3310.0 - Marriages and Divorces, Australia, 2011

ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 30/11/2012

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Contents >> Marriages >> Marriage celebrants

MARRIAGE CELEBRANTS

The proportion of marriages performed by civil celebrants has increased over the past 20 years. In 2011, 70.1% of all marriages were performed by civil celebrants. Civil marriages have outnumbered religious ceremonies since 1999. In 2011, of the 36,372 marriages performed by ministers of religion, the most common rites used were Catholic (32.9%) followed by Anglican (16.2%).

1.9 Type of celebrant, Australia, Selected years - 1991-2011
Graph: 1.9 Type of celebrant, Australia, Selected years—1991–2011

In 2011, couples who cohabited before marrying were more likely to marry in a civil ceremony than those who lived apart, with 76.6% of couples cohabiting married in a civil ceremony, compared with 46.6% of those who lived apart.