New Zealand marriage rates lowest since 1960s, new data reveals

NZ Herald 5 May 2020
Family First Comment: “Family First NZ has issued a statement citing a correlation between a decline in marriage rates and an impact on children and families. It warns the drop in marriage rates could have a negative social impact on children, according to recent reports on child abuse and family structure. “The statistics are clear. Children being raised by their married biological parents are by far the safest from violence – and so too are the adults.””

Marriages are at an all-time low in New Zealand, new data shows – and it’s not the Covid-19 lockdown that has fewer couples tying the knot these days.

The number of marriages in New Zealand last year dropped to its lowest level since 1960, according to a Statistics New Zealand release today.

Population indicators manager Tehseen Islam said that last year 19,071 New Zealand couples celebrated marriage or civil union.

Though that may sound like a fair whack of white dresses and wedding cakes, “This is down from 20,949 in 2018, and from 27,201 at its peak in 1971.”

As in the past few decades, 72 per cent of marriages in 2019 were first marriages for both partners.

Islam said the increasing population had led to declining marriage rates.

Only 10 couples per 1000 people eligible to marry (unmarried people 16 and over) were married last year – less than half the rate of 30 years ago.

Family First NZ has issued a statement citing a correlation between a decline in marriage rates and an impact on children and families. It warns the drop in marriage rates could have a negative social impact on children, according to recent reports on child abuse and family structure.

“The statistics are clear. Children being raised by their married biological parents are by far the safest from violence – and so too are the adults.”
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