Paid companionship grows as loneliness rises in China

A growing “loneliness industry” has emerged in China to try to fill the companionship and support gaps in people’s lives.

There is still a shortage of solid data on the size of this sector – which operators say has exploded in recent years – but securities company Sinolink valued it at around $7.4 billion in 2025. And this is only expected to grow given the trajectory of modern lifestyles.

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