Germany records lowest marriage rate since 1950

Fewer people in Germany are getting married, but if they do, they are getting married later and staying married longer.

Germany’s attitude to marriage is changing

According to figures from the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis), people in Germany have a different approach to marriage than they did 30 years ago. The number of marriages is currently at its lowest rate since 1950.

While 60 percent of the adult population was married at the end of 1994, only 50 percent of adults in Germany were married at the end of 2024. In the same timeframe, the number of adults who are “single” has risen considerably, from 16 million to 23,1 million people (24 percent of the population to 33 percent of the population). 

However, in this context, “single people” includes unmarried people, divorced and widowed people, so it includes people who are in a committed relationship but not married to their partner.

Germany legalised same-sex marriage in 2017 and has gathered statistics on same-sex marriage since 2018. Currently, only 3 percent of marriages are between same-sex partners.

Waiting longer to get married, married for longer

If they do decide to get married, people in Germany tend to be older when they first tie the knot. In 1994, women in Germany were an average of 27,1 years old when they first married, and men were an average of 29,4 years old.

By 2024, women were an average of 32,9 years old and men an average of 35,3 years old. Couples that decide to get married are also staying together for longer than they used to. In 1994, the average couple was divorced after 12 years; by 2024, this had risen to 14,7 years.

In the wise words of Nora Ephron, “Never marry a man,” or anyone for that matter, “you wouldn’t want to be divorced from.”