Press Release 10/10/2024

MARRIAGE STATISTICS. 2023

There were 7,264 marriages in the Basque Country in 2023, down 7% on the previous year

Compared to 2019, there was a drop of 2.8%

There was a total of 7,264 marriages in the Basque Country in 2023, down 7% on 2022, according to Eustat data. If we take into account marriages of residents of the Basque Country between individuals of a different sex, the number was 7,022, 534 weddings fewer than the previous year. The number of marriages decreased by 2.8% compared to 2019.

The Basque marriage rate stood at 3‰ weddings per thousand inhabitants, a figure lower than both the Spanish rate (3.7‰), and that of the European Union (4.2‰), the data in both cases from 2022, which is the latest data available.

The average age at marriage for single men was over 38

In 2023, the age at marriage among different-sex couples increased compared to 2022, as single men resident in the Basque Country married at 38.8 years of age on average and women living in the Basque Country at 36.8. In 2022, these figures were 38.7 and 36.7 years of age respectively.

In comparison with 2019, the average age at marriage for single people has increased, since the ages that year stood at 37.7 and 35.7 respectively. The difference in ages between the two spouses remained stable at around 2 years.

There was a drop in the number of divorcees entering into different-sex marriages. The percentage of previously divorced wives and husbands stood at 14.9% and 15.4%, respectively; this value is below that of 2022 for husbands when it was 16.2%, and the same for wives (15.4%).

242 of the married couples in the Basque Country were in same-sex marriages, down 3.6% on 2022, when there were 251. Marriages between women have exceeded marriages between men since 2012, accounting for 56.2% of same-sex marriages in 2023.

In same-sex marriages, single men resident in the Basque Country married at an average age of 43.5 years old in 2023 and women at 38.1. The percentage of previously divorced men in these couples stood at 9% and that of women at 10.9%.

9 out of 10 weddings in 2023 were civil

Civil weddings represented 90.5% of marriages, which was an increase of 0.6% compared to 2022. In 1993 civil marriages only accounted for 26.9% of the total.

As regards residency, 95.3% of married couples settled in the Basque Country and 4.7% went elsewhere, with the main destinations being Cantabria (76), Madrid (54), Burgos (39), and Navarra (35).

More weddings were held on Fridays than on Saturdays

The large increase in civil weddings, along with the fact that, from 2009, almost half of them were celebrated on a Friday, together with the significant reduction in religious weddings, meant that since 2017, there have been more weddings on Fridays than on Saturdays in the Basque Country; the proportion in 2023 was 46.2% compared to 30.3%.

In 24.8% of marriages between different-sex couples, at least one of the spouses was of foreign nationality

Regarding the nationality of people entering into marriage, in 1,741 marriages (24.8% of the total) at least one of the spouses was foreign; in 2022 this percentage was 23.3%. In 40.4% of these marriages both spouses were foreign nationals; in 39.7% it was the wife who had foreign nationality, and in 19.8% it was the husband.

In different-sex marriages in which both spouses were foreigners, most had American nationality, although the percentage was greater amongst women (73%) than men (68.5%). The second most significant continent in terms of nationality was Africa, with 21.6% of men and 18.5% of women.

In the case of marriages in which only the woman had foreign nationality, 74.7% corresponded to an American country (mainly Colombia, Nicaragua and Brazil), followed by 19.1% who had European nationality (with Romania, Russia and Ukraine standing out).

If it was only the man with foreign nationality, this was shared across American countries (38.8%), primarily Colombia and Argentina, and European countries (33%), most notably France and Portugal, among others. Also of note was that they had Moroccan nationality in 15.1% of cases.

For further information:

Eustat - Euskal Estatistika Erakundea / Basque Statistics Institute C/ Donostia-San Sebastián, 1 01010 Vitoria-Gasteiz Press Service: servicioprensa@eustat.es Tel.: 945 01 75 62