Press release 20/05/2025
MARRIAGE STATISTICS. IV/2024
In the fourth quarter of 2024, the number of marriages in the Basque Country increased by 9.1%
In the year as a whole, the rise in the number of marriages stood at 2.2%
There were 1,660 marriages in the Basque Country in the fourth quarter of 2024, an increase of 9.1% compared to the same quarter of the previous year, according to Eustat data.
Taking into account the place of registration, the number of marriages registered rose by 43.7% in Álava (227), 17.1% in Gipuzkoa (574) and 2.7% in Bizkaia (785). Meanwhile, 74 marriages in which at least one of the spouses is a Basque Country resident were registered elsewhere.
Of the total number of marriages, 1,586 were different-sex marriages and the other 74 were between people of the same sex, 37 between men and 37 between women.
During the fourth quarter of 2024, 9 out of 10 weddings were civil, 93.6%. This percentage was 92.6% in the same quarter of 2023.
Of the 1,660 marriages in the fourth quarter of 2024, 1,595 men and 1,603 women resident in the Basque Country got married. For 1,327 wives (82.8%) this was their first marriage, 9 were widows and 267 were divorcees. As regards the husbands, for 1,295 (81.2%) this was their first marriage, whilst 14 widowers and 286 divorcees remarried.
With respect to the distribution according to the age of the couple, 85% of husbands and 90.6% of wives were over 30. In the same period of 2023, this percentage was 85.9% for women and 91.2% for men.
In the fourth quarter of 2024, 15.3% of recently married women and 14.2% of recently married men were foreign nationals. Compared to the same quarter of the previous year, this percentage increased by 7 tenths among women and 8 tenths among men.
BALANCE FOR 2024
In the provisional data for 2024, the number of marriages for individuals resident in the Basque Country stood at 7,427, which represented a rise of 2.2% in respect of the previous year.
The percentage of civil marriages was 92.4%, almost two points more than in 2023, when it was 90.5%.
In 2024 as a whole, 91.4% of new husbands and 85.4% of new wives were aged 30 or over. In 2023, these percentages stood at 90.7% and 85.4%, respectively.
Marriages of residents by territory of registration, type of marriage, form of celebration, previous marital status, age and month of marriage (1). 2024/IV
| | IV/2024 | III/2024 | IV/2023 |
| | NO. | % | NO. | % | ¿% | NO. | % | ¿% |
| Marriages | 1.660 | 100,0 | 2.293 | 100,0 | -27,6 | 1.522 | 100,0 | 9,1 |
| | | | | | | | | |
| Araba / Álava | 227 | 13,7 | 342 | 14,9 | -33,6 | 158 | 10,4 | 43,7 |
| Bizkaia | 785 | 47,3 | 997 | 43,5 | -21,3 | 764 | 50,2 | 2,7 |
| Gipuzkoa | 574 | 34,6 | 762 | 33,2 | -24,7 | 490 | 32,2 | 17,1 |
| Outside of the Basque Country | 74 | 4,5 | 192 | 8,4 | -61,5 | 110 | 7,2 | -32,7 |
| Between people of different sex | 1.586 | 95,5 | 2.219 | 96,8 | -28,5 | 1.471 | 96,6 | 7,8 |
| Canonic | 107 | 6,4 | 253 | 11,0 | -57,7 | 113 | 7,4 | -5,3 |
| Civilians | 1.479 | 89,1 | 1.966 | 85,7 | -24,8 | 1.358 | 89,2 | 8,9 |
| Between people of the same sex | 74 | 4,5 | 74 | 3,2 | 0,0 | 51 | 3,4 | 45,1 |
| Between men | 37 | 2,2 | 33 | 1,4 | 12,1 | 27 | 1,8 | 37,0 |
| Between women | 37 | 2,2 | 41 | 1,8 | -9,8 | 24 | 1,6 | 54,2 |
| | | | | | | | | |
| Spouses M | 1.595 | 100,0 | 2.197 | 100,0 | -27,4 | 1.456 | 100,0 | 9,5 |
| Single | 1.295 | 81,2 | 1.845 | 84,0 | -29,8 | 1.217 | 83,6 | 6,4 |
| Widowed | 14 | 0,9 | 25 | 1,1 | -44,0 | 10 | 0,7 | 40,0 |
| Divorced | 286 | 17,9 | 327 | 14,9 | -12,5 | 229 | 15,7 | 24,9 |
| < 30 years | 150 | 9,4 | 187 | 8,5 | -19,8 | 128 | 8,8 | 17,2 |
| 30 - 39 years | 639 | 40,1 | 974 | 44,3 | -34,4 | 610 | 41,9 | 4,8 |
| = 40 years | 806 | 50,5 | 1.036 | 47,2 | -22,2 | 718 | 49,3 | 12,3 |
| Spanish nationality | 1.369 | 85,8 | 2.008 | 91,4 | -31,8 | 1.261 | 86,6 | 8,6 |
| Foreign nationality | 226 | 14,2 | 189 | 8,6 | 19,6 | 195 | 13,4 | 15,9 |
| Country of birth Spain | 1.268 | 79,5 | 1.884 | 85,8 | -32,7 | 1.168 | 80,2 | 8,6 |
| Other country of birth | 327 | 20,5 | 313 | 14,2 | 4,5 | 288 | 19,8 | 13,5 |
| | | | | | | | | |
| Spouses F | 1.603 | 100,0 | 2.202 | 100,0 | -27,2 | 1.442 | 100,0 | 11,2 |
| Single | 1.327 | 82,8 | 1.883 | 85,5 | -29,5 | 1.193 | 82,7 | 11,2 |
| Widowed | 9 | 0,6 | 8 | 0,4 | 12,5 | 7 | 0,5 | 28,6 |
| Divorced | 267 | 16,7 | 311 | 14,1 | -14,1 | 242 | 16,8 | 10,3 |
| < 30 years | 241 | 15,0 | 356 | 16,2 | -32,3 | 203 | 14,1 | 18,7 |
| 30 - 39 years | 679 | 42,4 | 967 | 43,9 | -29,8 | 656 | 45,5 | 3,5 |
| = 40 years | 683 | 42,6 | 879 | 39,9 | -22,3 | 583 | 40,4 | 17,2 |
| Spanish nationality | 1.358 | 84,7 | 1.934 | 87,8 | -29,8 | 1.231 | 85,4 | 10,3 |
| Foreign nationality | 245 | 15,3 | 268 | 12,2 | -8,6 | 211 | 14,6 | 16,1 |
| Country of birth Spain | 1.171 | 73,1 | 1.755 | 79,7 | -33,3 | 1.097 | 76,1 | 6,7 |
| Other country of birth | 432 | 26,9 | 447 | 20,3 | -3,4 | 345 | 23,9 | 25,2 |
| | | | | | | | | |
| Month of marriage | | | | | | | | |
| October | 806 | 48,6 | | | | 683 | 44,9 | 18,0 |
| November | 536 | 32,3 | | | | 495 | 32,5 | 8,3 |
| December | 318 | 19,2 | | | | 344 | 22,6 | -7,6 |
(1)The data for the current and previous quarters are provisional. The variations are over the current quarter
Date May 20, 2025
Source: Eustat Marriage statistics
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