Press Release 12/06/2009

MARRIAGE STATISTICS (EMAT), 4th quarter 2008

The percentage of civil weddings increased in the fourth quarter of 2008 and accounted for 65.6% of the total

However, the total number of marriages fell by 4.3% on the same period of the previous year

The percentage of civil weddings increased in the fourth quarter of 2008 compared to the same period of the previous year, as it rose from 61.5% to 65.6% , according to Eustat data. On the other hand, a greater percentage of civil weddings are held in the last quarter of the year than in the summer (45.8%), in line with the trends noted over the years.

In October, November and December, there were 1,753 weddings in the Basque Country, which was 4.3% down on the same quarter of 2007. By provinces, there were 887 weddings in Bizkaia, followed by 579 in Gipuzkoa and 236 in Álava. The number of weddings of people residing outside the Basque Country came to 51.

1,685 men and 1,706 women who were resident in the Basque Country were married. This was the first marriage for 1,487 men (88.2%), while 11 widowers and 187 divorcés remarried. The percentage of women who married for the first time was slightly higher than that for men, as 1,527 single women (89.5%), 10 widows and 11 divorcées married.

With regard to the distribution of marriages according to the age of spouses, 81.7% of grooms were over 30 in the fourth quarter of 2008, while this percentage stood at 71% in the case of the brides. These proportions are higher than those for the same quarter of the year before, which were 79.6% and 66.2%, respectively.

In 2008, the general trend to marry later continued, as 76.5% of the grooms and 63.7% of the brides married at aged 30 or over. These percentages were higher than in 2007 (75.4% and 59.9%, respectively).

The provisional figures for 2008 show that the number of marriages of residents in the Basque Country was down by 1.2% on the previous year. On the other hand, the percentage of civil weddings were 4 points higher than in 2007 and accounted for 56.3% of the total in 2008.



Graph 1: Monthly movement in marriages

Base100 = Average

Source: EUSTAT

For further information:

Basque Statistics Office C/ Donostia-San Sebastián, 1 01010 Vitoria-Gasteiz Tlf:+34-945-01 75 00 Fax:+34-945-01 75 01 E-mail: eustat@eustat.es Contact: Martín González Hernández Tlf:+34-945-01 75 49 Fax:+34-945-01 75 01 Online press releases: www.eustat.es