The number of couples getting married or entering into civil unions dropped in 2024, according to Stats NZ, continuing a downward trend in those tying the knot.
In 2024, a total of 18,033 couples living in New Zealand got married or entered into a civil union — a 4% drop from 2023, when there were 18,744.
The figures released today were also 14% lower than the 1990s, which had an average of 20,950 marriages per year.
Stats NZ population estimates, projections, and coverage spokesperson Rebekah Hennessey said the rates of marriage had fallen from one generation to the next.
She said a range of causes were behind the falling statistics, including changed views on marriage and economic factors.
“Marriage is no longer seen as the only or necessary path for a committed relationship – there are higher proportions of people in de facto relationships than a decade ago, and more recently, around half of babies born have parents that are not married,” Hennessey said.
In 2024, there were eight marriages per 1000 people eligible to be wed, which was less than half the number during the 1990s, when it was 18 per 1000.
The rate was one-fifth of the 1960s, when there were around 39 marriages per 1000 people.
Another major factor behind the decline in marriages since the 90s, Hennessey said, was fewer people remarrying than getting married for the first time.
In one quarter of marriages in 2024, at least one person had been married before, down from just over one-third in the 90s.
“Marriages can end through divorce or the death of a spouse, with the data indicating that fewer individuals in these situations are opting to remarry,” Hennessey said.
“Among those who remarry, about 90% were previously divorced, so a decline in divorces corresponds with a decline in remarriages.”
Stats NZ said the decline in remarriages had been “more noticeable” over the last 20 years.
In the early 2000s, there were approximately 7500 remarrages, compared to 4560 in 2024, representing a 39% decrease.
The number of those getting married for the first time remained relatively flat over this period, with 13,200 in the early 2000s, and 13,467 in 2024
Fewer divorces
Stats NZ said fewer people were getting divorced.
A total of 7497 couples were granted divorces from their marriages or civil unions in 2024, 6% lower than in 2023, which had 7995 divorces.
It was also a 21% decline from the 1990s, which had an average of 9500 divorces per year.
Hennessey said this was to be “expected” with fewer people marrying. She also said changing views on marriage may have also played a part.
“People being older on average when they do marry may mean that those who do marry are making more intentional choices, potentially reducing the chance of divorce,” she said.
There were 7.5 divorces out of every 1000 marriages in 2024, down from around 12 per 100 in the 90s.