In 2006 1,681 couples got married in Iceland and thirteen couples got registered partnerships, ten female and ten male couples. The number of divorces was 498. As in the other Nordic countries marriage rate is rather low in Iceland. The marriage rate was 5.5 per 1,000 population in 2006 compared with 5.6 in 2005. The crude divorce rate was 1.6 per 1,000 which is considerably lower than in all the other Nordic countries. Total divorce rate was 34% in the year 2006 compared with 39% in 2005.
Most couples in Iceland marry after having lived together in a consensual union for a few years. Of those marrying, nearly 90% had lived together prior to marriage. In 2006, 1,749 couples reported consensual union at the National registry. According to Act No 65/2006, gay couples can register consensual unions, which 52 couples did in 2006, 15 male and 37 female couples.
From an international perspective, age at marriage is relatively high in Iceland. In 2006 median age at first marriage was 33.9 years for men and 31.7 years for women. Age at marriage has risen considerably in recent decades. During the period 1971-1975, median age at first marriage was 22.9 years for women and 24.8 years for men.
Statistics