Ireland Marriages Fall Nearly 10% Over the Past Decade, CSO Figures Show
Summary: New CSO data shows the number of marriages registered in Ireland fell to 19,898 in 2025, down 2.2% from 2024 and 9.7% compared with 2015. The figures also point to older average marriage ages and continued demand for civil ceremonies.
The latest Ireland breaking news from the Central Statistics Office shows marriage numbers continued to ease in 2025, with just under 20,000 unions registered across the State. The latest release adds a fresh social snapshot to Ireland news, highlighting how relationship trends, ceremony choices and wedding timing are changing.
Ireland breaking news: marriages decline in 2025
According to the CSO’s Marriages 2025 report, 19,898 marriages were registered last year. That was down from 20,348 in 2024 and down from 22,025 in 2015.
Same-sex marriages made up 624 of the 2025 total, including 314 male same-sex marriages and 310 female same-sex marriages. Overall, same-sex marriages accounted for 3.14% of all registered marriages.
Average age of couples continues to rise
The data also shows people are marrying later. In opposite-sex marriages, the average age of brides rose to 36.1 in 2025, up from 33.2 a decade earlier. The average age of grooms increased to 38, compared with 35.3 in 2015.
Among same-sex couples, the average age was 40.6 for men and 38.1 for women last year. This trend is likely to feature in the latest news Ireland coverage as policymakers and researchers track wider family and population changes.
Civil ceremonies remain a major choice
Ceremony preferences remained clear in 2025:
- Civil ceremonies were the most popular option for opposite-sex couples
- Catholic ceremonies were the second most common choice
- More than half of same-sex marriages were civil ceremonies
- Religious ceremonies still accounted for 61% of all marriages overall
Of the total marriages recorded, 6,642 were civil ceremonies and 1,382 were humanist ceremonies. Catholic ceremonies accounted for 5,927 marriages, while the Spiritualist Union of Ireland performed 1,263 ceremonies.
When couples chose to marry
August was the most popular month to get married for both same-sex and opposite-sex couples, while January was the least popular. Friday and Saturday remained the busiest days for weddings, especially among opposite-sex couples. For same-sex couples, Friday was the top choice, followed by Thursday.
For readers following an Ireland news blog or the wider Ireland daily digest, the figures offer a useful measure of how social habits are shifting over time.
Why it matters
This Ireland breaking news story points to steady long-term change rather than a sudden drop. Fewer marriages, older couples and strong demand for civil ceremonies all suggest a changing picture of modern life in Ireland. As part of broader Ireland breaking news coverage, the CSO figures give a clear view of how Irish society continues to evolve.
