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For more information on this release:
E-mail: vitalstats@cso.ie Carol Anne Hennessy (+353) 21 453 5307 Marie Crowley (+353) 21 453 5016 Paula Scully (+353) 21 453 5792
For general information on CSO statistics:
information@cso.ie (+353) 21 453 5000 On-line ISSN 2565-5957
CSO statistical release, , 11am

Marriages

2018

 20182017
Opposite-Sex Marriages20,38921,262
Same-Sex Marriages664759
All Marriages rate per 1,000 population4.34.6
Average Age of Groom (Opposite-Sex Marriage)36.436.1
Average Age of Bride (Opposite-Sex Marriage)34.434.1
Average Age of Male (Same-Sex Marriage)40.140.3
Average Age of Female (Same-Sex Marriage)38.740.5

There were 21,053 marriages in 2018 including 664 same-sex marriages

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There were 664 same-sex marriages in 2018, of which 372 were male unions and 292 were female unions.

The average age of couples in same-sex marriages in 2018 was 39.5 years.  The average age of male partners in same-sex marriages was 40.1 and the average age of female partners was lower at 38.7.  See tables 23A, 23B and 23C.

There were 20,389 opposite-sex marriages in 2018.  The average age of grooms was 36.4 years, 0.3 years more than the average age of grooms in 2017.  In the past 50 years, the average age of grooms decreased from 28.4 years in 1968 to 26.2 years, 10 years later, in 1978 and increased to a high of 36.4 years in 2018.  A similar trend is evident for brides with the average age decreasing from 25.5 in 1968 to a record low of 24.0 in 1978 and increasing to a high of 34.4 in 2018.  See tables 1 and 3.

The number of all marriages (opposite-sex and same-sex) registered in 2018 was 21,053 which equates to a crude (unadjusted) marriage rate of 4.3 per 1,000 population, 0.3 less than the 2017 rate.  This is 968 fewer marriages than in 2017 when 22,021 marriages took place.  Same-sex marriages accounted for 3.2% of all marriages in 2018.  See table 1.

 

In 2018, religious ceremonies accounted for 61.2% of all marriages.   There were 10,027 (47.6%) Catholic marriage ceremonies, 323 (1.5%) Church of Ireland ceremonies, The Spiritualist Union of Ireland performed 1,430 (6.8%) ceremonies and 1,108 (5.3%) couples opted for other religious ceremonies.   The majority of non-religious ceremonies were civil marriages which accounted for 29.8% (6,278) of all marriages; the remaining 1,887 (9.0%) couples had Humanist ceremonies. See tables 1, 3, 3A, 17, 17A and figure 2.

X-axis label%
Other
Religious
5.3
Church
of Ireland
1.5
Roman
Catholic
47.6
Civil
Marriages
29.8
Humanist
Association
9.0
Spiritualist
Union of
Ireland
6.8
63%
Percentage of opposite-sex couples opting for religious ceremonies (62.6%)

In 2018, religious ceremonies accounted for the highest proportion of opposite-sex marriages (62.6%).   There were 10,027 (49.2%) Catholic marriage ceremonies, 323 (1.6%) Church of Ireland ceremonies, 62 (0.3%) Presbyterian ceremonies while The Spiritualist Union of Ireland performed 1,341 (6.6%) marriage ceremonies in 2018.  The remaining 1,009 (4.9%) couples opted for other religious ceremonies.  Civil marriage ceremonies were the most popular choice for non-religious marriage ceremonies accounting for 5,861 (28.7%) of all opposite-sex marriages.  In recent years the Humanist Association has also risen in popularity with 1,766 (8.7%) such marriages in 2018 compared to 1,616 (7.6%) in 2017.  See tables 1, 3 and 17, and figure 2.

63%
Percentage of same-sex couples having civil ceremonies in 2018 (62.8%)

The most popular form of ceremony for same-sex marriage celebrations was civil marriage ceremonies, which accounted for 417 marriages (62.8%) followed by The Humanist Association of Ireland with 121 or 18.2% of ceremonies, The Spiritualist Union of Ireland accounted for 89 or 13.4% of ceremonies and the remaining 37 of same-sex couples (i.e. 5.6%) had ceremonies with other religious denominations.  Over one-third of all same-sex marriage ceremonies took place in the Dublin City area (34.8%), followed by Cork City with 6.2%.  See Tables 1, 3A, 3B, 13A, 13B and 17A.

August
The most popular month for all marriages in 2018

August was the most popular month for opposite-sex marriages in 2018

August was the most popular month for opposite-sex marriages, similar to 2017.  In 2018, 13.5% (or 2,758) of marriages occurred in August.  Almost a quarter (24.5%) of all marriages took place in the months of July and August. January continued to be the least popular month for marriage ceremonies with only 566 (2.8%) of opposite-sex marriages occurring during that month. 

Friday and Saturday were the most popular days of the week to get married with 14,385 or 70.6% of opposite-sex marriages occurring on those days.  The least popular day was Sunday when 594 (2.9%) couples wed.  See table 16.

Saturday 4th August was the most popular date for opposite-sex marriages in 2018 with 239 (1.3%) marriages taking place on that day.  This was followed by Saturday 2nd June, when 231 (1.2%) marriages occurred.  Friday 10th August was the third most popular date with 229 (1.2%) marriage celebrations on that day.  See table 16.

August was the most popular month for same-sex marriages in 2018

The most popular month for same-sex marriages in 2018 was August with 92 (13.8%) marriages.  

Friday was the most popular day for same-sex marriages with over one-third (246) or 37.0% of all same-sex marriages celebrated on that day.  As with opposite-sex marriages, Sunday was the least popular day for same-sex marriages when only 28 couples (4.2%) wed.  See table 16A.

Friday 23rd of March and Friday 7th September were jointly the most popular dates for same-sex marriages in 2018 with 10 (1.5%) marriages respectively, occurring on each of these days. These were followed by Friday 22nd June, 20th July, and the 17th August, when 9 (1.4%) marriages took place on each of those dates.

EU marriage rate

In 2017 (most recent available data) Lithuania had the highest crude (unadjusted) marriage rate of the EU 28 Member States with a rate of 7.5 per 1,000 population.  Slovenia had the lowest rates, with 3.1 marriages per 1,000 population.  In comparison, in 2017 Ireland had a marriage rate of 4.6 per thousand population and was ranked 18th.  (The latest available data for Germany and France was 2016 and 2015 was the most recent data available for The United Kingdom. See figure 3.

EU-28Marriage rate
Lithuania7.5
Romania7.3
Cyprus6.8
Latvia6.8
Malta6.3
Slovakia5.8
Denmark5.5
Hungary5.2
Sweden5.2
Austria5.1
Poland5.1
Germany (2016)5
Czech Republic5
Croatia4.9
Estonia4.9
Finland4.8
Greece4.7
Ireland (2017)4.6
United Kingdom (2015)4.4
Ireland (2018)4.3
Bulgaria4
Belgium3.9
Netherlands3.8
Spain3.7
France (2016)3.5
Portugal3.3
Italy3.2
Luxembourg3.2
Slovenia3.1

Groom older than bride in 62.5% of opposite-sex marriages

The average age of grooms and brides in 2018 was 36.4 years and 34.4 years respectively.  The average age of grooms marrying for the first time was 34.9 years and for brides the average age was 33.4 years.   See tables 22 and 23.

The groom was older than the bride in 62.5% of marriages in 2018.  See tables 7 and 8.

In 2018, 2.0% of grooms were under the age of 25 and 45.1% of grooms were aged 35 and over on their wedding day.  For brides, 3.2% were under the age of 25 and 34.6% were aged 35 and over on their wedding day.  See tables 1, 7 and 8.

Monaghan had the lowest average age for both grooms and brides in 2018, at 34.5 and 32.5 years respectively.  At the other end of the scale, Wicklow had the highest average age for both, with 38.3 years for grooms and 36.3 years for brides.  See tables 9 and 10.

Over 87% of opposite-sex marriages were first time marriages

In 2018, 87.2% (17,789) of opposite-sex marriages were the first marriage for both the groom and bride.  The breakdown between grooms and brides was 18,581 (91.1%) grooms and 18,881 (92.6%) brides marrying for the first time.  See tables 17, 19, 22 and 23.

There were 2,440 opposite-sex marriages involving at least one divorced person in 2018, including 568 marriages where both parties were divorced.  See table 17.

Over 85% of same-sex marriages were first time marriages  

Of the 1,328 individual same-sex partners in 2018, the majority - 1,137 or 85.6% were previously single, 132 (9.9%) were previous civil partners, while 49 (3.7%) were divorced, 8 (0.6%) were former civil partners, and 1 surviving civil partner.  See tables 23A, 23B and 23C.

Opposite-sex couples residing outside Ireland before marriage account for over 12% of marriages

Marriages where both the bride and groom were residing in Ireland before marriage accounted for 85.3% (17,388) of marriages.  In 2018, 2,594 (12.7%) marriages involved both the bride and groom living outside the State before marriage.   See tables 11 and 12.

The future permanent residence of opposite-sex married couples was stated to be outside Ireland in 13.4% (2,734) of marriages in 2018.  This compares to 2,838 (13.3%) in 2017.  See table 1.

Over one in five opposite-sex marriages were between brides and grooms of the same socio-economic group

In 2018, 23.2% (4,739) of all marriages involved the bride and groom being of the same socio-economic group.

Over half (57%) of grooms and more than two-fifths (41.9%) of brides in the 'Professional Occupations’ socio-economic group married an individual in the same group. 

The socio-economic group with the greatest apparent disparity was the "Skilled Trades Occupations" where 2.9% of grooms married within their own group in comparison to 38.3% of brides doing so.  See table 6 and background notes. 

Civil Partnerships

There were no civil partnership ceremonies in 2018. Civil partnership legislation has been superseded by same-sex marriage legislation.  See note on same-sex marriage legislation below. 

Divorces granted in 2017

For the numbers of divorces and judicial separations granted in 2017 (the most recent data available) see attached link:  Divorce: (Courts Service Annual Report 2017) The section on Family Law page 57-60 contains this information.

Population

The estimated population (usual residence) in April 2018 was 4,857,015.

Same-sex marriage legislation.

The Marriage Act 2015 (No.35/2015) effective from the 16th November 2015 (S.I 504/15 refers) allows parties of the same-sex to marry.  From the 16th November 2015, when same-sex marriage legislation came into effect, same-sex couples no longer had the option to apply for a Civil Partnership.  

Table 1 Summary data for marriages 2013-2018
 Opposite-sex marriages Same-sex marriages All marriages
 201320142015201620172018 20172018 20172018
State20,68022,04522,02521,57021,26220,389 759664 22,02121,053
3Marriage rate per 1,000 population4.54.74.74.64.44.2 0.20.1 4.64.3
Average age of party 1134.935.035.335.736.136.4 43.442.2 36.336.6
Average age of party 2232.833.033.233.834.134.4 37.436.8 34.234.5
Percentage of marriages by            
age of party 11%%%%%% %% %%
  Under 200.60.40.40.60.50.4 0.00.0 0.50.4
  20-242.42.32.41.81.71.5 0.90.5 1.71.5
  25-2920.019.718.516.215.914.7 6.77.8 15.614.5
  30-3441.040.539.739.638.738.2 17.418.7 38.037.6
  35-3919.019.720.622.321.922.4 20.627.1 21.822.5
  40 and over17.017.318.419.521.422.7 54.445.9 22.623.5
Percentage of marriages by            
age of party 22%%%%%% %% %%
  Under 201.11.11.10.80.70.7 0.10.0 0.70.7
  20-244.34.44.02.82.72.5 4.34.2 2.82.6
  25-2929.428.727.225.324.022.6 19.220.6 23.822.6
  30-3439.739.540.440.840.739.5 24.927.9 40.239.2
  35-3914.714.815.117.017.218.5 19.617.9 17.318.5
  40 and over10.811.512.213.314.616.1 31.829.4 15.216.5
Form of ceremony            
  Roman Catholic12,92113,07212,48612,14011,21910,027 –– 11,21910,027
  Church of Ireland453445393372379323 –– 379323
  Presbyterian728173696462 –– 6462
  Methodist252726273122 –– 3122
  Jewish111––– –– ––
  Spiritualist Union of Ireland–8198229651,0831,341 7689 1,1591,430
  Other religious1,112538804972980987 4537 1,0251,024
  Civil marriages6,0966,1676,1565,5885,8905,861 527417 6,4176,278
  Humanist Association–8951,2641,4371,6161,766 111121 1,7271,887
Country of future residence     
Outside Republic of Ireland2,3162,6682,8452,9332,8382,734 120100 2,9582,834
  Northern Ireland319432421477489449 2923 518472
  England and Wales9471,0581,1171,1751,1461106 3430 1,1801,136
  Scotland807497998987 22 9189
  Europe EU 28 (excluding Ireland and UK)––––122108 1212 134120
  Europe remainder––––2414 15 2519
  Europe (excluding Ireland and UK)152157150155–– –– ––
  U.S.A198192214227254275 106 264281
  Elsewhere620755846797714695 3222 746717
  Not stated1–13–– –– ––
Percentage of marriages with %%%%%% %% %%
country of residence outside            
Republic of Ireland11.212.112.913.613.313.4 15.815.1 13.413.5
1Party 1 refers to the groom in the case of opposite-sex marriages and refers to the older party in the case of same-sex marriages.
2Party 2 refers to the bride in the case of opposite-sex marriages and refers to the younger party in the case of same-sex marriages.
3Rates have been revised for intercensal years (2012-2015)
Table 2 Age specific marriage rates, 2017 and 2018
 Opposite-sex marriages Same-sex marriages All marriages
AgeMarriages per 1,000 males at specified agesMarriages per 1,000 females at specified agesMarriages per 1,000 males at specified agesMarriages per 1,000 females at specified agesMarriages per 1,000 males at specified agesMarriages per 1,000 females at specified ages
 2017201820172018 2017201820172018 2017201820172018
All ages, 16-4917.716.217.816.9 0.30.50.20.4 18.016.418.117.3
16-190.80.51.31.2 0.00.00.00.0 0.80.51.31.1
201.81.52.21.40.00.00.00.01.81.52.21.4
211.51.02.11.90.00.10.00.01.51.02.11.8
222.41.74.23.20.00.10.00.12.41.74.23.1
232.62.75.04.40.00.10.00.12.62.75.04.3
244.44.18.27.60.20.30.00.24.64.18.27.4
20-242.62.14.33.6 0.00.10.00.1 2.62.14.33.5
257.16.313.212.00.00.30.10.27.16.313.311.6
2612.710.721.118.60.10.70.10.212.810.921.218.8
2720.318.633.129.80.30.70.10.520.618.833.329.4
2830.528.143.942.70.31.50.20.730.828.544.144.0
2945.337.557.051.50.20.70.40.845.637.857.453.4
25-2923.420.634.431.6 0.20.80.20.5 23.620.834.631.9
3053.950.161.860.10.30.90.20.954.250.562.165.3
3154.055.858.155.90.31.30.31.054.356.258.461.4
3254.649.948.448.00.50.90.40.955.150.348.852.4
3346.446.141.639.10.60.90.40.847.046.442.042.6
3439.941.331.930.70.40.80.40.940.341.732.333.9
30-3449.548.447.746.1 0.40.90.30.9 49.948.848.150.4
3534.032.824.926.60.61.10.31.134.633.425.229.9
3626.827.321.221.60.50.80.30.827.327.821.623.8
3722.221.616.917.30.40.80.30.622.722.017.218.6
3819.319.214.114.00.50.60.30.419.819.514.414.7
3918.218.213.212.80.40.70.40.618.618.713.614.0
35-3924.123.618.118.4 0.50.80.30.7 24.624.118.520.0
4014.314.710.410.70.30.50.30.414.714.910.711.1
4113.412.38.49.50.40.40.20.313.812.58.79.9
4211.611.06.97.10.40.70.20.412.011.47.17.4
439.09.96.16.40.50.50.40.49.510.26.56.8
448.67.95.84.90.30.50.30.48.98.16.15.2
40-4411.411.27.57.7 0.40.50.30.4 11.811.47.88.1
457.57.25.35.50.30.50.30.27.77.55.75.7
465.96.54.75.30.30.40.30.26.26.85.05.6
476.26.04.24.40.40.20.30.26.66.24.54.5
485.35.34.14.40.20.40.20.25.55.74.44.5
495.56.24.34.80.44.40.23.05.96.44.44.8
45-496.16.34.64.9 0.31.20.30.7 6.46.54.85.0
Table 3 Marriages of opposite-sex couples registered in 2018 classified according to age of groom/age of bride and form of ceremony
 Form of ceremony 
AgeCatholicChurchPresbyterian The SpiritualistOther religiousCivil MarriagesThe HumanistTotal
  of Ireland Union of Ireland denominations Association 
Age of groom        
Under 2077–––15–83
20-24136318331295315
25-291,59853231791447682272,992
30-344,679148214813001,4677027,798
35-392,2675453092191,2464634,563
40-448183491521177441742,048
45-492761419374512941,064
50-549842555832354594
55-59365–413028221415
60 and over428–233338526517
Total10,027323621,3411,0095,8611,76620,389
Age of bride        
Under 20121–1–421–147
20-241888617482426515
25-292,61983232602001,0603704,615
30-344,655139145153151,6208048,062
35-391,73558152692121,1363483,773
40-44451122127956471131,447
45-49164101806645164836
50-54507–493929837480
55-59204–161719816271
60 and over242–8131888243
Total10,027323621,3411,0095,8611,76620,389
         
Average age of groom34.335.533.137.337.839.836.336.4
Average age of bride32.633.531.335.435.537.334.434.4
Table 3A Same-Sex Marriages registered in 2018 classified according to age of older party/younger party and form of ceremony
 All same sex marriages 
AgeCivil MarriageThe HumanistThe SpiritualistOther religiousTotal
 CeremoniesAssociationUnion of Ireland denominations 
Age of older party     
Under 20–––––
20-243–––3
25-2932911–52
30-346632215124
35-3995452713180
40-44531314888
45-4942118768
50-544443152
55-593564348
60 and over4711–49
Total4171218937664
Age of younger party     
Under 20–––––
20-242142128
25-298522255137
30-34101433011185
35-3962291810119
40-4453147680
45-492755340
50-543031–34
55-592111124
60 and over17–––17
Total4171218937664
Average age of older party44.238.538.541.642.2
Average age of younger party38.034.834.035.936.8
      
Table 3B Same-Sex Marriages registered in 2018 classified according to age of older party/younger party and form of ceremony, listing male same sex marriages and female same-sex marriages separately
 Male Same-sex marriages Female same-sex marriages
AgeCivil MarriageThe HumanistThe SpiritualistOther religiousTotal Civil MarriageThe HumanistThe SpiritualistOther religiousTotal
 CeremoniesAssociation Union of Ireland denominations  CeremoniesAssociationUnion of Ireland denominations 
Age of older party           
Under 20––––– –––––
20-241–––1 2–––2
25-292326–31 975–21
30-3434188161 321413463
35-3950279591 451818889
40-442877648 2567240
45-492884545 1434223
50-542432130 2011–22
55-592351231 1213117
60 and over3211–34 15–––15
Total243713820372 174505117292
Age of younger party           
Under 20––––– –––––
20-241321–16 821112
25-29601013285 251212352
30-34502610692 511720593
35-39311710563 31128556
40-4432101447 2146233
45-491632223 1123117
50-541921–22 111––12
55-59121–114 9–1–10
60 and over10–––10 7–––7
Total243713820372 174505117292
Average age of older party45.040.038.843.243.3 42.936.438.339.740.8
Average age of younger party37.835.733.237.536.9 38.333.634.634.036.6
Table 4 Marriages of opposite-sex couples registered in 2018 classified by occupational group and age of groom
 Age of groomAverage age
Occupational group of groomUnder 2020-2425-2930-3435-3940-4445-4950-5455-5960 and overAll agesof groom
Administrative and Secretarial occupations–996304228803825161681236.6
Associate professional and Technical occupations5314511,2986993071398463673,14436.2
Caring, Leisure and Other service occupations–105710775513622141338538.5
Elementary occupations10612945393632211186758381,76936.8
Managers, Directors and Senior officials5202536974572331427961702,01737.8
Process, Plant and Machine operatives361533502701741147943631,25539.4
Professional occupations–247492,3631,0764101759347845,02135.3
Sales and Customer service occupations22315625713156211431167434.4
Skilled trades occupations13616461,7171,15246724811887944,60336.4
Unemployed, Retired, Student, Occupation unknown4570137166112493313236170936.1
Total833152,9927,7984,5632,0481,06459441551720,38936.4
Table 5 Marriages of opposite-sex couples registered in 2018 classified by occupational group and age of bride
 Age of brideAverage age
Occupational group of brideUnder 2020-2425-2930-3435-3940-4445-4950-5455-5960 and overAll agesof bride
Administrative and Secretarial occupations1304639115612051378746462,48735.9
Associate professional and Technical occupations8425331,119511175875128232,57734.4
Caring, Leisure and Other service occupations9777298804471991307945292,62434.5
Elementary occupations453204192136685439141077435.1
Managers, Directors and Senior officials–20289550322133854819141,48035.5
Process, Plant and Machine operatives––3051319954714637.2
Professional occupations1611,5513,4031,1353501556953426,82033.5
Sales and Customer service occupations5543104052319455351551,20934.2
Skilled trades occupations11074976639271851034736.8
Unemployed, Retired, Student, Occupation unknown118168432454333175974942571,92534.2
Total1475154,6158,0623,7731,44783648027124320,38934.4
Table 6 Marriages of opposite-sex couples registered in 2018 classified by occupational group of bride and groom
 Occupational group of bride
Occupational group of groomAdministrative and Secretarial occupationsAssociate professional and Technical occupationsCaring, Leisure and Other service occupationsElementary occupationsManagers, Directors and Senior officialsProcess, Plant and Machine operativesProfessional occupationsSales and Customer service occupationsSkilled trades occupationsUnemployed, Retired, Student, Occupation unknownTotal
Administrative and Secretarial occupations1741108223498278451033812
Associate professional and Technical occupations36861034461267241,078158451893,144
Caring, Leisure and Other service occupations513593202117426757385
Elementary occupations19414033220910819259170392991,769
Managers, Directors and Senior officials2493001925528912615118291582,017
Process, Plant and Machine operatives189102270747226212118291631,255
Professional occupations45067227935313152,860133322325,021
Sales and Customer service occupations8180973843–1461031076674
Skilled trades occupations677459852217273391,1743031334764,603
Unemployed, Retired, Student, Occupation unknown546983424521243513242709
Total2,4872,5772,6247741,4801466,8201,2093471,92520,389
Table 6A Same-Sex Marriages registered in 2018 classified by occupational group of older party and younger party
 Occupational group of younger party
Occupational group of older partyAdministrative and Secretarial occupationsAssociate professional and Technical occupationsCaring, Leisure and Other service occupationsElementary occupationsManagers, Directors and Senior officialsProcess, Plant and Machine operativesProfessional occupationsSales and Customer service occupationsSkilled trades occupationsUnemployed, Retired, Student, Occupation unknownTotal
Administrative and Secretarial occupations189242–1633158
Associate professional and Technical occupations72313113131936107
Caring, Leisure and Other service occupations2101436–1464665
Elementary occupations23362–122223
Managers, Directors and Senior officials71910624–28618109
Process, Plant and Machine operatives–2311141––13
Professional occupations163683171938813203
Sales and Customer service occupations–82–3–47–327
Skilled trades occupations255–4–412225
Unemployed, Retired, Student, Occupation unknown38222– 421134
Total571236226743195472552664
            
Table 7 Marriages of opposite-sex couples registered in 2018 classified by groom's age and bride's relative age
 Relative age of bride 
Age of groom10 or more years older5 to 9 years older1 to 4 years olderSame age1 to 4 years younger5 to 9 years younger10 or more years youngerTotal
All ages1298173,9332,7638,3823,2441,12120,389
16–––2–––2
17––231––6
18––8187––33
19––6729––42
Under 20––163037––83
20–19532––47
21129117––30
22–1149241–49
2318258303–75
244153522353–114
20-2462792451387–315
255176129558–175
26322109561046–300
2724316513219022–554
2855624419628517–803
2995435527044032–1,160
25-29241929346831,07485–2,992
309624133315935311,462
316703993348296811,707
325623802778299741,654
3384827023082115841,539
3484423917274922041,436
30-34362861,7011,3443,821596147,798
3563621312259121831,189
3652814699470260221,030
374261376437224419866
382261165331424434789
39427826226121043689
35-39211436944002,0081,1761214,563
40526682820017546548
41512503316714538450
42112492712713359408
43116342511911845358
444103514818258284
40-4416762361276946532462,048
45–52913699348257
46382014547252223
47213289496742210
48–102412545028178
49381914455453196
45-49844120622713362231,064
50-5412216141162141156594
55-59114461590124125415
60-6459238496189244
65-69–484253786164
70-74–1216193160
75 and over–––3793049
Table 8 Marriages of opposite-sex couples registered in 2018 classified by bride's age and groom's relative age
 Relative age of groom 
Age of bride10 or more years older5 to 9 years older1 to 4 years olderSame age1 to 4 years younger5 to 9 years younger10 or more years youngerTotal
All ages1,1213,2448,3822,7633,93381712920,389
16––62–––8
1712223–––28
18–841181––68
19272374––43
Under 2031792305––147
20382256––44
215143015––55
2282340910––90
2393755811––120
2416481022218––206
20-24411302494550––515
25168117229251–324
26351182755642––526
2749146471132721–871
28422256651961204–1,252
29692768382701818–1,642
25-292118462,42168344014–4,615
305527495633127013–1,899
315725380933439617–1,866
326123575827736629–1,726
33481875652303433411,408
345317340217231647–1,163
30-342741,1223,4901,3441,69114018,062
354415237912230958–1,064
365813329899225585876
374310224264212601724
38498218953162592596
39308715362128485513
35-392245561,2614001,036283133,773
40396612228105417408
4130518033925613355
421649872759263267
432233602566248238
441727501443199179
40-44124226399127365166401,447
452133581336371199
462632481438227187
472123459311310152
482333301229192148
491733461425114150
45-491081542276215910224836
50-54679112241875121480
55-594551671556298271
60-64173130828146134
65-694131441310664
70-74346137832
75 and over–343–1213
Table 8A Same-Sex Marriages registered in 2018 classified by older partner's age and younger partner's relative age
All partnersTotal older Younger partner
AgepartnerUnder 2020-2425-2930-3435-3940-4445-4950-5455-5960 and over
Older partner664–281371851198040342417
Under 20–––––––––––
20-243–3––––––––
25-2952–1141–––––––
30-34124–55465––––––
35-39180–6308361–––––
40-4488–15232732––––
45-4968––4921259–––
50-5452–1218131710––
55-5948–11128101510–
60 and over49–––3–2491417
            
Table 8B Same-Sex Marriages registered in 2018 classified by older male partner's age and younger male partner's relative age
  Younger male partner
Older male partners All agesUnder 2020-2425-2930-3435-3940-4445-4950-5455-5960 and over
All ages372 168592634723221410
Under 20–––––––––––
20-241–1––––––––
25-2931–625–––––––
30-3461–33127––––––
35-3991–3194029–––––
40-4448–15141315––––
45-4945––3613176–––
50-5430–11167104––
55-5931–11126596–
60 and over34–––3–229810
Table 8C Same-Sex Marriages registered in 2018 classified by older female partner's age and younger female partner's relative age
  Younger female partner
Older female partnerAll agesUnder 2020-2425-2930-3435-3940-4445-4950-5455-5960 and over
All ages292–12529356331712107
Under 20–––––––––––
20-242–2––––––––
25-2921–516–––––––
30-3463–22338––––––
35-3989–3114332–––––
40-4440–––91417––––
45-4923––13883–––
50-5422––1–2676––
55-5917–––––2564–
60 and over15––––––2–67
            
Table 8D Same-Sex Marriages registered in 2018 classified by age difference of partners in years and percentage
 TotalNo age difference1 to 4 years difference5 to 9 years difference10 or more years difference
 NumberNumber PercentageNumber Percentage Number Percentage Number Percentage
   % % % %
All Same-Sex Marriages664517.732548.916524.812318.5
Male Same-Sex Marriages372277.315541.710127.28923.9
Female Same-Sex Marriages 292248.217058.26421.93411.6
          
          
Table 9 Marriages of opposite-sex couples registered in 2018 classified by age and area of residence of groom before marriage
 Age of groomAverage age
Area of residence of groomUnder 2020-2425-2930-3435-3940-4445-4950-5455-5960 and overTotalof groom
Total833152,9927,7984,5632,0481,06459441551720,38936.4
             
Leinster361741,4233,6582,3081,10457531723028010,10536.8
Carlow1525805831584522236.7
Dublin City6413139425572231399351742,43936.8
South Dublin824124339253134542631291,02237.1
Fingal216138379242144673616181,05836.8
Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown1886345163894327112780037.0
Kildare36119280220973726171882336.7
Kilkenny1248137873315741034436.4
Laois135211062322475730336.4
Longford4722503516544114835.0
Louth–67416689341917121343036.7
Meath212130267165643821212274236.6
Offaly19569760331335528235.4
Westmeath1969133663124911936236.1
Wexford41593170120584616221956337.4
Wicklow11174163131854617162356738.3
             
Munster24565771,7141,0184902561471001174,49936.8
Clare543715183402114121237937.4
Cork City2361163914629167942736.8
Cork County414204619360184705527471,58436.8
Kerry1664174105483810111547237.1
Limerick City15316655251158220936.6
Limerick County111771951074325913848935.9
Tipperary61054187130503522111151636.8
Waterford City21146047261545517937.9
Waterford County223599402812126824436.9
             
Connacht16362477624531731014129501,90836.2
Galway City353110673351453528036.2
Galway County41279250170612814111764636.4
Leitrim12134620138–2410936.7
Mayo49581859231271151343536.0
Roscommon15418947201153622835.5
Sligo33258651131365521036.5
             
Ulster (part of)51918839923492482313241,04535.6
Cavan–341119582412851128136.4
Donegal31510318913154271161155035.6
Monaghan2144914514942221434.5
             
Regional Authorities            
Border924226531305118692920331,36435.8
Midland728199390223112662325221,09535.8
West1231209630382147803522411,58936.1
Dublin17896612,0051,2155903031821091485,31936.9
Mid-East6353978766052801408166762,56237.0
Mid-West1330199599375158925044331,59336.6
South-East1025215546352176934741471,55237.1
South-West7233299565562781378145712,48336.8
             
Republic of Ireland812852,4356,5334,0131,85998052837247117,55736.7
Northern Ireland–7128173923115129647334.6
Britain21122657123486383118171,23434.9
Elsewhere–1220352122472312316231,12535.0
Table 10 Marriages of opposite-sex couples registered in 2018 classified by age and area of residence of bride before marriage
 Age of brideAverage age
Area of residence of brideUnder 2020-2425-2930-3435-3940-4445-4950-5455-5960 and overTotalof bride
Total1475154,6158,0623,7731,44783648027124320,38934.4
             
Leinster792582,0973,9011,97179147027216312810,13034.9
Carlow33457955151152222034.7
Dublin City15764529974781741176850332,46035.1
South Dublin143218938420375512920211,01835.3
Fingal7221954032289742331571,04935.1
Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown–14125379162613918121282235.2
Kildare5151833051836534229682734.6
Kilkenny25731336128986332834.7
Laois1117212657221663131534.0
Longford3113648191253–113833.0
Louth–11120171643221107444034.3
Meath511179274129544016141173334.8
Offaly2108210250201272–28733.4
Westmeath714106128582117104436933.7
Wexford121613718910352231781256934.9
Wicklow37103183121633320111155536.3
             
Munster351059811,73788832619211655614,49634.7
Clare3688140672821127737935.2
Cork City21085170813823106442934.9
Cork County–2535063432397594125181,57234.7
Kerry213105180913419164847234.8
Limerick City394669501863–721134.7
Limerick County8201191821023217123349833.6
Tipperary91011318787402796549334.3
Waterford City5429784621108–520635.5
Waterford County38469741181054423634.6
             
Connacht2852418782341142783617201,91434.1
Galway City695411676251275331334.6
Galway County71513826411553231041164034.4
Leitrim113332165621–9733.6
Mayo9118017872341994241834.1
Roscommon3106097291195–122532.7
Sligo2653953314933322134.1
             
Ulster (part of)43632839618369311711111,08633.5
Cavan157711553231127329734.4
Donegal224165203913615114755833.5
Monaghan178678391054–123132.5
             
Regional Authorities 
Border74341452323288462215141,40433.6
Midland1346296404184755026961,10933.6
West2545332655292123633113171,59634.1
Dublin361449612,1631,07140724914897735,34935.2
Mid-East13445859334972141286841322,55535.0
Mid-West2345366578306118713616221,58134.4
South-East2536330576306134634320261,55934.9
South-West4485409844951691016735302,47334.8
             
Republic of Ireland1464513,8246,8163,3831,32877144124622017,62634.7
Northern Ireland–1515714056291162341932.6
Britain–203145631724326171081,17333.1
Elsewhere12932054316247281613121,17133.2
Table 11 Marriages of opposite-sex couples registered in 2018 classified by area of residence of groom before marriage, also showing whether bride has same area of residence
  Area of residence of bride 
Area of residence of groomTotalSame area as groomDifferent area from groom: Republic of IrelandDifferent area from groom: Not Republic of IrelandPercentage of brides from same area as groom
Local Authority Areas     
Carlow22218337282.4
Dublin City2,4392,2571562692.5
South Dublin1,022908981688.8
Fingal1,05895995490.6
Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown80071975689.9
Kildare82374671690.6
Kilkenny34429150384.6
Laois30326239286.5
Longford14811530377.7
Louth43039032890.7
Meath74264692487.1
Offaly28223943–84.8
Westmeath36231248286.2
Wexford56350952290.4
Wicklow56750558489.1
      
Clare37932946486.8
Cork City42735962684.1
Cork County1,5841,4231501189.8
Kerry47241354587.5
Limerick City20918029–86.1
Limerick County48941174484.0
Tipperary516412100479.8
Waterford City1791727–96.1
Waterford County24419844281.1
      
Galway City28024235386.4
Galway County646533109482.5
Leitrim1097232566.1
Mayo43536363983.4
Roscommon22817551276.8
Sligo21018423387.6
 
Cavan28124433486.8
Donegal550496411390.2
Monaghan21417933283.6
      
Regional Authorities     
Border1,3641,2291082790.1
Midland1,095973115788.9
West1,5891,4381331890.5
Dublin5,3195,0592085295.1
Mid-East2,5622,3342062291.1
Mid-West1,5931,4211601289.2
South-East1,5521,413130991.0
South-West2,4832,3411202294.3
      
Provinces     
Leinster10,1059,7692488896.7
Munster4,4994,2841793695.2
Connacht1,9081,7411412691.2
Ulster (part of)1,045944821990.3
      
Republic of Ireland17,55717,388–16999.0
Northern Ireland47338385581.0
Britain1,2341,132841891.7
Elsewhere1,1251,037691992.2
Table 12 Marriages of opposite-sex couples registered in 2018 classified by area of residence of bride before marriage, also showing whether groom has same area of residence
  Area of residence of groom 
Area of residence of brideTotalSame area as brideDifferent area from bride: Republic of IrelandDifferent area from bride: Not Republic of IrelandPercentage of grooms from same area as bride
Local Authority Areas     
Carlow22018337–83.2
Dublin City2,4602,2571782591.7
South Dublin1,018908981289.2
Fingal1,049959761491.4
Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown822719901387.5
Kildare82774675690.2
Kilkenny32829135288.7
Laois31526252183.2
Longford13811521283.3
Louth440390401088.6
Meath73364679888.1
Offaly28723947183.3
Westmeath36931251684.6
Wexford56950956489.5
Wicklow55550547391.0
      
Clare37932945586.8
Cork City42935965583.7
Cork County1,5721,4231371290.5
Kerry47241356387.5
Limerick City21118030185.3
Limerick County498411771082.5
Tipperary49341273883.6
Waterford City20617231383.5
Waterford County23619836283.9
      
Galway City31324268377.3
Galway County64053398983.3
Leitrim977223274.2
Mayo41836349686.8
Roscommon22517548277.8
Sligo22118435283.3
      
Cavan29724448582.2
Donegal558496313188.9
Monaghan231179302277.5
      
Regional Authorities     
Border1,4041,2291136287.5
Midland1,1099731261087.7
West1,5961,4381382090.1
Dublin5,3495,0592266494.6
Mid-East2,5552,3341942791.4
Mid-West1,5811,4211362489.9
South-East1,5591,4131351190.6
South-West2,4732,3411122094.7
      
Provinces 
Leinster10,1309,76925410796.4
Munster4,4964,2841634995.3
Connacht1,9141,7411492491.0
Ulster (part of)1,086944845886.9
      
Republic of Ireland17,62617,388–23898.6
Northern Ireland41938330691.4
Britain1,1731,132271496.5
Elsewhere1,1711,0371122288.6
Table 13 Marriages of opposite-sex couples celebrated in each county and city during 2018 classified by form of ceremony
 Form of ceremony 
Province, county or cityCatholicChurch of IrelandPresbyterianThe Spiritualist Union of IrelandOther religious denominationsCivil marriagesThe Humanist Association Total
Total10,027323621,3411,0095,8611,76620,389
         
Leinster4,025179119176193,4771,03110,259
Carlow15510–41128217317
Dublin City412302601131,8492112,677
South Dublin1815231433012304
Fingal1965153403449378
Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown14515125281835267
Kildare34012–14093275117977
Kilkenny32951281915237571
Laois24811–23153625358
Longford1024–––45–151
Louth27532382213643519
Meath551122235911562241,271
Offaly2079–136578300
Westmeath2416–37517640451
Wexford34518–581524938723
Wicklow29834–13571282175995
         
Munster3,1986212692301,4395365,735
Clare3501–50574066564
Cork City2382–141144035740
Cork County90639170841602091,469
Kerry5845–702218494959
Limerick City75––3226916365
Limerick County3834–15122426464
Tipperary41910–242214173689
Waterford City52––9121255203
Waterford County1911–1485612282
         
Connacht1,659192871245741402,605
Galway City1712–13216437308
Galway County4715–155825339841
Leitrim1225–38323173
Mayo4944121208624650
Roscommon199––1153411260
Sligo20231241210526373
         
Ulster (part of)1,14563486836371591,790
Cavan274235301011530487
Donegal6462927201820415959
Monaghan22511161885214344
         
Regional Authorities        
Border1,46971499556508882,336
Midland79830–7372214731,260
West1,335111601044371112,059
Dublin9345561692241,9313073,626
Mid-East1,4646145482778495593,762
Mid-West1,22715–92934741812,082
South-East1,072341150666641092,096
South-West1,7284611541177843383,168
Table 13A Same-Sex marriages celebrated in each county and city during 2018 classified by form of ceremony
 Form of ceremony 
Province, county or cityCivil marriagesThe Humanist Association The Spiritualist Union of IrelandOther religious denominationsTotal
TOTAL4171218937664
      
Leinster271767125443
Carlow4–1–5
Dublin City1892958231
South Dublin134–8
Fingal13318
Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown256114
Kildare1957435
Kilkenny1324–19
Laois112–4
Longford–––––
Louth353112
Meath61014333
Offaly2–1–3
Westmeath136111
Wexford1515324
Wicklow14910336
      
Munster763386123
Clare162312
Cork City355–141
Cork County3154–22
Kerry451111
Limerick City171–119
Limerick County–––––
Tipperary811–10
Waterford City6–––6
Waterford County2–––2
      
Connacht4376561
Galway City841114
Galway County2111326
Leitrim––1–1
Mayo5–117
Roscommon211–4
Sligo711–9
      
Ulster (part of)2754137
Cavan42118
Donegal202––22
Monaghan313–7
      
Regional Authorities     
Border3466147
Midland449118
West3664551
Dublin193401810261
Mid-East42293411116
Mid-West2683441
South-East40310356
South-West42255274
      
Table 13B Same-Sex marriages celebrated in each county and city during 2018 classified by sex and form of ceremony
 Male  Female 
Province, county or cityCivil marriagesThe Humanist Association The Spiritualist Union of IrelandOther religious denominationsTotal male Civil marriagesThe Humanist Association The Spiritualist Union of IrelandOther religious denominationsTotal female
Total243713820372 174505117292
            
Leinster167453215259 104313910184
Carlow3–1–4 1   1
Dublin City1231946152 66101279
South Dublin–21–3 113–5
Fingal–1––1 12317
Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown143–8 11316
Kildare1154222 8–3213
Kilkenny7–1–8 623–11
Laois–11–2 1–1–2
Longford––––– –––––
Louth252–9 1–113
Meath327214 387119
Offaly––1 1 2–––2
Westmeath1–––1 –36110
Wexford914317 6–1–7
Wicklow753217 747119
            
Munster43213370 33125353
Clare–3126 13116
Cork City192––21 163–120
Cork County391–13 –63–9
Kerry25––7 2–114
Limerick City91–111 8–––8
Limerick County––––– –––––
Tipperary311–5 5–––5
Waterford City6–––6 –––––
Waterford County1–––1 1–––1
            
Connacht1742225 2634336
Galway City43–18 411–6
Galway County71–19 14–1217
Leitrim––1–1 –––––
Mayo2–––2 3–115
Roscommon––1–1 21––3
Sligo4–––4 311–5
            
Ulster (part of)1611–18 1143119
Cavan4–––4 –2114
Donegal12–––12 82––10
Monaghan–11–2 3–2–5
            
Regional Authorities           
Border2012–23 1454124
Midland112–4 337114
West1341220 2323331
Dublin1242686164 691410497
Mid-East231716662 191218554
Mid-West1252322 1431119
South-East2616336 1424–20
South-West24161–41 1894233
            
Table 14 Marriages of opposite-sex couples registered in 2018 classified by area of residence of groom and form of ceremony
Form of ceremony 
Area of residence of groomCatholicChurch of IrelandPresbyterianThe Spiritualist Union of IrelandOther religious denominationsCivil marriagesThe Humanist AssociationTotal
Total10,027323621,3411,0095,8611,76620,389
         
Leinster4,19115488615573,38794710,105
Carlow1317–105627222
Dublin City73432–2121649723252,439
South Dublin33710–11784382921,022
Fingal36581105653731411,058
Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown296182714127696800
Kildare38161794723970823
Kilkenny219611358614344
Laois18411–17126910303
Longford901–84414148
Louth21111351713629430
Meath38462792918656742
Offaly1745–16166110282
Westmeath1997–1732989362
Wexford29018–17920722563
Wicklow19618–652719962567
         
Munster2,5093311611501,3213244,499
Clare2191–91711122379
Cork City1703–172616150427
Cork County89320161484301311,584
Kerry2961–21911233472
Limerick City86––869217209
Limerick County3141–151411728489
Tipperary3216–141613326516
Waterford City731–117807179
Waterford County137––578510244
         
Connacht1,2291235579456741,908
Galway City1332–101210122280
Galway County4143–173514433646
Leitrim74312–272109
Mayo31931813847435
Roscommon161––710455228
Sligo12811119555210
         
Ulster (part of)72135183317206151,045
Cavan173161165628281
Donegal4021313871034550
Monaghan1466495413214
         
Regional Authorities        
Border92339204626288221,364
Midland64724–5864269331,095
West1,027814270374671,589
Dublin1,7326835053542,0036545,319
Mid-East1,1723142581207602172,562
Mid-West9408–4653453931,593
South-East8503215633520601,552
South-West1,35924199837032142,483
         
Republic of Ireland8,650234301,1108035,3701,36017,557
Northern Ireland2261721303111434473
Britain65048882621822021,234
Elsewhere5012431191131951701,125
Table 15 Marriages of opposite-sex couples registered in 2018 classified by area of residence of bride and form of ceremony
Form of ceremony 
Area of residence of brideCatholicChurch of IrelandPresbyterianThe Spiritualist Union of IrelandOther religious denominationsCivil marriagesThe Humanist AssociationTotal
Total10,027323621,3411,0095,8611,76620,389
         
Leinster4,23115388595643,36395210,130
Carlow12481127608220
Dublin City73533–2111619893312,460
South Dublin3399–11588378891,018
Fingal37171106613651381,049
Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown3112127640271101822
Kildare37491804724472827
Kilkenny212411338213328
Laois2065–1614659315
Longford82––75413138
Louth2181–401713430440
Meath37981713318556733
Offaly1825–15156010287
Westmeath206911632969369
Wexford29817–181120520569
Wicklow19417–633018863555
         
Munster2,5013611661511,3203214,496
Clare212––131811224379
Cork City17521152316053429
Cork County87924–58484331301,572
Kerry2993–231010928472
Limerick City90––978916211
Limerick County3291–161211624498
Tipperary3025–151512927493
Waterford City841–139909206
Waterford County131––498210236
         
Connacht1,2461235279448741,914
Galway City1601–121310522313
Galway County4075–163414434640
Leitrim70212–21197
Mayo30831613798418
Roscommon161––710434225
Sligo1401199565221
         
Ulster (part of)74839253119209151,086
Cavan179201166678297
Donegal4081415781033558
Monaghan1615985394231
         
Regional Authorities
Border95842274228286211,404
Midland6761915466262311,109
West1,036914170371681,596
Dublin1,7567035083502,0036595,349
Mid-East1,1653522541277512212,555
Mid-West9336–5352446911,581
South-East8493026039519601,559
South-West1,35329196817022112,473
         
Republic of Ireland8,726240371,1088135,3401,36217,626
Northern Ireland1831516312911233419
Britain62045683571631991,173
Elsewhere4982331191102461721,171
Table 16 Marriages of opposite-sex couples registered in 2018 classified by month and day of week of marriage
 Day of occurrence 
Month of occurrenceSundayMondayTuesdayWednesdayThursdayFridaySaturdayTotal
January57045387624191566
February429277683315247781
March314343511564764301,230
April387663611695805061,493
May576588872736475751,792
June567781742569088562,308
July671121161213417787052,240
August9388911684191,0708292,758
September507875882718268662,254
October546883872116556291,787
November104954521756173681,325
December12963341423176145561,855
Total5948188001,0452,7477,7276,65820,389
Table 16A Same-Sex Marriages registered in 2018 classified by month and day of week of marriage
 Day of occurrence 
Month of occurrenceSundayMondayTuesdayWednesdayThursdayFridaySaturdayTotal
January1251312125
February123337322
March–4341119647
April43641113344
May61681027866
June–31710291464
July581058281882
August439722361192
September257311261367
October26581223662
November14111316945
December25441610748
Total2846605513024699664
         
Table 16B Marriages of opposite-sex and same-sex couples registered in 2018 classified by month and day of week of marriage
 Day of occurrence 
Month of occurrenceSundayMondayTuesdayWednesdayThursdayFridaySaturdayTotal
January67250397925392591
February531307986322250803
March314746551674954361,277
April427969651805935091,537
May636694952836745831,858
June568082812669378702,372
July721201261263498067232,322
August97911001754411,1068402,850
September528382912828528792,321
October567488952236786351,849
November115355531886333771,370
December13168381463336245631,903
Total6228648601,1002,8777,9736,75721,053
Table 17 Marriages of opposite-sex couples registered in 2018 classified by form of ceremony and previous civil status of partners
 Form of ceremony 
Marriages contracted betweenCatholicChurch of IrelandPresbyterianThe Spiritualist Union of IrelandOther religious denominationsCivil marriagesThe Humanist AssociationTotal
Total10,027323621,3411,0095,8611,76620,389
Single men and single women9,821290531,0787714,2441,53217,789
Single men and widows19––4229357
Widowers and single women291–1440378
Widowers and widows13––1–8224
Divorced men and single women64154112986131081,014
Single men and divorced women6884837643758734
Divorced men and widows2––3535146
Widowers and divorced women61–7654478
Divorced men and divorced women581524740055568
Other–––––1–1
Table 17A Same-Sex Marriages registered in 2018 classified by form of ceremony and previous civil status of partners
 Form of ceremony
Marriages contracted betweenCivil marriagesThe Humanist AssociationThe Spiritualist Union of IrelandOther religious denominationsTotal
Total Male243713820372
Total Female174505117292
      
Single men and single men186663818308
Male civil partner and male civil partner341––35
Divorced men and divorced men1–––1
Single men and divorced men–––––
Divorced men and single men123–217
Widowers and single men41––5
Other men6–––6
      
Single women and single women132464214234
Female civil partner and female civil partner2323331
Divorced women and divorced women2–––2
Single women and divorced women1425–21
Divorced women and single women–––––
Widow and single women1–––1
Other women2–1–3
Table 18 Marriages of opposite-sex couples registered in 2018 classified by area of residence and previous civil status of groom
Area of residence of groomSingle menWidowersDivorceesOtherTotal
Total18,5811801,628–20,389
      
Leinster9,16899838–10,105
Carlow200319–222
Dublin City2,24917173–2,439
South Dublin9141098–1,022
Fingal94411103–1,058
Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown739655–800
Kildare751666–823
Kilkenny319520–344
Laois270330–303
Longford135112–148
Louth388537–430
Meath667966–742
Offaly261219–282
Westmeath330329–362
Wexford496859–563
Wicklow5051052–567
  
Munster4,08138380–4,499
Clare341236–379
Cork City391333–427
Cork County1,43814132–1,584
Kerry430537–472
Limerick City191117–209
Limerick County444540–489
Tipperary469542–516
Waterford City164114–179
Waterford County213229–244
      
Connacht1,76113134–1,908
Galway City259318–280
Galway County599443–646
Leitrim102–7–109
Mayo397335–435
Roscommon212214–228
Sligo192117–210
      
Ulster (part of)9831052–1,045
Cavan255620–281
Donegal523324–550
Monaghan20518–214
      
Regional Authorities     
Border1,2771176–1,364
Midland996990–1,095
West1,46712110–1,589
Dublin4,84644429–5,319
Mid-East2,31130221–2,562
Mid-West1,44513135–1,593
South-East1,39219141–1,552
South-West2,25922202–2,483
      
Republic of Ireland15,9931601,404–17,557
Northern Ireland421646–473
Britain1,1311192–1,234
Elsewhere1,036386–1,125
Table 19 Marriages of opposite-sex couples registered in 2018 classified by area of residence and previous civil status of bride
Area of residence of brideSingle womenWidowsDivorceesOtherTotal
Total18,8811271,380120,389
     
Leinster9,35861710110,130
Carlow203–17–220
Dublin City2,2931015612,460
South Dublin925687–1,018
Fingal973571–1,049
Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown773346–822
Kildare761561–827
Kilkenny306220–328
Laois298215–315
Longford127110–138
Louth401336–440
Meath664663–733
Offaly272–15–287
Westmeath335529–369
Wexford524639–569
Wicklow503745–555
      
Munster4,15125320–4,496
Clare337339–379
Cork City387537–429
Cork County1,4568108–1,572
Kerry439231–472
Limerick City193117–211
Limerick County470226–498
Tipperary463327–493
Waterford City189116–206
Waterford County217–19–236
      
Connacht1,78320111–1,914
Galway City291418–313
Galway County5911039–640
Leitrim92–5–97
Mayo389326–418
Roscommon211212–225
Sligo209111–221
      
ULSTER (part of)1,0111164–1,086
Cavan274320–297
Donegal521532–558
Monaghan216312–231
      
Regional Authorities     
Border1,3121280–1,404
Midland1,032869–1,109
West1,4821995–1,596
Dublin4,9642436015,349
Mid-East2,32921205–2,555
Mid-West1,4639109–1,581
South-East1,4399111–1,559
South-West2,28215176–2,473
      
Republic of Ireland16,3031171,205117,626
Northern Ireland386132–419
Britain1,117551–1,173
Elsewhere1,075492–1,171
Table 20 Marriages of opposite-sex couples registered in 2018 classified by age of groom and bride in single years; all marriages
Age ofAge of bride
groom16 & under17181920212223242526272829303132333435363738394041424344454647484950-5455-5960-6465 & overAll ages
All ages82868434455901202063245268711,2521,6421,8991,8661,7261,4081,1631,06487672459651340835526723817919918715214815048027113410920,389
16 & under2–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––2
171311––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––6
182518332––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––33
193818732–1––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––42
20–61511515211––––––––––––––––––––––––––––47
21–33561522–––1–1––1––––––––––––––––––––30
22–15397963231––––––––––––––––––––––––––49
23–12457148126433311––––1–––––––––––––––––75
24––212101211221736954222––11–––1–––––1––––––114
25––1346917232932158674213–2–1–11––––––––––––175
26––2––4513285856482620151061411–1––1––––––––––––300
27––1316111433449913277412720199834–––2–––––––––––––554
28––––11781844731501961146347202117666–1–21–1–––––––––803
29––––221131426671282192701651036027151812634–3––––––––2–––1,160
30––––1128103236103161293331226945835301313514211––1–––––––1,462
31–1––––277203290152221366334192905463231915853111–––––––––1,707
32–––––2219143142133187249260277168101743716207811–21––1–1––––1,654
33–––1–1118103038721371892472482301267041331612810242––2––––––1,539
34–––1––1–2515375610715217223319217210261512520106444–31––––––1,436
35–––––––2–11015456979130161154146122866636251014444112–11–––1,189
36––––1–21431114304572991161221091239962342525155341211–1–––1,030
37–––––1–1312112235505780978110292646731192011446121–1–––866
38––––––1–253914204659625766849272534731221693752–11–––789
39–––––1–11273721272249486470576272623025131441073313–––689
40––––––––1–245142016253549505755503828251417121373215–––548
41––––––11––45567919292435385343383333162077234152––450
42–––––––1–1–4481016151819323826244534242715159102631––1408
43––––1––––––629371071721262628323128282599974211–––358
44–––––––112111–4910151314151815202414222114111284491––284
45––––––––––1–143277121116211519221422161713791035–––257
46––––––––––11114282129111117191312158141714774931–223
47–––––––––112–2134435977171610171591312987235––210
48––––––––––1–––––11–48491298813101815111211194––178
49––––––––2––1–12214431077961014141010121581423511196
50-54–––––––––––1–2143681114172112262813122133373239521473888594
55-59––––––––––1–21–1–11–5675868129131723272912384215415
60-64–––––––––––1––––21–11134235235864952704120244
65 & over–––––––––––––––2–––––12–34–213528639596274273
Table 21 Marriages of opposite-sex couples registered in 2018 classified by age of groom and bride in single years; first marriages only
Age ofAge of bride
groom16 & under17181920212223242526272829303132333435363738394041424344454647484950-5455-5960-6465 & overAll ages
All ages82868434455891192013235128511,2281,6111,8611,8141,6661,3351,0839907856074854032992561831551061048769506013450131417,789
16 & under2–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––2
171311––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––6
182518332––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––33
193818732–1––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––42
20–61511515211––––––––––––––––––––––––––––47
21–33561522–––1–1––1––––––––––––––––––––30
22–15397963231––––––––––––––––––––––––––49
23–12457147126433311––––1–––––––––––––––––74
24––212101211221736944122––11–––1–––––1––––––112
25––1346817232932158673113–2–1–11––––––––––––172
26––2––451328585647261915961411–1–––––––––––––––296
27––1316111433439813177412719199834–––2–––––––––––––550
28––––11781744721501961146345202115556–1–1––––––––––––792
29––––221131326661252192661621006026141711623–2––––––––1–––1,137
30––––11281032361031602923302229458342611104142–1––––––––––1,442
31–1––––2772032871512203623311918853602018126321–––––––––––1,674
32–––––22191431421331852452602741649972351517568–21–––––––––1,622
33–––1–111610283872136187246246223124693829141167132––1––––––1,501
34–––1––1–25133654102149168226189171985842232075233–3–––––––1,381
35–––––––2–191441687812515615013912081623221711113–1–––1–––1,124
36––––1–214391426437296112115106116915929231911421–211–1–––964
37–––––1–13121119334752768875978856592415178223111–––––783
38––––––1–253813194358605163808967484127161142521–1––––720
39–––––1–11272620232244425265555465532623131128622–2–––610
40––––––––1–244141916233244435345413325221315111051113–––481
41––––––11––3455681527203434463629282615186312213–––379
42–––––––1–1–426913111615303223193928211814865242––––329
43––––1––––––31725951619221723242423221866431–4–––265
44–––––––11211––4788610101313131812141513463122–––188
45–––––––––––––4124677121513151691613106555–2–––173
46––––––––––111132518599101511610599835121––141
47–––––––––1–––1–22414733810710767874471––114
48––––––––––1–––––11–232675577612557410–––96
49––––––––1––––––––232445223866559276–––82
50-54–––––––––––1–211–43575886116471415181125629–2235
55-59––––––––––––1––––––––––11323254331018273288
60-64––––––––––––––––1–––1–1–1–11–111–1763228
65 & over––––––––––––––––––––––––11–––––––1367827
Table 22 Marriages of opposite-sex couples registered in 2018 classified by age and previous civil status of groom
AgeSingle MenWidowersDivorceesOtherTotal
Total18,5811801,628–20,389
Age of groom     
Under 2083–––83
20-24314–1–315
25-292,985–7–2,992
30-347,744–54–7,798
35-394,3774182–4,563
40-441,78911248–2,048
45-4974324297–1,064
50-5430619269–594
55-5913028257–415
60 and over11094313–517
Average age of groom34.960.551.0–36.4
Table 23 Marriages of opposite-sex couples registered in 2018 classified by age and previous civil status of bride
AgeSingle womenWidowsDivorceesOtherTotal
Total18,8811271,380120,389
Age of bride     
Under 20147–––147
20-24514–1–515
25-294,584130–4,615
30-347,943311518,062
35-393,53610227–3,773
40-441,19013244–1,447
45-4955521260–836
50-5424818214–480
55-599619156–271
60 and over6842133–243
Average age of bride33.455.246.931.134.4
Table 23A Same-Sex Marriages registered in 2018 classified by previous civil status and average age of partners
TotalSingleCivil PartnersWidows/WidowersDivorceesFormer Civil PartnerSurviving Civil PartnerAverage age of partner
1,3281,1371321498139.5
        
Table 23B Same-Sex Marriages registered in 2018 classified by previous civil status and average age of male partners
TotalSingleCivil PartnersWidows/WidowersDivorceesFormer Civil PartnerSurviving Civil PartnerAverage age of partner
744644700245140.1
        
Table 23C Same-Sex Marriages registered in 2018 classified by previous civil status and average age of female partners
TotalSingleCivil PartnersWidowsDivorceesFormer Civil PartnerSurviving Civil PartnerAverage age of partner
584493621253–38.7
        
Table 24 Same-Sex Marriages registered in 2018 classified by future area of residence of partners
Area of residence of partnersAll Same-Sex MarriagesMale Same-Sex MarriagesFemale Same-Sex Marriages
Total664292372
    
Leinster411178233
Carlow523
Dublin City18368115
South Dublin312110
Fingal491732
Dun Laoghaire Rathdown331419
Kildare261016
Kilkenny954
Laois624
Longford1–1
Louth1073
Meath14104
Offaly22–
Westmeath743
Wexford17512
Wicklow18117
    
Munster1074562
Clare734
Cork City19514
Cork County402218
Kerry321
Limerick City835
Limerick County936
Tipperary1147
Waterford City514
Waterford County523
    
Connacht392712
Galway City15114
Galway County1275
Leitrim–––
Mayo761
Roscommon22–
Sligo312
    
Ulster (part of)725
Cavan312
Donegal413
Monaghan–––
    
Regional Authorities   
Border1037
Midland1688
West362610
Dublin296120176
Mid-East683830
Mid-West351322
South-East411526
South-West622933
  
Republic of Ireland564252312
Northern Ireland231211
Outside the State772849
Table 25 Marriages of opposite-sex couples registered in 2018 classified by nationality of bride and of groom
Nationality of GroomNationality of Bride Number % of all marriages
Total20,389100
IrelandIreland15,37775.4
IrelandUnited Kingdom5782.8
IrelandEU15 excl Irl and UK2491.2
IrelandEU16 to EU282801.4
IrelandOther6963.4
IrelandNot stated10.0
United KingdomIreland1,0365.1
EU15 excl Irl and UKIreland1680.8
EU16 to EU28Ireland960.5
OtherIreland3671.8
Not statedIreland00.0
United KingdomUnited Kingdom3561.7
EU15 excl Irl and UKEU15 excl Irl and UK920.5
EU16 to EU28EU16 to EU283461.7
OtherOther3501.7
RemainderRemainder3971.9

Background Notes

Source

These statistics have been compiled from the marriage registration forms of all marriages registered in the Republic of Ireland in 2018.

The release has been prepared by the Central Statistics Office for the Minister for Social Protection in accordance with the provisions of Section 2 of the Vital Statistics and Births, Deaths and Marriages Registration Act, 1952.

Methodology

Where the weekday and month of a marriage are specified in this release, it refers to the date on which the marriage occurred. Note that some marriages registered in 2018 (and hence included in these statistics) occurred in years before 2018.

Form of Ceremony

Marriages celebrated according to the rites and ceremonies of the Roman Catholic Church, the rites and ceremonies of the Church of Ireland, the forms and disciplines of the Presbyterian Church, the usages of the Methodist Church, the usages of people professing the Jewish religion.   The Spiritualist Union of Ireland and the Humanist Association have been classified under their respective ceremony.  The usages of certain other Religious Bodies have been classified under 'other religious'.  (Tables 1, 13,13A,13B, 14, 15 and 17 refer).

 

Standard Occupation Codes (SOC2010)

This classification is determined by a person’s occupation.  The men and women whose marriages were registered from 2012 onwards were classified by standard occupation codes.  This replaces the socio-economic group classification used up to 2011. 

Standard Occupation Codes      Occupations included are as listed 
0 Unemployed, Retired, Student and occupation unknown
1 Managers, Directors and Senior officials
2 Professional occupations
3 Associate professional and Technical occupations 
4 Administrative and Secretarial occupations
5 Skilled trades occupations
6 Caring, Leisure and other service occupations
7 Sales and Customer service occupations
8 Process, Plant and Machine operatives
9 Elementary occupations

 

http://www.bls.gov/soc/soc_structure_2010.pdf

Area of residence

Four classifications of district are available: that in which the marriage took place, the areas of residence of the bride and groom prior to marriage, and the intended future residence.

Age specific marriage rates

The age specific marriage rates are calculated as follows:

Age Specific Rate = Number of Males (or Females) of that age whose marriages were registered multiplied by 1,000 and divided by Population of Males (or Females) of that age. The small number of marriages for which the age is not stated are distributed in proportion before this calculation is made.

Marriages per 1,000 population

This is calculated for each year as follows:

Marriages per 1,000 population = Number of Marriages registered multiplied by 1,000 and divided by population.   The 2018 usual residence population is 4,857,015.

Usual residence population concept

For the purpose of this release the population concept of usual residence has been used, i.e. all persons usually resident and present in the State on census night plus absent persons who are usually resident in Ireland but are temporarily away from home and outside the State on census night.  All persons are classified according to their region of usual residence.

Same-Sex Marriage Legislation

The Marriage Act 2015 (No 35/2015) effective from the 16th November 2015 (S.I 504/15 refers) allows parties of the same-sex to marry.

New NUTS2 and NUTS3 regional Authority areas - January 2018

From 1st January 2018 an Amendment of the EU NUTS legislation came into effect. This reflects the new regional assembly structure and the other changes to the Local Government Act for Tipperary North, Tipperary South,  Limerick City and County, Waterford City and County. The composition of the new Regions breakdown is outlined below.

 Northern and Western regions   Eastern and Midland regions
Border Cavan    Dublin Dublin City   
  Donegal     Dún Laoghlaire-Rathdown  
  Leitrim     Fingal  
  Monaghan     South Dublin  
  Sligo    Mid-East  Kildare  
        Louth  
 West  Galway City     Meath  
   Galway County     Wicklow  
   Mayo   Midland  Laois  
   Roscommon     Longford  
        Offaly
         Westmeath  
   Southern Regions
 South-East Carlow    Mid-West Clare  
  Kilkenny      Tipperary  
  Waterford City and County     Limerick City and County  
  Wexford   South-West  Cork City  
        Cork County   
        Kerry   

EU-28 countries

Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom.

 

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