In 2025 there were 624 same-sex marriages, 314 male and 310 female.
There were 19,274 opposite-sex marriages in 2025. The average age of grooms rose from 27.0 years in 1975 to 27.4 years in 1985 and increased to 38.0 years in 2025. There is a similar trend for the average age of brides, increasing from 24.7 years in 1975 to 25.3 years in 1985 before rising to 36.1 years in 2025.
There were 19,898 marriages (opposite and same-sex) in 2025 compared with 20,348 in 2024, a decrease of 450 (2.2%). There were 3.6 marriages per 1,000 population in 2025, down from 3.8 in 2024. Around three in every 100 marriages (3.1%) were same-sex in 2025.
| Number of Marriages, 2023-2025 | |||
| 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | |
| Opposite sex | 20,513 | 19,680 | 19,274 |
| Same Sex | 646 | 668 | 624 |
| All marriages | 21,159 | 20,348 | 19,898 |
| All Marriages rate per 1,000 population | 4.0 | 3.8 | 3.6 |
| Average Age of Groom (Opposite-Sex Marriage) | 37.7 | 37.7 | 38.0 |
| Average Age of Bride (Opposite-Sex Marriage) | 35.8 | 35.9 | 36.1 |
| Average Age of Male (Same-Sex Marriage) | 40.8 | 40.7 | 40.6 |
| Average Age of Female (Same-Sex Marriage) | 38.0 | 39.7 | 38.1 |
| X-axis label | All Marriages | Opposite-Sex Marriages | Same-Sex Marriages |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 17217 | 16717 | 500 |
| 2022 | 23173 | 22555 | 618 |
| 2023 | 21159 | 20513 | 646 |
| 2024 | 20348 | 19680 | 668 |
| 2025 | 19898 | 19274 | 624 |
In 2025, religious ceremonies accounted for 61% of all marriages. There were 5,927 (29.8%) Catholic marriage ceremonies, 204 (1.0%) Church of Ireland ceremonies, The Spiritualist Union of Ireland performed 1,263 (6.3%) ceremonies and 4,480 (22.5%) couples opted for other religious ceremonies. The majority of non-religious ceremonies were civil marriages which accounted for 33.4% (6,642) of all marriages; the remaining 1,382 (6.9%) couples had Humanist ceremonies. See Table 1 and Figure 2.
| % | |
| Roman Catholic | 29.7869132576138 |
| Civil Marriages | 33.3802392200221 |
| Humanist Association | 6.94542165041713 |
| Spiritualist Union of Ireland | 6.34737159513519 |
| Other Religious | 22.5148256106141 |
| Church of Ireland | 1.02522866619761 |
61% of all opposite-sex marriages were religious ceremonies in 2025. There were 5,927 (30.8%) Catholic services, 1,228 (6.4%) by the Spiritualist Union, 204 (1.1%) in Church of Ireland ceremonies, and 41 (0.2%) Presbyterian services. A further 4,261 (22.1%) ceremonies were held under other religious denominations. Civil marriages accounted for 6,304 (32.7%) while the remaining 1,309 (6.8%) were services held by the Humanist Association.
Just over half (54.2%) of same-sex marriages were civil ceremonies in 2025. 73 (11.7%) of services were held by the Humanist Association, 35 (5.6%) by the Spiritualist Union of Ireland, and 178 (28.5%) by other religious denominations.
August was the most popular month for opposite-sex marriages in 2025, unchanged since 2023. Just over one in eight marriages (12.9%) in 2025 were in August while almost one in four (24.7%) took place in the last three months of the year. Some 661 (3.4%) marriages took place in January, the least popular month to wed in 2025.
Friday and Saturday were the most popular days of the week to get married in 2025 with 11,903 (61.8%) of opposite-sex marriages taking place on these days. The least popular day was Sunday when 616 (3.2%) opposite-sex marriages in 2025 took place.
Friday, 25 July and Friday 01 August were the most popular dates for opposite-sex marriages in 2025 with 200 and 197 ceremonies taking place on both these dates.
In 2025, the most popular month for same-sex marriages was August. Just over one in eight marriages (11.7%) in 2025 were in August and over one in four (26.8%) took place in the last three months of the year. Just 23 (3.7%) marriages took place in January, the least popular month in 2025.
Friday, 12 September and Friday 21 March were the most popular dates for same-sex marriages in 2025 with 12 and 10 ceremonies taking place on each of these dates.
In 2024 (the most recent available data), Latvia had the highest crude (unadjusted) marriage rate of the EU27 Member States with a rate of 5.5 per 1,000 population. Slovenia and Italy had the lowest rates, with 3.0 marriages per 1,000 population and 2.9 marriages per 1,000 population respectively. In 2024, Ireland’s marriage rate was 3.8 per 1,000 population, while 2025 saw a decreased rate of 3.6 marriages per 1,000 population. See Figure 3 and link to Eurostat table.
| EU - 27 | Marriage Rate |
|---|---|
| Cyprus (2019) | 8.9 |
| Latvia | 5.5 |
| Romania | 5.3 |
| Austria | 5 |
| Hungary | 4.9 |
| Denmark (2021) | 4.7 |
| Slovakia | 4.6 |
| Estonia | 4.6 |
| Lithuania | 4.5 |
| Croatia | 4.4 |
| Germany | 4.2 |
| Sweden | 4.2 |
| Malta | 4.1 |
| Czech Republic | 4.1 |
| Belgium (2023) | 4 |
| Ireland (2024) | 3.8 |
| Finland | 3.8 |
| Netherlands | 3.8 |
| Luxembourg | 3.8 |
| Poland | 3.7 |
| Ireland (2025) | 3.6 |
| Spain | 3.6 |
| Greece | 3.5 |
| France (2023) | 3.5 |
| Portugal | 3.4 |
| Bulgaria | 3.2 |
| Slovenia | 3 |
| Italy | 2.9 |
For the numbers of divorces and judicial separations granted in 2024 (the most recent data available) see attached link: Courts Service Annual Report 2024
The estimated population (usual residence) in April 2025 was 5,458,607.
The Marriage Act 2015 (No.35/2015) effective from the 16 November 2015 (S.I 504/15 refers) allows parties of the same sex to marry. From the 16 November 2015, when same-sex marriage legislation came into effect, same-sex couples no longer had the option to apply for a Civil Partnership.
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