Marriage rates in England and Wales have fallen to their lowest level since records began in 1862, according to provisional figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). In 2009, just 21.3 out of every 1,000 men aged 16 and over were married, down from 22.0 in 2008. The rate for women fell from 19.9 to 19.2 per 1,000.
A total of 231,490 marriages were registered in England and Wales in 2009, the lowest number since 1895 when 228,204 were recorded. Across the UK, 266,950 weddings took place, continuing a downward trend from a peak of 480,285 in 1972. Marriages in Scotland fell by 4.8% to 27,524, while Northern Ireland saw a 6.8% decrease to 7,931.
The ONS attributed the decline to a long-term trend of rising cohabitation and delayed marriage. More than a third (35%) of marriages in 2009 were remarriages, down from 41% in 1999. Civil ceremonies accounted for 67% of all weddings, up from 62% a decade earlier, coinciding with an increase in licensed wedding venues.
Jenny North, head of public policy at Relate, expressed concern: 'A continued fall in marriage rates and numbers is no great shock to Relate, but it is worrying. Research shows that the aspiration to marry is still high among younger generations, but fewer are fulfilling that aspiration.' She suggested that financial pressures and a 'to-do list' of goals, such as buying a house or car, may be delaying marriages.
An ONS spokeswoman noted that the unmarried population aged 16 and over has been increasing, but the key driver is the long-term decline in marriage rates since the early 1970s. The figures follow a separate ONS report showing a 6.4% drop in divorces in England and Wales in 2009, the lowest since 1974.
