The latest data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) has revealed that marriage rates re continuing to decline, falling to 219,850 marriages in England and Wales in 2019 – a decrease of 6.4% from 2018.
213,122 of the marriages were between opposite-sex couples, down 6.5% from the year prior. Marriages between same-sex couples also declined in the same period, though the decline of 2.8% was less extreme.
Marriage rates for opposite-sex couples have, therefore, fallen to their lowest on record since 1862. In 2019, for men, there were 18.6 marriages per 1,000 unmarried men; for women, there were 17.2 marriages per 1,000 unmarried women.
The type of marriage is also changing. In 2019, religious ceremonies accounted for less than one in five (18.7%) of opposite-sex marriages, a decrease from 21.1% in 2018 and the lowest percentage on record. For same-sex marriages, 0.7% of marriages were religious ceremonies.
Among marriages of opposite-sex couples in 2019, 76.1% and 77.1% of men and women respectively married for the first time. Among same-sex couples, first marriages were slightly higher with 89.3% of men and 81.8% of women marrying for the first time.
Dr James Tucker, Head of Health and Life Events Analysis, Office for National Statistics, said:
“Today’s data show a decline in marriage rates for opposite-sex couples while rates for same-sex couples have remained the same.
The number of opposite-sex marriages has fallen by 50% since 1972. This decline is a likely consequence of increasing numbers of men and women delaying marriage, or couples choosing to live together rather than marry, either as a precursor to marriage or as an alternative. Future analysis will show the impact of the pandemic on marriages rates.”
