom hotspots.
- Finland, Germany, Austria, Hungary, and Australia are very versatile.
- Singapore, the Philippines, Japan, New Zealand and Australia like side stuff. Sides are men who have sex with men without doing anal. In Japan, side is very popular, I found out in October.
- France, the UK, Canada, the US, and Australia are apparently known for hung bottoms.
- Open relationships are popular in South Korea, Switzerland, Germany, the Netherlands, and Denmark.
- The UK, Ireland, the US, Slovenia, and Australia are great countries for fem tops.
- Vietnam, Thailand, Poland, Mexico, and France endure a shortage of tops.
- Italy, Germany, the UK, France, and Greece are into feet.
- In India, the Philippines, Spain, Italy, and Chile, Grindr users reply the fastest.
- Right now? Go to Malta, Singapore, Portugal, Albania, and Italy.
- London, Paris, Berlin, New York, and Barcelona in Catalonia are the most popular gaycations.
Gay adventures of the homosexual kind
- GAY SEOUL | Jongno 3-ga ft. Bar MoU.
- GAY ITAEWON | Homo Hill = Usadan-ro 12-gil (우사단로12길) in Seoul, South Korea.
- The best cities for gay cruising? London, Berlin, Paris, Madrid and Barcelona.
- QUEER KOREA | Beomil-ro, Busan’s gay street.
- GRAN CANARIA | 11 takeaways to enjoy Winter Pride Maspalomas to the fullest.
- The best cities to visit as a gay solo traveller.
- Gay Hong Kong.
- Heading for the sun in gay destination Torremolinos.
- QUEER ANDORRA | Entre Nous, the only gay bar in the village.
- Queer Iceland & Rainbow(baiting) Reykjavík.
- Manchester’s gaybourhood around Canal Street.
- Pride in Valladolid, Yucatán and queer encounters in Mexico.
- FLORIDA SOLO ROAD TRIP | Eye-opening encounters in Miami.
- FLORIDA SOLO ROAD TRIP | Fort Lauderdale.
- Drag queen bingo at Pride of our Footscray Community Bar.
- LGBTQ+ get-together on Majestic Princess.
- Gays failing at being gay? ‘LGBTQ Mix & Mingle’ on Royal Caribbean’s Serenade of the Seas lacked enthusiasm.
- Gay Tel Aviv: pinkwashing or genuine?.
- Gay Taipei with misterb&b.
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