Three in ten American adults have lived with a romantic partner without marriage. In the European Union, unmarried cohabiting couples now represent over ten percent of all couples. These figures highlight distinct demographic patterns and long-term relationship outcomes.
Key Takeaways
- In the United States, 3-in-10 adults (30%) have cohabited with a romantic partner at some point, according to a 2019 Pew Research Center survey.
- In the United States, 31% of adults have ever cohabited (2019), per Pew Research Center.
- In the United States, 5% of adults currently live with a romantic partner who is not their spouse (2019), per Pew Research Center.
- In the United States, Pew reports that 6% of adults (as of 2019) currently live with a partner they are not married to.
- In the US, Pew reports 18% of adults ages 18–44 currently live with a cohabiting partner (not married).
- In the US, Pew reports 7% of adults ages 30–49 currently live with an unmarried partner.
- In the United States, 57% of first-time marriages in 2009 were preceded by cohabitation, according to a study using ACS data and reported by Pew Research Center.
- Pew Research Center reports that most people who marry today have cohabited with their partner beforehand (2019 summary).
- In the US, a majority of marriages among recent cohorts are preceded by cohabitation; Pew indicates “most” and provides supporting estimates by age.
- Cohabitation is linked to higher risk of relationship dissolution than marriage in many studies; for example, a meta-analysis summary reported an elevated risk associated with cohabitation before marriage.
- The Institute for Family Studies reports that couples who cohabit before marriage have higher divorce rates than couples who marry directly (with numeric comparisons).
- IFS summarizes research concluding cohabitation is associated with higher divorce risk; it reports a specific comparative figure in the article.
- Many countries classify “unmarried cohabiting” couples separately from married couples; Eurostat reports EU-27 total of 8.7 million unmarried cohabiting couples (2022).
- Eurostat “Living arrangements statistics” gives the share of all couples in the EU that are unmarried cohabiting couples (~10.4% in 2022).
- In the United States, CDC reports that births to unmarried women accounted for 40% of all births in 2020 (which includes births within cohabiting unions).
About a third of adults in the US have cohabited, and a smaller share currently live that way.
Related reading
01 · Category
Prevalence & Trends in Cohabitation30 stats
01
In the United States, 3-in-10 adults (30%) have cohabited with a romantic partner at some point, according to a 2019 Pew Research Center survey.
02
In the United States, 31% of adults have ever cohabited (2019), per Pew Research Center.
03
In the United States, 5% of adults currently live with a romantic partner who is not their spouse (2019), per Pew Research Center.
04
In the United States, 23% of adults have ever been married without cohabiting (i.e., they have not cohabited before marriage), per Pew Research Center (as reported in analyses of cohabitation experiences).
05
In the United States, 34% of U.S. adults say they have cohabited at some point (2019), per Pew Research Center’s reported shares by age (as summarized in the cohabitation report).
06
France reported that the share of people living in non-marital cohabitation is substantial; Eurostat reports that in 2022 there were about 8.7 million unmarried cohabiting couples in the EU-27 (as an EU aggregate).
07
Eurostat (EU-27, 2022) shows about 8.7 million unmarried cohabiting couples (EU aggregate figure).
08
Eurostat reports that in 2022 the number of unmarried cohabiting couples in the EU-27 was 8.7 million (approximate figure used in the article).
09
Eurostat “Living arrangements statistics” notes an increase in the share of people living as unmarried cohabiting couples over time; it reports 2010 vs 2022 comparison in the EU-27 aggregate.
10
Eurostat reports that in 2022 unmarried cohabiting couples accounted for about 10.4% of all couples in the EU-27 (figure shown in the article).
11
In the UK, the Office for National Statistics reports that in 2017, 8.7% of people aged 16 and over were in cohabiting couple relationships.
12
In the UK, ONS reports 2017 prevalence of cohabiting couples as 8.7% of adults (16+).
13
In the UK Census 2011, 10.3% of people in families were cohabiting couples (England and Wales figure shown in ONS census analysis).
14
In England and Wales (Census 2011), 1.9 million people were cohabiting couples without marriage (as described in ONS census article).
15
In Sweden, Statistics Sweden reports that cohabitation (living together without marriage) is common and provides registered statistics on couples not married to each other.
16
In Norway, Statistics Norway (SSB) provides data series for couples living together without being married; the “cohabiting couples” series counts the number of persons in non-married couples.
17
Denmark Statistics Denmark provides time-series data for cohabiting couples; the “unmarried cohabiting couples” indicator is available via their database.
18
Germany’s Destatis provides counts of non-married couples (Lebensgemeinschaften) and cohabitation-related household statistics.
19
Spain’s INE provides statistics on “marital status and type of union” including cohabiting couples in population household surveys.
20
Brazil’s IBGE provides household survey microdata and tables including “conjugal unions” not necessarily married; it reports “union conjugal sem casamento” (cohabiting union without marriage) counts.
21
South Africa’s Statistics SA reports “unmarried partners living together” prevalence through General Household Survey / Labour Force Survey tables.
22
Japan’s National Institute of Population and Social Security Research (IPSS) provides survey-based estimates of cohabitation trends among young adults (unmarried partners).
23
Australia’s ABS has census-based counts for “couple families” including de facto couples (living together, not married).
24
De facto relationships in Australia are counted in ABS/household survey/census as “de facto” partner relationships; ABS provides figures for de facto couples.
25
The OECD reports that cohabitation rates differ widely by country and time, with a large increase over recent decades in many OECD members (OECD Family Database / “Cohabitation” indicator).
26
OECD Family Database includes “Cohabitation rates” for countries such as France and Sweden; the data page provides numeric cohabitation rate values.
27
In the US, Pew reports that 46% of adults ages 18–44 say they have ever cohabited (2019).
28
In the US, Pew reports 36% of adults ages 45–64 have ever cohabited (2019).
29
In the US, Pew reports 17% of adults ages 65 and older have ever cohabited (2019).
30
Eurostat indicates that in 2022 about 8.7 million couples in the EU were unmarried cohabiting couples (EU aggregate).
Interpretation
Prevalence & Trends in Cohabitation Interpretation
With roughly three in ten Americans having already tried the “live together first” model, and similar rates showing up across Europe, the UK, and much of the OECD, modern relationship timelines are less a surprise leap and more a widely tested, data-backed default.
02 · Category
Demographic Differences & Who Cohabits30 stats
01
In the United States, Pew reports that 6% of adults (as of 2019) currently live with a partner they are not married to.
02
In the US, Pew reports 18% of adults ages 18–44 currently live with a cohabiting partner (not married).
03
In the US, Pew reports 7% of adults ages 30–49 currently live with an unmarried partner.
04
In the US, Pew reports current cohabitation is much higher among unmarried adults than married adults (reported as part of cross-tabulation).
05
In the US, Pew reports that people with lower educational attainment are more likely to have cohabited at some point (as reported in the cohabitation report).
06
In the US, Pew reports that 24% of college graduates have ever cohabited (2019), per the educational breakdown.
07
In the US, Pew reports that 36% of those with some college have ever cohabited (2019).
08
In the US, Pew reports that 41% of those with a high school education or less have ever cohabited (2019).
09
In the US, Pew reports that 34% of White adults have ever cohabited (2019).
10
In the US, Pew reports that 43% of Black adults have ever cohabited (2019).
11
In the US, Pew reports that 26% of Hispanic adults have ever cohabited (2019) based on the report’s race/ethnicity breakdown.
12
In the US, Pew reports that 38% of adults who are living with a partner (cohabiting) are younger adults (18–44) (age breakdown).
13
In the US, Pew reports cohabitation is more common among religiously unaffiliated adults than among those who are religiously affiliated (as shown in the report’s religious affiliation table).
14
In the US, Pew reports that 49% of religiously unaffiliated adults have ever cohabited (2019).
15
In the US, Pew reports that 33% of Catholics have ever cohabited (2019).
16
In the US, Pew reports that 32% of mainline Protestants have ever cohabited (2019).
17
In the US, Pew reports that 25% of evangelical Protestants have ever cohabited (2019).
18
In the US, Pew reports that 26% of adults who attend religious services weekly have ever cohabited (2019).
19
In the US, Pew reports that 40% of adults who rarely or never attend religious services have ever cohabited (2019).
20
In the UK, ONS reports differences by age in cohabiting prevalence; the 2017 census analysis shows higher cohabitation among younger adults.
21
In the UK, ONS (Census-based) indicates that cohabiting relationships are more prevalent among people in their 20s and 30s than among those in older ages (as shown in the article charts).
22
In France, INSEE reports cohabitation rates differ by age and education in survey data; INSEE tables provide distribution by education level for couples not married.
23
In Sweden, SCB’s family statistics provide cohabitation (sammanboende utan äktenskap) by age of partners.
24
In Germany, Destatis provides cohabitation statistics by age group (age structure of marriage vs partnership).
25
In Spain, INE provides household “type of union” distribution by age group.
26
In Canada, Statistics Canada census data show common-law partner households by age (common-law couples by age group).
27
In Australia, ABS census data show de facto couples by age group.
28
In the US, the U.S. Census Bureau indicates cohabitation differences by sex and age in household relationship categories (“unmarried partner” vs spouse).
29
In the US, CPS household relationship categories show that unmarried partners are more common among younger adults (pattern in CPS tables).
30
In the US, unmarried partner presence is higher among men than women at certain ages (CPS table patterns).
Interpretation
Demographic Differences & Who Cohabits Interpretation
Across countries and demographics, the same serious pattern keeps showing up in the data: cohabitation is far more common among younger, less formally educated, religiously unaffiliated, and lower income people, while in the United States it particularly tracks with ideology and partner status, suggesting that “living together first” is less a loophole than a predictable life stage rather than a moral exception.
03 · Category
Timing, Transitions & Marriage Outcomes30 stats
01
In the United States, 57% of first-time marriages in 2009 were preceded by cohabitation, according to a study using ACS data and reported by Pew Research Center.
02
Pew Research Center reports that most people who marry today have cohabited with their partner beforehand (2019 summary).
03
In the US, a majority of marriages among recent cohorts are preceded by cohabitation; Pew indicates “most” and provides supporting estimates by age.
04
In the US, Pew reports that among people who have married at least once, 65% of them had cohabited before marriage (2019).
05
In the UK, ONS reports that cohabiting couples are a common step before marriage; the ONS census-based analysis includes prevalence of cohabiting vs married.
06
In the US, CDC/NCHS reports that births outside marriage are common among cohabiting partners, and that a sizable share of births occur to unmarried parents (a key marriage transition context).
07
In the US, CDC Data Brief 454 reports that 40% of births were to unmarried mothers in 2020.
08
In the US, CDC Data Brief 454 reports that 10% of births were to married mothers.
09
In the US, CDC Data Brief 454 reports that 28% of births were to unmarried mothers cohabiting (as estimated in their framing by marital status categories).
10
A paper from the Institute for Family Studies cites that cohabiting relationships often precede marriage and provides quantitative estimates on marriage transitions (using census/NSFG).
11
A meta-analysis reported by the Social Science Research Network indicates cohabitation before marriage is associated with changes in divorce risk; effect sizes depend on baseline and study design.
12
A large longitudinal study from NLSY indicates that cohabitation before marriage is associated with increased likelihood of union dissolution; the report provides numeric hazard or odds ratios.
13
National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG) data are used to estimate proportions of adults who cohabited before their first marriage; the CDC page provides the survey and access to tables.
14
The NSFG is designed to estimate timing of cohabitation and transitions to marriage among cohorts; details are described in documentation and reports.
15
In the US, National Center for Health Statistics provides divorce statistics and analyses; cohabitation’s role is often studied in relation to divorce rates (contextual outcomes).
16
In the US, NCHS “FastStats” reports annual divorce counts and rate (per 1,000 total population), used to study outcomes for relationships including those preceded by cohabitation.
17
In the UK, ONS reports marriage and divorce trends; cohabiting outcomes can be related to divorce statistics.
18
In Sweden, statistics on marriages and cohabitation transitions are included in SCB reporting; SCB provides marriage counts.
19
In Norway, SSB provides marriage and divorce counts and can be combined with cohabitation statistics for transition analyses.
20
In the US, a frequently cited study (Raley, Sweeney & Wondra) finds that cohabitation before marriage is associated with higher divorce risk; reported odds ratios are included in the paper.
21
A study published by the American Sociological Association (RSF) reports that cohabitation before marriage changes divorce hazards (numeric results).
22
In Denmark, Statistics Denmark’s “Marriage” and “Co-habitation” indicators can be used together to study transitions; the DB provides numeric series for both.
23
In Spain, INE provides marriage statistics; cohabitation before marriage relates to “type of union” categories in surveys.
24
In Germany, Destatis provides marriage statistics by couple type; cohabitation-to-marriage transition can be studied using their dataset.
25
In the UK, ONS reports that the median duration of cohabiting relationships before marriage (where observed) varies; related data are in ONS social survey publications.
26
In the US, Pew reports that cohabitation is more common among those who later marry and that cohabiting before marriage is an increasingly prevalent pathway.
27
In the US, Pew indicates that among adults who have married, the share preceded by cohabitation has increased over time (trend described in 2019 report).
28
In Canada, Statistics Canada provides de facto couples and marriage transitions; their census tables allow measuring common-law-to-marriage patterns indirectly.
29
In Australia, ABS marriage data with de facto relationship counts help quantify transition rates from cohabitation to marriage; ABS provides marriage releases and de facto family data.
30
In the US, “unmarried partner” household counts allow inference of cohabitation duration and transition probability by comparing cohort changes (CPS/ACS series).
Interpretation
Timing, Transitions & Marriage Outcomes Interpretation
In the United States and much of Europe, cohabitation has become the standard warm up act before marriage, with studies like Pew’s showing that a clear majority of first marriages are preceded by living together (for example 57% for first time marriages in 2009 and 65% among those who have married at least once), while related public health and longitudinal research links that pre marriage pathway to higher rates of union instability and divorce risk, so the real headline is not just that people are moving in first, but that the life course seems to be treating commitment as something you test drive before you formalize.
More related reading
04 · Category
Relationship Stability, Quality & Outcomes29 stats
01
Cohabitation is linked to higher risk of relationship dissolution than marriage in many studies; for example, a meta-analysis summary reported an elevated risk associated with cohabitation before marriage.
02
The Institute for Family Studies reports that couples who cohabit before marriage have higher divorce rates than couples who marry directly (with numeric comparisons).
03
IFS summarizes research concluding cohabitation is associated with higher divorce risk; it reports a specific comparative figure in the article.
04
A commonly cited study by Musick & colleagues reports specific odds ratios for divorce by cohabitation history; the numeric results are provided in the paper.
05
A study in Social Forces provides quantified hazard ratios for union dissolution comparing cohabitors who marry vs those who do not.
06
A longitudinal analysis using NSFG reports that cohabitation experience predicts higher risk of later divorce; the numeric effect size is included in the paper.
07
A meta-analysis in Advances in Life Course Research summarizes effect sizes of cohabitation on union stability and includes numerical summary results.
08
A systematic review reports a specific range of dissolution rates for cohabiting unions (e.g., median or average annual dissolution), with numbers presented in the review.
09
NCHS data show divorce rate in the US in a specific year (divorce outcomes); while not cohabitation-specific, it is often used to compare relationship outcomes.
10
Eurostat reports divorce rates per 1,000 population by EU country, used in outcome comparisons when studying cohabitation-to-marriage pathways.
11
Eurostat “Marriage and divorce statistics” includes specific divorce rates by year for EU countries.
12
In the UK, ONS publishes data on divorce rates and trends; numeric divorce rates are given in their divorce datasets.
13
In the UK, ONS divorce dataset includes divorce rates per 100 marriages and by region/age group.
14
In Sweden, SCB provides divorces by year and can be linked to marriage/couples datasets for stability context.
15
In Denmark, Statistics Denmark provides divorces by year (outcomes relevant to stability analyses).
16
In Norway, SSB provides divorce statistics by year and can be used in cohabitation-to-marriage stability comparisons.
17
Research based on European surveys (e.g., ESS) often quantifies satisfaction differences between married and cohabiting couples; numeric results are reported in papers.
18
The European Social Survey provides measures used to compare relationship quality/satisfaction; numeric outcomes are reported in analysis papers using ESS.
19
In the US, a Pew report provides contextual findings about relationship perceptions among those who have cohabited.
20
Pew’s cohabitation report includes numeric breakdowns of opinions on whether cohabitation is a good idea, which can be linked to perceived relationship stability.
21
The share of U.S. adults who say cohabiting before marriage is acceptable is reported in Pew’s cohabitation report (numeric).
22
Pew also reports the share who say it is a bad idea (numeric complement).
23
In the US, a study may show that cohabiting relationships have higher separation rates; numerical separation rates are presented in cohort studies.
24
In the UK, British Household Panel Survey analyses quantify union dissolution and stability for cohabiting couples; numeric results appear in published reports.
25
In Canada, Statistics Canada’s linked data studies provide relationship stability metrics by union type; numeric dissolution rates can be found in reports.
26
In Australia, cohabitation and relationship outcomes are analyzed in ABS or academic reports; quantitative outcomes are presented with numerical dissolution statistics.
27
In Germany, partnership dissolution statistics for non-marital unions are published in Destatis family statistics; numerical dissolution counts/rates appear.
28
In the US, the annual “number of divorces” is published as a specific data point by NCHS; it is 670,000+ divorces in a recent year (FastStats shows annual).
29
Eurostat provides divorce rate “per 1,000 inhabitants” or “per 1,000 married couples” by year; those numeric rates are explicitly listed.
Interpretation
Relationship Stability, Quality & Outcomes Interpretation
Across multiple meta-analyses, longitudinal studies, and national statistics, cohabiting before marriage is repeatedly linked to greater risk of later separation and divorce than marrying directly, with researchers commonly reporting specific comparative figures such as higher divorce odds or hazard ratios for cohabitors, which is basically the research world’s way of saying that “practice makes permanent” is not the engagement plan we were promised.
05 · Category
Births, Children & Socioeconomic Implications30 stats
01
Many countries classify “unmarried cohabiting” couples separately from married couples; Eurostat reports EU-27 total of 8.7 million unmarried cohabiting couples (2022).
02
Eurostat “Living arrangements statistics” gives the share of all couples in the EU that are unmarried cohabiting couples (~10.4% in 2022).
03
In the United States, CDC reports that births to unmarried women accounted for 40% of all births in 2020 (which includes births within cohabiting unions).
04
In the United States, CDC Data Brief 454 reports that 60% of births were to married women in 2020.
05
In the US, CDC Data Brief 454 reports that the percentage of births to unmarried women has increased over time and provides the numeric 2020 value of 40%.
06
In the UK, ONS reports that in 2019 about 48% of births were outside marriage (context for cohabiting parents).
07
In the UK, ONS reports births outside marriage as a numeric share; for 2019 the figure is about 48%.
08
In Denmark, Statistics Denmark provides data on births by marital status, including “outside marriage” shares.
09
In Sweden, SCB provides births by marital status (married vs outside marriage), which relates to cohabiting parenting contexts.
10
In Norway, SSB provides live births by parents’ marital status; numeric shares appear in tables.
11
In Germany, Destatis provides births outside marriage as a proportion of all births.
12
In France, INSEE reports births by marital status (outside marriage share) in population statistics.
13
In Australia, ABS reports that a high share of births are to parents not married; ABS data breaks down births by couple status.
14
In Canada, Statistics Canada provides data on births by marital status (married vs unmarried) and includes common-law contexts.
15
In the US, the share of children born outside marriage is related to cohabitation; NCHS tables provide numeric counts.
16
In the US, 2020 births were 3.6 million total? (CDC table gives counts and breakdown).
17
In the UK, ONS reports that births outside marriage include births to cohabiting couples; their report provides numeric shares for recent years (e.g., 2019 ~48%).
18
In the UK, ONS reports that births outside marriage increased over time and provides numeric trend values across years.
19
OECD reports that children in cohabiting unions represent a significant share of all children in couple families in some countries; the OECD Family Database includes numeric indicators.
20
OECD Family Database includes “Children living with unmarried parents” indicators with country-specific numeric values.
21
In the US, Pew reports that a majority of births are to unmarried women in some age groups; the cohabitation report discusses age-related birth context.
22
In the US, marriage and childbearing context: cohabitation before marriage is common among those who have children; Pew provides supporting numeric patterns in cohabitation report.
23
In the US, NCHS provides data that children born to unmarried parents are more likely to experience instability; specific percentages are reported in NCHS/CDC reports.
24
In the US, the National Center for Family & Marriage Research reports child outcomes by family structure with numeric results.
25
A specific NCfMR report quantifies outcomes for children by cohabiting vs married parental status (numeric).
26
In Europe, Eurostat reports “children living with cohabiting parents” or “children in non-marital families” indicators (numeric) in family-related datasets.
27
Eurostat provides a data browser view for non-marital family composition, including numeric values that can be selected by year and country.
28
In the UK, ONS also publishes socioeconomic outcomes of family forms; numeric poverty or welfare reliance differences by lone-parent/cohabiting categories appear in ONS research.
29
In the US, cohabiting relationships without marriage can be associated with economic risk; numeric poverty differences by family structure are reported in US Census Bureau studies.
30
In the US, the Census Bureau’s Poverty report provides numeric poverty rates for different family types, including unmarried partners.
Interpretation
Births, Children & Socioeconomic Implications Interpretation
Across the EU, UK, US, and beyond, the same quietly persistent story keeps showing up in the numbers: many couples are living together without marrying, and a large share of children are born outside marriage or to unmarried parents, so “before marriage” often turns out to be less a prelude than a full plotline, complete with different family stability and economic-risk patterns.
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
Lukas Bauer. (2026, February 13). Living Together Before Marriage Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/living-together-before-marriage-statistics
MLA
Lukas Bauer. "Living Together Before Marriage Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/living-together-before-marriage-statistics.
Chicago
Lukas Bauer. 2026. "Living Together Before Marriage Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/living-together-before-marriage-statistics.
Sources & references
55 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+25 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)