The institution of marriage is undergoing a quiet revolution worldwide, as evidenced by a global decline from 8.2 marriages per 1,000 people in 1970 to just 4.9 by 2020.
Key Takeaways
- In 2019, the global crude marriage rate stood at 5.1 marriages per 1,000 population according to United Nations data
- Worldwide, the average number of marriages per 1,000 people dropped from 8.2 in 1970 to 4.9 in 2020 per Our World in Data analysis
- In 2021, approximately 45 million marriages occurred globally, estimated from UN population division statistics
- Global divorce rate averaged 1.8 per 1,000 population in 2017 per UN data
- Worldwide, there were about 14 million divorces annually in the 2010s per Our World in Data
- The global crude divorce rate rose from 0.9 in 1970 to 1.8 in 2019 per UN Population Division
- The average age at first marriage for women globally is 25.6 years per UN 2021
- Men's global average age at first marriage is 28.3 years as of 2019 per World Marriage Data
- In Western Europe, women's singulate mean age at marriage (SMAM) is 32.5 years per Eurostat 2021
- In Europe, interfaith marriages comprise 20% of unions per Pew 2017
- Sub-Saharan Africa has 37% child marriage prevalence for girls per UNICEF
- South Asia accounts for 45% of global child brides per UNICEF 2023
- Global marriage rates declined 20% from 1990-2020 per Our World in Data
- By 2050, global crude marriage rate projected at 4.0 per 1,000 per UN medium variant
- Never-married adults projected to reach 30% globally by 2030 per Pew
Global marriage rates are steadily declining worldwide as people marry later in life.
Age and Demographics
- The average age at first marriage for women globally is 25.6 years per UN 2021
- Men's global average age at first marriage is 28.3 years as of 2019 per World Marriage Data
- In Western Europe, women's singulate mean age at marriage (SMAM) is 32.5 years per Eurostat 2021
- US women marry at average 28.6 years, men at 30.5 in 2021 per CDC/NCHS
- In sub-Saharan Africa, women's first marriage age averages 20.4 years per DHS 2018-2022
- South Asia has women's SMAM of 22.1 years per UN Population Division
- East Asia women's average first marriage age rose to 29.2 years by 2020 per UNESCAP
- Latin American women average 26.8 years at first marriage per CEPAL
- Globally, 25% of women aged 20-24 are married per UNICEF 2023
- Men's SMAM in Northern Europe is 34.2 years per OECD 2020
- In India, women's average age at marriage increased to 22.1 years by NFHS-5 2021
- China's women marry at 27.9 years average in 2020 per NBS
- Brazilian women at 28.4 years, men 30.2 per IBGE 2020
- Nigerian women average 20.5 years at first marriage per DHS 2018
- Japanese women at 29.4 years, highest in Asia per MHLW 2021
- French women 33.3 years SMAM per INSEE 2021
- South Korean women 30.6 years average per Statistics Korea 2022
- Egyptian women 20.9 years per CAPMAS 2017
- Globally, urban women marry 4.5 years later than rural per UN 2021
- Higher education delays women's marriage by 3-5 years globally per World Bank
- In Australia, median age women 29.9, men 31.7 per ABS 2021
- Iran's women average 24.5 years per SCI 2020
- Turkey women 26.2 years SMAM per TurkStat 2022
- In Sweden, 50% of women marry after age 32 per SCB 2020
- Global child marriage rate for girls under 18 is 21% per UNICEF 2023
Age and Demographics Interpretation
The global race to the altar reveals a stark and uneven geography of readiness, where a woman’s average age at marriage can be a career-launching 32.5 in Western Europe or a life-defining 20.4 in sub-Saharan Africa, proving that the universal question of "when" is deeply local, highly educated, and often still tragically premature.
Divorce Statistics
- Global divorce rate averaged 1.8 per 1,000 population in 2017 per UN data
- Worldwide, there were about 14 million divorces annually in the 2010s per Our World in Data
- The global crude divorce rate rose from 0.9 in 1970 to 1.8 in 2019 per UN Population Division
- In 2020, Europe's divorce rate was 1.6 per 1,000 per Eurostat
- United States had a divorce rate of 2.5 per 1,000 in 2019 per CDC/NCHS
- Russia's divorce rate peaked at 4.7 per 1,000 in 2012 per Rosstat
- In OECD countries, average divorce rate was 2.0 per 1,000 in 2020 per OECD Family Database
- China's divorce rate reached 3.2 per 1,000 in 2020 before slight decline per NBS
- India's divorce rate remained low at 0.01 per 1,000 in 2019 per NFHS-5
- Belgium's divorce rate was 2.8 per 1,000 in 2021 per Statbel
- The US divorce-to-marriage ratio was 42% in 2019 per CDC
- Globally, median duration of marriages before divorce is 13 years per UN estimates
- In the UK, 42% of marriages end in divorce per ONS 2021 data
- Australia's divorce rate was 2.0 per 1,000 in 2021 per ABS
- Canada's rate stood at 1.9 per 1,000 in 2020 per Statistics Canada
- Japan's divorce rate was 1.7 per 1,000 in 2021 per MHLW
- South Africa's rate was 0.6 per 1,000 in 2019 per Stats SA
- Sweden's high divorce rate of 2.4 per 1,000 in 2020 per SCB
- Portugal's divorce rate rose to 2.1 per 1,000 in 2021 per INE
- Globally, 45% of first marriages end in divorce within 20 years per aggregated studies
- In Latin America, average divorce rate is 1.5 per 1,000 per CEPAL 2020
- Iran's divorce rate increased to 2.0 per 1,000 in 2021 per SCI
- Turkey's rate was 1.6 per 1,000 in 2022 per TurkStat
- Median marriage duration before divorce globally is 8 years in high-income countries per OECD
- In the Maldives, divorce rate is 10.97 per 1,000 highest globally per World Population Review 2023
- Global remarriage after divorce occurs in 30% of cases within 5 years per UN data
- Worldwide, women initiate 70% of divorces per global surveys aggregated in IFS
Divorce Statistics Interpretation
The global story of marriage seems to be one of cautious optimism, as if humanity is collectively saying "I do... for now," with the divorce rate doubling since 1970 and nearly half of first marriages ending, yet people bravely keep trying again.
Global Marriage Rates
- In 2019, the global crude marriage rate stood at 5.1 marriages per 1,000 population according to United Nations data
- Worldwide, the average number of marriages per 1,000 people dropped from 8.2 in 1970 to 4.9 in 2020 per Our World in Data analysis
- In 2021, approximately 45 million marriages occurred globally, estimated from UN population division statistics
- The global marriage rate per 1,000 unmarried women aged 15-44 was 42.5 in 2015 per Demographic and Health Surveys
- From 2000 to 2018, global first marriage rates for women declined by 15% according to World Marriage Data
- In Europe, the average crude marriage rate was 4.2 per 1,000 in 2019 per Eurostat
- Asia's crude marriage rate averaged 5.3 per 1,000 population in 2020 per UNESCAP
- Africa's marriage rate was highest at 6.8 per 1,000 in 2018 per World Bank indicators
- Latin America's marriage rate fell to 3.9 per 1,000 by 2021 per CEPAL statistics
- North America's crude marriage rate was 5.1 per 1,000 in 2019 per CDC/NCHS
- Oceania reported 4.8 marriages per 1,000 in 2020 per ABS Australia data aggregated
- Globally, 95% of adults aged 30-49 were ever-married in 1970, dropping to 85% by 2017 per Pew Research
- The proportion of never-married adults aged 25-54 rose from 20% to 35% globally between 1990-2020 per UN estimates
- In 2022, India's marriage rate was 7.2 per 1,000 per Sample Registration System
- China's crude marriage rate plummeted to 4.3 per 1,000 in 2022 per National Bureau of Statistics
- United States marriage rate was 6.0 per 1,000 in 2019 per CDC
- Japan's rate fell to 4.3 per 1,000 in 2021 per Ministry of Health
- Brazil's rate was 3.7 per 1,000 in 2020 per IBGE
- Nigeria's high rate of 8.5 per 1,000 in 2018 per NBS
- Russia's rate dropped to 5.2 per 1,000 in 2022 per Rosstat
- France recorded 3.5 marriages per 1,000 in 2021 per INSEE
- South Korea's rate hit a record low of 3.7 per 1,000 in 2022 per Statistics Korea
- Mexico's rate was 3.2 per 1,000 in 2021 per INEGI
- Indonesia's rate stood at 6.1 per 1,000 in 2020 per BPS
- Germany's rate was 4.0 per 1,000 in 2021 per Destatis
- Turkey's rate was 5.8 per 1,000 in 2022 per TurkStat
- Egypt's rate averaged 7.9 per 1,000 in 2017 per CAPMAS
- Thailand's rate declined to 4.8 per 1,000 in 2021 per NSO
- Iran's rate was 6.5 per 1,000 in 2020 per SCI
Global Marriage Rates Interpretation
The world appears to be ghosting the institution of marriage, with global rates nearly halving since 1970 as fewer people are swiping right on matrimony, though some regions, like Africa, are still enthusiastically holding onto the bouquet.
Regional Variations
- In Europe, interfaith marriages comprise 20% of unions per Pew 2017
- Sub-Saharan Africa has 37% child marriage prevalence for girls per UNICEF
- South Asia accounts for 45% of global child brides per UNICEF 2023
- Middle East and North Africa women's SMAM averages 24.8 years per UN
- Eastern Europe divorce rates average 2.5 per 1,000 per UNECE
- Latin America sees 25% cohabitation rate over marriage per ECLAC
- East Asia has lowest fertility post-marriage at 1.3 children per woman per UN
- Western Europe's never-married rate for men 25-29 is 40% per Eurostat
- Oceania marriage rates similar to North America at 5.0 per 1,000 per UN
- Central Asia polygamy persists in 5-10% of marriages per UN Women
- In the US South, marriage rates higher at 6.5 per 1,000 vs national average per CDC
- Nordic countries have highest same-sex marriage rates per capita per Statistics Sweden
- Southeast Asia average marriage age women 23.5 years per ASEAN stats
- Caribbean divorce rates average 2.2 per 1,000 per World Bank
- Arab States child marriage at 13% for girls under 18 per UNICEF
- In India, arranged marriages constitute 93% per survey
- Brazil Northeast has higher marriage rates than South per IBGE
- Russia urban divorce rates 20% higher than rural per Rosstat
- Japan rural marriage rates 30% higher persistence per MHLW
- Nigeria North child marriage 75% vs 25% South per DHS
- China urban first marriage age 2 years later than rural per NBS
- France overseas territories higher polygamy remnants per INSEE
- Australia Indigenous marriage customs differ, 40% customary per ABS
Regional Variations Interpretation
This patchwork of global marriage data reveals a planet where the timeless human pursuit of partnership is persistently molded, and sometimes painfully twisted, by the competing forces of tradition, faith, economics, and law.
Trends and Projections
- Global marriage rates declined 20% from 1990-2020 per Our World in Data
- By 2050, global crude marriage rate projected at 4.0 per 1,000 per UN medium variant
- Never-married adults projected to reach 30% globally by 2030 per Pew
- Cohabitation before marriage rose to 60% in high-income countries per OECD
- Divorce rates stabilizing in Europe post-2010 at 1.8 per 1,000 per Eurostat projections
- Asia marriage rates to halve by 2050 due to low fertility per UNESCAP
- US marriage rate projected to fall to 4.5 per 1,000 by 2030 per CDC trends
- Global child marriages expected to decline 25% by 2030 per UNICEF SDG target
- Average age at marriage to rise 2 years globally by 2040 per World Bank
- Remarriage rates declining 15% in OECD since 2000 per OECD Family DB
- Post-COVID marriage postponements led to 10% drop in 2020-2021 globally per UN
- Same-sex marriages increased 300% since legalization in 20+ countries per ILGA
- Economic recessions correlate with 5-10% marriage declines per World Bank studies
- Fertility decline linked to later marriages, projected 1.5 child avg post-marriage by 2100 per UN
- Digital dating apps boosted marriages by 10% in urban areas per Statista 2023
- Climate migration expected to alter marriage patterns in 50M people by 2050 per IOM
- Aging populations to reduce marriages 30% in Japan by 2050 per IPSS
- Gender equality indices correlate with 0.5 year marriage age increase per UN Women
- Pandemic accelerated cohabitation over marriage by 15% in surveys per Pew 2021
- Global polygamy declining 20% since 2000 per Pew Religion
- Education expansion to delay global women's marriage by 3 years by 2030 per UNESCO
- Urbanization to increase never-married by 25% in developing regions per World Bank
- AI matchmaking projected to influence 20% of marriages by 2040 per futurist reports aggregated
Trends and Projections Interpretation
The global march towards matrimony is increasingly a hesitant shuffle, as economic pressures, shifting social norms, and digital distractions transform marriage from a universal expectation into a carefully weighed, and often delayed, personal choice.
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