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Marriage

Two thirds of marriages in England and Wales are civil ceremonies

Two thirds of marriages in England and Wales are now civil ceremonies

Since the 1960s, the proportion of marriages in England and Wales that are religious ceremonies has decreased and the proportion of marriages that are civil ceremonies has increased.

The latest survey from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) says civil marriages include ceremonies in register offices, as well as marriages in approved premises (such as hotels, stately homes or historic buildings), which have been allowed since the amendment of the Marriage Act in 1995.

Long-term trends by marriage type Historic figures show that around 10% of marriages were civil ceremonies in 1872, rising to 20% by 1908 and 30% by 1963. During the 1960s and early 1970s the percentage of civil ceremonies rose, and by 1976 over half of marriages were civil ceremonies.

The proportion of religious marriages roughly equalled that of civil marriages during the 1980s, before starting to decrease again in the early 1990s. By 2011, less than 30% of marriages were religious marriages – the lowest percentage on record.

Since 1995, the percentage of marriages taking place in approved premises has increased steadily from 1% in 1995 to 58% of all marriages in 2011. For the seventh consecutive year, there were fewer religious ceremonies than ceremonies in approved premises.

Civil marriages in register offices have also fallen since 1995. In 2011, 13% of marriages took place in register offices, a level not seen since the 1880s.

 
Published on 27/06/2013