There were 118,439 marriages registered in Australia in 2023, down from the record high of 127,161 marriages registered in 2022 but well above COVID-19 pandemic related lows in 2020 and 2021.
The crude marriage rate (the number of marriages divided by the population aged 16 and over) was 5.5 marriages per 1,000 people 16 years and over in 2023, comparable to the 5.6 recorded in 2019 before the pandemic.
The median age at marriage has increased to 32.9 years for males (from 32.5 years in 2022) and 31.2 years for females (from 30.9 years in 2022).
There were 4,558 marriages registered for couples of the same or non-binary gender, comparable to the 4,593 registered in 2022. Marriage between people of the same sex or gender was legislated from December 2017.
| 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total marriages registered (no.) (a) | 113,815 | 78,987 | 89,167 | 127,161 | 118,439 | |
| Crude marriage rate (b) | 5.6 | 3.8 | 4.3 | 6.1 | 5.5 | |
| Median ages | ||||||
| Median age at marriage, male (years) | 32.3 | 32.2 | 32.1 | 32.5 | 32.9 | |
| Median age at marriage, female (years) | 30.5 | 30.6 | 30.5 | 30.9 | 31.2 | |
| Marriages of the same gender | ||||||
| Male marriages of the same gender (no.) (c) | 2,260 | 1,116 | 1,075 | 1,767 | 1,735 | |
| Female marriages of the same gender (no.) (c) | 3,245 | 1,785 | 1,770 | 2,667 | 2,619 | |
- Restrictions put in place during the first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic had a direct impact on marriages in 2020 and 2021. Comparisons to other years should be treated with caution.
- Crude marriage rates reflect the number of marriages registered during the year per 1,000 of estimated resident population aged 16 years and over, as at 30 June for the same year.
- In September 2021, marriage registration forms were updated to record gender including male, female and non-binary. Prior to 2022, sex was collected on marriage registration forms. Comparisons should be treated with caution.
- Refer to the methodology for more information.
- Restrictions put in place during the first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic had a direct impact on marriages in 2020 and 2021. Comparisons to other years should be treated with caution.
- Crude marriage rates reflect the number of marriages registered during the year per 1,000 of estimated resident population aged 16 years and over, as at 30 June for the same year.
- Refer to the methodology for more information.
Marriages by state and territory
For marriages registered in 2023:
- With the exception of South Australia and Western Australia, all state and territories registered fewer marriages in 2023 than in 2022.
- Western Australia registered 16.8% more marriages in 2023 than in 2022, while South Australia registered 7.1% more marriages. For both South Australia and Western Australia, the number of marriages registered in 2023 was well above the number registered in 2019, prior to the pandemic.
- The largest declines in marriages registered were in the ACT (14.1% fewer), NSW (13.2% fewer) and Tasmania (11.2% fewer). All of these states recorded a higher than usual number of marriages in 2022 after the COVID-19 related restrictions in 2020 and 2021.
| 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NSW | 39,597 | 27,609 | 27,314 | 44,953 | 39,018 |
| Vic. | 28,632 | 16,628 | 18,740 | 33,231 | 29,816 |
| Qld | 22,150 | 15,917 | 21,627 | 25,014 | 23,826 |
| SA | 7,122 | 5,429 | 6,778 | 7,268 | 7,782 |
| WA | 11,659 | 9,561 | 10,305 | 11,237 | 13,120 |
| Tas. | 2,388 | 2,016 | 2,328 | 2,821 | 2,506 |
| NT | 806 | 549 | 796 | 819 | 794 |
| ACT | 1,461 | 1,278 | 1,279 | 1,818 | 1,562 |
- Marriage data is based on the state or territory of registration rather than usual residence.
- Restrictions put in place during the first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic had a direct impact on marriages in 2020 and 2021. Comparisons to other years should be treated with caution.
- Refer to the methodology for more information.
Marriages by date of occurrence
- In 2023, marriages followed a similar pattern to the years prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. Peak marriage numbers occurred in spring and autumn and lower numbers in winter and over the Easter and Christmas periods.
- The most popular date to marry in 2023 was 11/11/23 with 1,799 marriages. Other popular dates were 25/3/23 (1,714 marriages), 23/9/23 (1,699 marriages) and 18/11/23 (1,682 marriages).
- Data is presented by the date the marriage occurred. A proportion of marriages occurring in a year are not registered until subsequent years.
- This graph includes marriages registered and received by the ABS in 2024. Totals will differ to data by year of registration.
- Refer to the methodology for more information.