In 2007, 1,708 couples got married in Iceland. Furthermore, there were nineteen registered partnerships, ten male and nine female couples. The number of divorces was 515. As in the other Nordic countries marriage rate is rather low in Iceland (5.5 per 1,000 population in 2007). The crude divorce rate was 1.7 per 1,000 and total divorce rate 34%. The divorce rate in Iceland is considerably lower than in the other Nordic countries. Total divorce is highest in Sweden where 55% of all marriages end with divorce.
Most married couples in Iceland marry after having lived together in a consensual union for a few years. Of those marrying, 85% had lived together prior to marriage. In 2007, 2,089 couples reported consensual union at the National registry.
In an international perspective, age at marriage is relatively high in Iceland. In 2007 mean age at first marriage was 34 years for men and 31.9 years for women. Mean age at marriage has increased considerably in recent decades. During the period 1971-1975, mean age at first marriage was 22.9 years for women and 24.8 years for men.
Statistics