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Press Statement

Preasráiteas

29 March 2018

Marriages 2017

Average age of brides and grooms in opposite sex marriages continues to rise
  • Just over a half of all opposite sex marriages were Roman Catholic ceremonies, at 52.8%
  • Over a quarter of opposite sex couples chose a civil ceremony, at 27.7%
  • The average age of males entering same sex marriages was 40.3 years while the female average was 40.5 years
  • July and August were the most popular months to wed for opposite sex couples while September was most popular for same sex couples
  • Go to release: Marriages 2017

    The Central Statistics Office (CSO) has today (29 March 2018) released the Marriages 2017 report.  Commenting on the report, Carol Anne Hennessy Statistician said: “There were 22,021 marriages in Ireland in 2017, including 759 same sex marriages.  This equates to a crude or unadjusted marriage rate of 4.6 per 1,000 population.   

    While the average age of grooms in an opposite sex marriage was at its highest to date at 36.1 years, men entering same sex marriages were older on average at 40.3 years.  There was a greater disparity among brides, the average age of brides in an opposite sex marriage was 34.1 in 2017 while the comparable age for brides in a same sex marriage was 40.5 years.

    The summer months of July and August were the most popular for weddings of opposite sex couples.  September was the most popular month to wed for same sex couples.   The cooler months of January and February were the least popular

    Friday and Saturday continued to be the most popular days to ‘tie the knot’ for opposite sex couples while Thursday and Friday were the most favoured days to wed for same sex couples.  Sundays and Mondays remained the least popular days of the week to marry for all couples.

    The number of couples choosing Humanist and Spiritualist Union of Ireland ceremonies is increasing. A Humanist ceremony was the choice of 1,616 opposite sex couples and 111 same sex couples in 2017 while 1,083 opposite sex couples and 76 same sex couples opted for the Spiritual Union of Ireland ceremony.  

    Civil marriage ceremonies accounted for over two-thirds of same sex marriages, while over a quarter (27.7%) of opposite sex couples chose a civil marriage ceremony.

    The Roman Catholic ceremony was the most popular choice among opposite sex couples, with 11,219 couples opting for this ceremony."

    For further information contact:

    Carol Anne Hennessy (+353) 21 453 5307 or Marie Crowley (+353) 21 453 5016

    or email Vitalstats@CSO.ie

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