German marriages hit record low as couples tie the knot later

Fewer people are getting married in Germany, with the number of marriages falling in 2024 to the lowest level since records began in 1950, official data showed on Thursday, reported dpa.

A total of 349,200 marriages were registered in 2024, the Federal Statistical Office said.

Both the number and share of married people have been declining nearly continuously for years.

At the end of 2024, just under half of Germany’s adult population was married, compared with around 60% three decades earlier.

The highest share of married people was among those aged 65 to 69, with around two-thirds married or living in a registered partnership.

First marriages at later ages

People are marrying later in life, with the average age at first marriage rising by around six years over the past three decades. In 2024, women were on average 32.9 years old when marrying for the first time, while men were 35.3.

Around 79% of couples married for the first time in 2024. Around 97% of marriages were between opposite-sex couples, while just under 3% involved same-sex couples.

Above EU average

Measured per capita, marriage rates in Germany remain slightly above the European Union average.

In 2023, the most recent year for which comparable data are available, Germany recorded 4.3 marriages per 1,000 inhabitants, compared with an EU average of 4, according to Eurostat.

The highest marriage rates in the EU were recorded in Romania (5.8), Latvia (5.6) and Hungary (5.2), while the lowest were seen in Bulgaria (3.4), Italy (3.1) and Slovenia (3).