Marriage and Divorce Statistics in Australia

With only 78,989 registered marriages in Australia in 2020, we saw a 30.6% decrease from 2019. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, this is the largest decrease in marriages since 1901 and the lowest annual marriage registrations since 1961 [2]. 

Several factors may have contributed to the decreasing marriage rate in Australia in 2020:

• The COVID-19 pandemic significantly reduced public gatherings and therefore many couples who had planned to marry in 2020 likely postponed their wedding.

• More couples are living together without being married, meaning the amount of committed relationships may not have changed even if marriage rates have decreased.

• The average age Australians are getting married has increased.

• Weddings are increasingly expensive and likely unaffordable with couples spending an average of $32,228 on a wedding in 2020.

In 2020, both males and females were most likely to get married between the ages of 25-29, and as they get older, men are more likely to be married or partnered. 

Over the past decade, life expectancy increased by 1.7 years for men and 1.3 years for women in 2020 [3].  Coincidentally, the average marriage age for Australians has also increased – the average marriage age for women has increased to 30.6 years in 2020, while the average marriage age for men has increased to 32.2 years in 2020.

Additionally, Australians may also feel less societal pressure to marry quickly since cohabitation and committed de facto relationships are more prevalent and widely accepted than in previous generations.

In 2017, 78% of marriages were overseen by civil celebrants, indicating that this is the preferred marriage ceremony by Australians [4]. Characteristics like the proportion of civil versus religious ceremonies in 2020 remained comparable with previous years.

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, in 2019, the median duration of an Australian marriage that ended in divorce was 12.2 years [5]. This figure has increased steadily since 1999 when the average marriage length was 11.3 years.

In 2020, Australia’s crude marriage rate was 3.1 marriages per 1000 people. The rate has decreased by 31.1% compared to 4.5 marriages per 1000 in 2019 [2]. 

These days, there is a less social stigma around single parenting and couples living together before marriage. This suggests that there is less pressure to get married coming from families and the likelihood of couples rushing into marriage and risking divorce is a lot smaller.  

However, it’s also important to note that the COVID-19 pandemic was at its height in 2020 and with a significant reduction in the number of public gatherings allowed across Australia, this likely had a massive impact on how few couples were married in 2020.

More couples are now often living together before choosing to get married and are living together for longer periods of time. While some people view this type of living arrangement as a precursor to marriage, others may find living with their partner to be more convenient without the need to marry in the future.

In 2020, there were only 2,902 same-sex marriages; 38.5% were male same-sex marriages and 61.4% were female same-sex marriages. Compared to 2019, the number of same-sex marriages has decreased by 47.3% [2]. 

This is likely also a result of the COVID-19 pandemic preventing most public gatherings in 2020.

It’s important to mention that any marriages where one of both parties does not identify as either male or female are not included in the Australian Bureau of Statistics’ same-sex marriage data. 

According to the annual Australian Wedding Industry Report 2022, couples spend 26% more than their original wedding budget. The original wedding budget was $25,377 and the average cost of a wedding in Australia ended up being $32,228 [6].

Saturday continues to be the most popular day for a wedding. In 2020, 2,191 couples tied the knot on the 10th of October and historically this date has always been popular, especially if it falls on a Saturday [2]. Similarly, in 2022 the number one reported wedding date fell on Saturday 22 October [6]. 

As of 2020, the number of divorces was 49,510 [2] which was an increase of 1.9%. 

The COVID-19 pandemic was an unprecedented global experience and many couples may have been dealing with job loss, health issues and other major stressors. This may have led to the breakdown of marriages and the slight increase in the divorce rate from 2019 to 2020.

In 2020, both men and women were most likely to get divorced during their 40s; women between the ages of 40-44 and men between the ages of 45-49. Up to the age of 44, the female divorce rate is higher whereas, over the age of 45, men are more likely to get divorced. 

In 2020, 49,510 divorces were granted in Australia, an increase of 1.9% from 2019. Since 2000 the divorce rate has decreased from 2.6 divorces granted per 1000 people to 1.9 in 2020 [2]. 

Divorces are generally only granted after a period of 12 months or more of separation. With that being said, the median duration of marriage to separation and divorce has remained relatively stable over time. In 2020, it took couples 8.4 years to separate and 12.1 years to divorce [2]. 

Out of the states, those living in the ACT are most likely to get married and Tasmanians are most likely to get divorced. Victoria was also the state with the most single Australians.

In 2020 59% of people from New South Wales were married/partnered, 28% have never been married, 7% were divorced, 3% were widowed and 3% were separated. 

In 2020 59% of Victorians were married/partnered, 29% have never been married, 7% were divorced, 3% were widowed and 3% were separated. 

In 2020 59% of Queenslanders were married/partnered, 25% have never been married, 8% were divorced, 4% were widowed and 4% were separated. 

In 2020 60% of South Australians were married/partnered, 26% have never been married, 8% were divorced, 3% were widowed and 3% were separated. 

In 2020 59% of people from Western Australia were married/partnered, 26% have never been married, 9% were divorced, 4% were widowed and 3% were separated. 

In 2020 57% of Tasmanians were married/partnered, 24% have never been married, 12% were divorced, 4% were widowed and 4% were separated. 

In 2020 60% of people from the Northern Territory were married/partnered, 25% have never been married, 8% were divorced, 6% were widowed and 2% were separated. 

In 2020, 65% of people from the Australian Capital Territory were married/partnered, 27% have never been married, 4% were divorced, 2% were widowed and 3% were separated.