Press Release 11/09/2009

MARRIAGE STATISTICS (EMAT), 1st quarter 2009

More marriages during the first quarter of 2009 than in the same period of the previous year

83% were civil weddings

The number of weddings in the Basque Country for the first quarter of 2009 came to 994, which was 4.6.5% lower than those held in the fourth quarter of 2008 (1,857), and 4.1% down on the same quarter of the previous year (955), according to Eustat data. The first quarter is traditionally noted for the low number of weddings, particularly in January and February.

As was the case in previous years, the largest proportion of civil weddings (83.1%) were held in this quarter and was up 1.3 percentage points on the same period of the previous year. The number increased in the three provinces with respect to the same quarter of 2008, with rises of 87.6% in Álava, 83.8% in Bizkaia and 81.6% in Gipuzkoa.

969 men and 964 women resident of the Basque Country married in the .994 weddings held in the first quarter of 2009. This was the first marriage for 844 men (87.1%), while 14 widowers and 111 divorcés remarried. The percentage of women who married for the first time was similar to that for men, as 833 single women (86.4%), 9 widows and 11 divorcées married.

With regard to the distribution of marriages according to the age of spouses, 83.3% of grooms were over 30 years old, while this percentage stood at 74.8% in the case of the brides. These percentages are higher than those for the same period of 2008 (81.7% and 71.8%, respectively), and yet again this quarter, the trend continued for people to be older when they married.

On the other hand, there were 23 weddings between people of the same sex, 2 less than in the same quarter of the previous year, 16 of which were between men and 7 between women.



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