Marriage is in very poor shape in Britain, a fact very starkly revealed in a new report from the Centre for Social Justice (CSJ). The reports points to a long-term and historically unprecedented decline in marriage across the country.
In England and Wales, the number of marriages has fallen from 400,000 in 1973 to 224,402 in 2023, despite the population rising from 56 to 67 million. Apart from the Covid years, this is the lowest annual total since records began in the 19th century. Ireland has experienced a comparable shift. The marriage rate has declined steadily over the past two decades and is now below the EU average and at its lowest level outside the pandemic years. In both countries, population growth has not translated into more marriages, suggesting a deep cultural change rather than a temporary fluctuation.
The retreat from marriage is especially evident among the young. In Britain, 62pc of men had married by age 25 in 1970. By 2000 this had fallen to 11pc, and today it is just 2pc. More men are married for a second time by age 40 than have ever married by age 25. Ireland shows the same pattern of postponement.
This shift is reflected in rising ages at first marriage. In England and Wales, the median age at marriage has reached 34.8 for men and 33.0 for women, compared with 25.8 and 23.2 respectively in 1980. Ireland is following a similar trajectory, with family formation taking place later in life.
These changes have clear demographic consequences. In the UK, if a woman has not had a child by age 30, there is roughly a 50pc chance she will never become a mother, and fertility rates among ever-married women are markedly higher than among those who never marry, according to the report.
The wider social context of relationships has also changed in Britain. The CSJ report notes that cohabiting relationships are more likely to end in separation and are associated with higher levels of domestic abuse and loneliness compared to marriage.
Religious marriage has declined sharply in Britain, falling from half of all weddings in 1992 to just 15pc in 2023. Ireland still differs somewhat, with church ceremonies accounting for just 35pc of marriages in 2024 compared with 95pc in 1994.
Despite all this, the desire for marriage, while much weaker, has not disappeared. Among those under 30 in Britain, 80pc of unmarried men and 86pc of unmarried women still say they hope to tight the knot one day. The real question, then, is why something so widely desired is happening less often and later in life.
As Dan Lilley, Programme Lead at the Centre for Social Justice, says: “This [the huge decline in marriage] is devastating news. Marriage is one of the most important foundations of society with clear benefits across our country. Better outcomes for children, less loneliness, greater prosperity and birth rates. This is without mentioning the productivity and other economic benefits”
“People want to get married. We need to be helping foster good relationships and an environment where marriage is much easier.”
These trends closely mirror developments here in Ireland described in the Iona Institute’s recent paper On the Wrong Course.
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