49.7% of weddings in the second quarter of 2007 were civil ones, a percentage that was almost 2 points higher than that seen in the same period of 2006, according to Eustat data. This proportion was, in turn, lower than that obtained in the first quarter of 2007, when 74.7% of weddings were civil ones. In this period there was a considerable increase in the number of weddings in May and June, unlike the previous quarter, which was characterised by the small number of weddings held

2,747 marriages were registered in the A.C. of the Basque Country in April, May and June of 2007 meaning a decrease of 5% with regard to the same quarter of the previous year. By province, residents of Bizkaia held 1,423 weddings, followed by those of Gipuzkoa, with 895 and those of Álava, with 342. In the case of residents from outside the A.C. of the Basque Country, the number of weddings came to 87.

Of the 2,747 weddings in the second quarter of 2007, 2,670 men and 2,706 women were resident in the A.C. of the Basque Country got married. For 2,465 grooms (92.3%) this was their first marriage, while 18 widowers and 187 divorcés remarried. The percentage of first weddings for women was similar to that of men; there were 2,494 first-time brides (92.2%), 8 widows and 204 divorcées.

As regards the distribution of marriages according to the age of the couples, 74.2% of grooms were aged over 30, while among brides this percentage came to 58.5%. These proportions are greater than those seen in the same period of 2006 (73% and 55.5% respectively) meaning that for one more quarter, the age of the population getting married maintained its upward trend.

Graph 1: Monthly movement in marriages

Base 100 = average

Source: EUSTAT