Press Release 10/10/2025

MARRIAGE STATISTICS. 2024

There were 7,455 marriages in the Basque Country in 2024, 2.6% more than the previous year

Compared to 2019, there was a drop of 0.2%

There was a total of 7,455 marriages in the Basque Country in 2024, 2.6% more than in 2023, according to Eustat data. If we take into account the marriages of Basque Country residents between different-sex individuals, the number was 7,178, 156 more weddings than the previous year. The number of marriages decreased by 0.2% compared to 2019.

In 2024, the Basque marriage rate stood at 3.1 weddings per thousand inhabitants, a figure lower than both the Spanish rate (3.5‰), and that of the European Union (4‰), the data in both cases from 2023, which is the latest data available.

The average age at marriage increased among different-sex couples

In 2024, the age at marriage among different-sex couples increased compared to 2023, as single male residents in the Basque Country married at 39.2 years of age on average and single women living in the Basque Country married at 37.3. In 2023, these figures were 38.8 and 36.8 years of age, respectively. In 2019, the ages stood at 37.7 and 35.7, respectively. The difference in ages between both spouses remained stable at around 2 years.

The percentage of previously divorced husbands and wives in different-sex marriages in 2024 stood at 16.6% and 16.2%, respectively; this figure was higher than in 2023 for both husbands and wives, when it was 14.9% and 15.4%, respectively.

There was a rise in the number of same-sex marriages

In 2024, there were 277 marriages between same-sex couples in the Basque Country, an increase of 14.5% compared to 2023. Marriages between women have exceeded marriages between men since 2012, accounting for 52.3% of same-sex marriages in 2024.

In same-sex marriages, single male residents in the Basque Country married at an average age of 41.5 years old in 2024 and women at 38.1. The percentage of previously divorced men in these couples stood at 12.1% and that of women at 8.4%.

9 out of 10 weddings in 2024 were civil

Civil weddings represented 92.3% of marriages, which was an increase of 1.8 percentage points compared to 2023. In 1994, civil marriages only accounted for 26.6% of the total.

As regards residency, 96.1% of married couples settled in the Basque Country and 3.9% went elsewhere, with the main destinations being Cantabria (57), Madrid (56) and Navarra (40).

More weddings were held on Fridays than on Saturdays

The large increase in civil weddings, in addition to the fact that, from 2009, almost half of them were celebrated on a Friday, together with the significant reduction in religious weddings, has meant that since 2017, there have been more weddings on Fridays than on Saturdays in the Basque Country; the proportion in 2024 was 49.1% compared to 29.1%.

In 20.7% of marriages between different-sex couples, at least one of the spouses was of foreign nationality

With regard to different-sex marriages, in 1,485 marriages at least one of the spouses was foreign (20.7% of the total); in 2023, this percentage was 24.6%. In 44% of these couples, only the wife had foreign nationality; in 35.2% of cases, only the husband had foreign nationality; and in 20.8% of cases, both spouses were foreign nationals.

In different-sex marriages in which both spouses were foreigners, most had American nationality, although the percentage was greater amongst women (76.7%) than men (67.9%). The second most significant continent in terms of nationality was Europe for men (17.5%) and Africa for women (11.6%).

In the case of marriages in which only the women had foreign nationality, 68.8% of them were from an American country (mainly Colombia and Nicaragua), followed by 19.9% of them who had a European nationality (with Romanians and Ukrainians standing out).

If it was only the man with foreign nationality, this was shared across American countries (45.6%), primarily Colombia and Nicaragua, and African countries (27%), with Moroccan nationals standing out, accounting for 67.4% of Africans.

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