The trend toward marriage has declined dramatically over the past six decades. In 1964 there were still eight per 1000 people, in 2020 there were only 3.2 marriages, the EU statistics office Eurostat announced on Monday. At the same time, the divorce rate doubled from 0.8 to 1.6 during this period. Interestingly, however, according to the latest figures, there was a slight drop in the divorce rate from 2019 to 2020.
In 2020 there were approximately 1.4 million marriages and an estimated 0.7 million divorces in the EU, compared to 1.9 million marriages and 0.8 million divorces in 2019. The decline in the number of marriages in recent years may be partly due to due to the coronavirus pandemic, Eurostat acknowledges.
Hungarians are at the top when it comes to marriages
The EU countries with the highest number of marriages relative to population in 2020 were Hungary (6.9 marriages per 1000 inhabitants), Latvia (5.6) and Lithuania (5.5). In contrast, the lowest rates, about two marriages per 1000 inhabitants, were reported in Italy (1.6), Portugal (1.8), Spain and Ireland (both 1.9). In Austria there were an estimated 3.8 marriages per 1000 inhabitants.
The fewest divorces are in Malta
The lowest divorce rate was recorded in Malta (0.5), followed by Slovenia (0.8). Latvia, Lithuania and Denmark had the highest divorce rates (all 2.7), followed by Sweden (2.5) and Finland (2.4) in second and third place. In Austria, the divorce rate per 1000 inhabitants was 1.7.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
