Number of marriages
- There were 78,989 marriages registered in Australia in 2020 compared with 113,815 in 2019. This was a decrease of 30.6%.
- Restrictions put in place during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic including social distancing requirements, size limits on gatherings (including weddings) and travel restrictions had a direct impact on marriages in 2020.
- The decrease of 30.6% from 2019 to 2020 is the largest annual decrease in marriages ever reported by the ABS (since 1901)
- Annual marriage registrations are the lowest reported since 1961 (76,686).
- While the number of people marrying in 2020 was lower, characteristics such as median age at marriage and the proportion of civil versus religious ceremonies remained comparable with previous years.
- There are a range of administrative factors that affect the timeliness of marriages being registered in a given year. See 'Considerations when interpreting data' in Methodology.
- Care should be taken when interpreting 2004 data. In 2004 marriage registrations were sampled for NSW, Vic, Qld and SA, while the other states were fully enumerated. Sampled forms were subject to full processing. For an explanation and calculation of the sampling error see the Technical Note in Marriages, Australia, 2004.
- In 2012 and 2013, the Victorian marriage data contributing to totals were compiled using a sampling method. Caution is advised when interpreting marriages data for 2012 and 2013, as this includes estimates for Victoria.
Crude marriage rate
Rates enable comparisons over time as they account for changes in the size of the population.
- In 2020, Australia's crude marriage rate was 3.1 marriages per 1,000 people. This compares with 4.5 marriages per 1,000 people in 2019, a rate decrease of 31.1%.
- The marriage rate has been declining in Australia over time, reducing by 23.7% over the two decades between 2000 and 2019.
- Crude marriage rates reflect the number of marriages registered during the calendar year per 1,000 estimated resident population, as at 30 June for that year. See Glossary and 'Rates and rounding' in Methodology.
- There are a range of administrative factors that affect the timeliness of marriages being registered in a given year. See 'Considerations when interpreting data' in Methodology.
- Care should be taken when interpreting 2004 data. In 2004 marriage registrations were sampled for NSW, Vic, Qld and SA, while the other states were fully enumerated. Sampled forms were subject to full processing. For an explanation and calculation of the sampling error see the Technical Note in Marriages, Australia, 2004.
- In 2012 and 2013, the Victorian marriage data contributing to totals were compiled using a sampling method. Caution is advised when interpreting marriages data for 2012 and 2013, as this includes estimates for Victoria.
Time of year
The graph below shows the number of marriages that occurred each month in 2020 compared to the average over the past five years (2015-19). This provides an insight into how the pandemic impacted numbers throughout the year.
For marriages occurring in 2020:
- Marriage numbers in January and February were in line with previous years, noting that the leap year contributed to the higher count in February, and February 29 was the fifth most popular day on which people married.
- There was a significant decrease in marriage counts from March when compared to the five-year average. This coincides with the introduction of many COVID-19 pandemic restrictions in Australia.
- April recorded the largest proportional decrease with 3,245 marriages compared to an average of 11,274 marriages for the same month over the previous five years.
- The lowest number of marriages occurred in June (3,063 marriages). While the winter months traditionally have the lowest number of weddings, the proportional decrease is significant when compared with the average over the last five years (6,293).
- Numbers of marriages remained lower than for previous years throughout the winter and spring months.
- There are a range of administrative factors that affect the timeliness of marriages being registered in a given year. See 'Considerations when interpreting data' in Methodology.
- Data for the 2015-19 average is based on the month and year in which the marriage occurred, rather than the year in which it was registered. A proportion of marriages occur in a given year but are not registered until subsequent years.
- Data for 2020 include marriages occurring and registered in 2020. December 2020 data has been suppressed in this graph as marriage counts are expected to increase with further processing of registrations received in 2021.
- Care should be taken in interpreting 2020 occurrence data and comparing with data presented in the Marriages and Divorces, Australia publication.
- 2016 and 2020 are leap years with an extra day for 29 February. In 2020, 29 February fell on a Saturday contributing to the higher number of weddings in the month.
Most common days to marry
For marriages occurring in 2020:
- Saturday 10 October was the most common day on which to marry, with 2,191 couples tying the knot that day. Historically, 10 October has been a popular day to marry whenever it falls on a Saturday.
- 1,517 couples chose to marry on the extra day provided by the leap year, Saturday 29 February 2020.
| Rank | Date | Marriages (no.) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Saturday, 10 October | 2,191 |
| 2 | Saturday, 22 February | 1,783 |
| 3 | Saturday, 14 March | 1,606 |
| 4 | Saturday, 7 March | 1,539 |
| 5 | Saturday, 29 February | 1,517 |
- The data presented in this table is based on when the marriage occurred, rather than when it was registered. A proportion of marriages occur in a given year but are not registered until subsequent years.
States and territories
Marriage statistics are presented by the state or territory in which the marriage was registered, rather than the state or territory of usual residence of the couple.
In 2020:
- all states and territories recorded a decrease in marriages compared with 2019
- the largest decrease of 41.9% (12,007 marriages) was in Victoria where additional restrictions were in place due to the second wave of COVID-19.
| NSW | Vic. | Qld | SA | WA | Tas. | NT | ACT | Aust. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 40,583 | 30,152 | 23,641 | 7,741 | 12,219 | 2,497 | 795 | 1,562 | 119,188 |
| 2019 | 39,596 | 28,634 | 22,152 | 7,125 | 11,661 | 2,385 | 805 | 1,461 | 113,815 |
| 2020 | 27,609 | 16,627 | 15,917 | 5,432 | 9,561 | 2,013 | 552 | 1,275 | 78,989 |
| Change 2019-2020 (no.) | -11,987 | -12,007 | -6,235 | -1,693 | -2,100 | -372 | -253 | -186 | -34,826 |
| Change 2019-2020 (%) | -30.3 | -41.9 | -28.1 | -23.8 | -18 | -15.6 | -31.4 | -12.7 | -30.6 |
| 2020 same-sex marriages(b) (no.) | 970 | 606 | 599 | 168 | 376 | 96 | 18 | 70 | 2,902 |
| Proportion of 2020 marriages that were same-sex(b) (%) | 3.5 | 3.6 | 3.8 | 3.1 | 3.9 | 4.8 | 3.3 | 5.5 | 3.7 |
- Marriage data are based on the state or territory of registration rather than usual residence. This should be considered when interpreting or comparing state and territory data. See 'Considerations when interpreting data' in Methodology.
- There are a range of administrative factors that affect the timeliness of marriages being registered in a given year. See 'Considerations when interpreting data' in Methodology.
- Any marriages where one or both parties do not identify as either male or female are not included in same-sex marriage data. See 'Classifications' in Methodology.
Age at marriage
Demographic characteristics such as median age change little year on year so comparisons are best made over a longer period.
Since 2010, median age at marriage has increased from:
- 31.4 to 32.2 years for males.
- 29.2 to 30.6 years for females.
- There are a range of administrative factors that affect the timeliness of marriages being registered in a given year. See 'Considerations when interpreting data' in Methodology.
- Care should be taken when interpreting 2004 data. In 2004 marriage registrations were sampled for NSW, Vic, Qld and SA, while the other states were fully enumerated. Sampled forms were subject to full processing. For an explanation and calculation of the sampling error see the Technical Note in Marriages, Australia, 2004.
- In 2012 and 2013, the Victorian marriage data contributing to totals were compiled using a sampling method. Caution is advised when interpreting marriages data for 2012 and 2013, as this includes estimates for Victoria.
- There are a very small number of same-sex marriages included in data for 2017. Where data are presented by sex for 2017, a small number of males are included in data for females and vice versa.
- Marriage data by sex exclude data for which the person did not identify as male or female.
- Includes those marrying for the first time, as well as those remarrying after being widowed or divorced.
In 2020:
- nearly one-third (32.2%) of females who married did so between the ages of 25 and 29, and a further 23.8% married between the ages of 30 and 34.
- over one-quarter (27.7%) of males who married were aged between 25 and 29, and a further quarter (25.9%) married between the ages of 30 and 34.
- The minimum age at which a person can legally marry in Australia is 16 years. See 'Marriages and divorces legislation' in Methodology.
- Marriage data by sex exclude data for which the person did not identify as male or female.
Same-sex marriages
In 2020:
- there were 2,902 same-sex marriages a decrease of 2,605 (47.3%) compared with 2019. Same-sex marriages represented 3.7% of all marriages registered in Australia in 2020.
- nationally, more female same-sex couples married (61.4% of all same-sex marriages) than male same-sex couples (38.5%). This was the case across all states and territories.
- for couples in same-sex marriages the median age for males was 37.2 years, and for females it was 35.3 years. Median age for both males and females in same-sex marriages has decreased since 2018.
| 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Male same-sex marriages (no.) | 2,757 | 2,262 | 1,117 |
| Female same-sex marriages (no.) | 3,781 | 3,243 | 1,782 |
| Total same-sex marriages (no.) | 6,538 | 5,507 | 2,902 |
| Total marriages (no.) | 119,188 | 113,815 | 78,989 |
| Proportion of marriages that were same-sex (%) | 5.5 | 4.8 | 3.7 |
| First marriage both partners (no.) | 4,809 | 4,201 | 2,172 |
| Civil celebrants (%) | 98.9 | 97.1 | 97.5 |
| Male median age (years) | 44.9 | 39.3 | 37.2 |
| Female median age (years) | 39.3 | 36.5 | 35.3 |
- There are a range of administrative factors that affect the timeliness of marriages being registered in a given year. See 'Considerations when interpreting data' in Methodology.
- Any marriages where one or both parties do not identify as either male or female are not included in same-sex marriage data. See 'Classifications' in Methodology.
Registered relationships
Most state and territory Registries of Births, Deaths and Marriages provide couples an alternative to marriage in the form of a relationship register. Registers are available to adults who are in a relationship as a couple, regardless of sex.
Registered relationships are not included in marriage statistics. Each state and territory Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages that has a relationship register provides counts of registered relationships to the ABS. These counts provide a more holistic picture of how relationships are legalised. Currently Western Australia and the Northern Territory are the only jurisdictions without a register.
- There were 19,055 relationships registered in 2020, a small decrease compared to the 19,870 reported in 2019.
- Registered relationships did not appear to be impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Jurisdictions with a relationship register include New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania and the Australian Capital Territory. South Australia introduced their relationship register in August 2017 and therefore numbers for this state are only included from 2018.