Dating standards
The 6-6-6 rule, tested with real data
Six feet tall, six figures, six-pack abs. We ran the dating-meme standard through official statistics for five countries.
The 6-6-6 rule asks for a man who is at least 6 feet tall, earns six figures and has a six-pack. It sounds like three boxes to tick. In the data it behaves more like a lottery ticket.
We ran it through the meter with the same settings as its "The 6-6-6" list: single or divorced, straight, no criminal record, aged 25 to 40, body fat of 12% or less (roughly where abs start to show), at least 6'0" (183 cm), and an income of at least 100,000 a year in local currency.
How many men pass all six
| Country | Men who qualify | Share of men 18–55 | Odds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | 2,840 | 0.039% | 1 in 2,530 |
| United States | 32,400 | 0.038% | 1 in 2,600 |
| Canada | 5,630 | 0.052% | 1 in 1,920 |
| New Zealand | 245 | 0.018% | 1 in 5,480 |
| United Kingdom | 950 | 0.0057% | 1 in 17,600 |
Canada comes out best, at about 1 in 1,920, mostly because Canadian men measure taller in its health survey. The United Kingdom is the toughest by far: about 1 in 17,600, because £100,000 is a much rarer salary than A$100,000 or US$100,000.
Which six does the damage
Each filter below is applied to the men still left after the ones before it, starting from single, straight 25-to-40-year-olds with a clean record.
| Country | Six-pack keeps | Then 6 feet keeps | Then six figures keeps |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | 8.0% | 17.3% | 19.8% |
| United States | 8.1% | 18.9% | 18.4% |
| Canada | 8.6% | 24.1% | 14.2% |
| New Zealand | 6.6% | 19.8% | 11.3% |
| United Kingdom | 9.0% | 22.9% | 2.0% |
The six-pack is the big one. Only about 7–9% of eligible men have body fat low enough for visible abs. Height then keeps about one in five of those. Six figures keeps about a fifth again in Australia and the US, but only 2.0% in the UK.
Drop one six and see what happens
| Country | All three | No six-pack | Under 6 feet OK | Any income |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | 2,840 | 39,200 | 16,900 | 14,400 |
| United States | 32,400 | 475,000 | 171,000 | 176,000 |
| Canada | 5,630 | 69,100 | 23,700 | 39,500 |
| New Zealand | 245 | 4,600 | 1,260 | 2,170 |
| United Kingdom | 950 | 14,300 | 4,290 | 48,400 |
Letting go of the abs multiplies the pool by about 14 in Australia, 15 in the US and 15 in the UK. In the UK, dropping the salary requirement does even more: 51 times as many men.
Body fat is estimated from measured BMI, so it can't tell a lean gym regular from a naturally slim man. Income is personal income before tax in each country's own currency.
Run your own list on the meter
Estimates come from the same model as the meter: official population, census, health-survey and tax data for each country, combined age by age. Filters are treated as independent within each age, so treat the results as estimates, not a head count. The full method and sources are under "How it's calculated" on the meter.