AGE-SPECIFIC MARRIAGE RATES
Age-specific marriage rates can provide a more detailed picture of age at which people marry. These rates give an indication of the proportion of all males or females in a particular age group who were married in a given year. Further information on calculation of age-specific marriage rates is provided in the Glossary and Explanatory Notes 40-41 and 46.
For both males and females, the highest age-specific marriage rates were in the 25-29 year age group, with 45.4 marriages per 1,000 males in this age group and 52.5 marriages per 1,000 females in 2008. In 1989 the highest age-specific marriage rate for males was also in the 25-29 year age group (53.3 per 1,000 males), however for females, the highest rate was amongst the 20-24 year age group (68.4 per 1,000 females).
Age-specific marriage rates, Australia, - Selected years - 1989-2008 |
|
| 1989 | 1999 | 2004(a) | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 |
Age Group (Years)(b) | rate | rate | rate | rate | rate | rate | rate |
Males |
|
19 and under | 2.2 | 1.1 | 0.8 | 0.7 | 0.6 | 0.9 | 0.8 |
20-24 | 46.8 | 25.9 | 18.7 | 18.4 | 18.3 | 18.1 | 17.7 |
25-29 | 53.3 | 51.3 | 47.6 | 45.4 | 46.3 | 46.4 | 45.4 |
30-34 | 27.9 | 33.0 | 35.5 | 35.2 | 36.7 | 36.7 | 36.7 |
35-39 | 14.8 | 17.5 | 18.8 | 18.5 | 19.4 | 19.7 | 20.1 |
40-44 | 10.1 | 10.1 | 10.6 | 10.5 | 11.1 | 11.3 | 11.4 |
45-49 | 7.8 | 7.6 | 7.8 | 7.7 | 8.1 | 8.1 | 8.1 |
50 and over | 3.6 | 3.6 | 3.6 | 3.3 | 3.6 | 3.7 | 3.7 |
Females |
|
19 and under | 11.7 | 5.1 | 3.8 | 3.3 | 3.0 | 3.7 | 3.5 |
20-24 | 68.4 | 43.8 | 33.3 | 32.7 | 32.2 | 31.7 | 30.9 |
25-29 | 44.1 | 52.1 | 52.6 | 50.7 | 51.6 | 52.0 | 52.5 |
30-34 | 20.7 | 26.3 | 29.5 | 29.6 | 31.3 | 31.3 | 31.1 |
35-39 | 11.2 | 13.0 | 14.1 | 14.3 | 14.9 | 15.4 | 15.3 |
40-44 | 7.9 | 8.0 | 8.3 | 8.0 | 8.4 | 8.5 | 8.6 |
45-49 | 6.1 | 6.1 | 6.2 | 6.0 | 6.2 | 6.5 | 6.6 |
50 and over | 1.9 | 1.9 | 2.1 | 2.0 | 2.1 | 2.1 | 2.1 |
|
(a) 2004 data is subject to sampling error. See Explanatory Note 50 for further information. |
(b) Per 1,000 estimated residential population of males and females, respectively, at 30 June. From 2007 onwards, only those people aged 16 years and over, and therefore eligible to marry according to the Marriages Act 1961 are included. Prior to 2007, people aged 15-19 years are included. |