The number of civil ceremonies has increased since the turn of the century, becoming over one third (37%) of all marriage ceremonies in 2020 when they were 677 compared to 259 (14.6%) in 2000. Marriage ceremonies fluctuate fairly in number from year to year. In total, marriage ceremonies were 1,831 in 2020, or 5.0 per 1,000 inhabitants, compared to 2,075 in 2019, or 5.8 per 1,000 inhabitants. The number of marriage ceremonies decreased a little less than 14% between 2019 and 2020. This cannot be linked to the COVID-19 pandemic with certainty as the number of marriages usually fluctuates between years.
Marriage age has increased
The most common age (mode), average age and the median age at the time of marriage has increased for both women and men over the past decades. In 2001 the most common age of grooms was 27 years and for brides 28 years, compared to 32 years for grooms and 30 years for brides in 2020. The average age of men is usually two years higher than women’s average age when they get married.
Number of divorces is similar
Although the number of divorces has increased slightly, from 545 in 2000 to 687 in 2020, the divorce rate calculated as divorces per 1,000 inhabitants, is quite stable. The divorce rate was 1.9 in 2020 showing a slight increase from 1.8 in 2000. In the past five years, most people who got divorced were in the age range of 35-39 years or 40-44 years.
Marriage rates are decreasing in most of the Nordic countries
In the other Nordic countries, Denmark has the highest marriage rate or 5.3 per 1,000 inhabitants in 2019. Between 2010 and 2019, the marriage rate has decreased in Norway, Finland and Sweden while it increased over the same period in Iceland. It is lowest in Finland and Norway or 4 marriages per 1,000 inhabitants. The divorce rate is similar in the Nordic countries, where it was 1.8 per 1,000 inhabitants in Denmark and 1.9 in Norway in 2019. However, the divorce rate was slightly higher in Sweden with 2.5 per 1,000 inhabitants and in Finland with 2.4. In comparison, the divorce rate in Iceland was 2.0 per 1,000 inhabitants in 2019.
Numbers have been updated from the year 2011.