Marriages in England and Wales fell by nine per cent last year, continuing a declining trend, new figures show, while civil partnerships rose by almost the same percentage, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) reported.
A total of 224,402 marriages were recorded in 2023, a 9.1 per cent decrease from 246,897 in 2022. In contrast, civil partnerships increased by 9.7 per cent, with 7,547 unions compared to 6,879.
The ONS attributed the marriage decline to a “post-pandemic spike” in 2022, most likely due to ceremonies postponed during coronavirus lockdowns.
August remained the most popular month for tying the knot, though the most common wedding day shifted from July to 2 September.
Kara Steel, from the ONS, said:Â âThe number of marriages has been steadily decreasing over the last 50 years, dropping 44 per cent between 1973 and 2023.
âThere was a post-pandemic spike in marriages in 2022, perhaps due to weddings postponed or delayed from lockdown, but 2023 saw a return to the overall trend of declining marriage.
âIn 2023, the most popular day for weddings shifted from July to the 2nd of September, although August remained the most popular month overall.â
Opposite-sex marriages remained the most common type of legal partnership formed in 2023, accounting for 216,901 or 93.5 per cent.
Harry Benson, research director of the Marriage Foundation, said the year-on-year drop in opposite-sex weddings âconceals the long tail of lockdownâ, suggesting many of those whose weddings could not take place in lockdown might still not have rearranged their nuptials.
He said: âThat so many couples appear to have abandoned their wedding plans is incredibly sad for them, their friends and families. But it may also have a serious knock-on effect on commitment.â
The average age at which people embarked on an opposite-sex marriage in 2023 remained among the highest recorded, at 34.8 years old for men and 33 years old for women.
For same-sex marriages, men were aged on average 37.4 years old, while women were 34 years old, the ONS said, âsupporting the trend of same-sex partners forming marriages at an older age than opposite-sex couplesâ.
For opposite-sex civil partnerships, men were aged 55.2 years old on average, while women were 52.9 years old.
Same-sex couples entering civil partnerships tended to be slightly younger, with men on average 48.7 years old and women 42.5 years old.
The South East had the most marriages taking place in 2023, accounting for 16.1 per cent or 36,136 of all marriages in England and Wales that year.
London was the most popular area for civil partnerships, with about a quarter (1,847) of all those in 2023 taking place there.
The capital had a 16.1 per cent increase for same-sex civil partnerships and a 17.9 per cent increase for opposite-sex civil partnerships in 2023, compared with the year before.
