Marriage rates in Germany hit record lows as more adults stay single

The number of married people continues to fall in Germany. According to a new report by the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis), by the end of 2023, approximately 35 million individuals aged 18 and over were married, accounting for just over 50% of the adult population. This marks a significant decrease from 1993, when about 39.3 million adults, or 60% of the adult population, were married.

Concurrently, there has been a notable rise in the number of single adults. By the end of 2023, 22.6 million adults were single—defined as never married, widowed or divorced — up from 15.8 million in 1993. This represents an increase from 24% to approximately 33% of the adult population over the 30-year period.

One contributing factor to this trend is the increasing age at which individuals are choosing to marry. In 2023, the average age at first marriage was 32.8 years for women and 35.3 years for men. In contrast, in 1993, women entered their first marriage at an average age of 26.8 years, while men did so at 29.2 years.

The number of marriages has also seen a long-term decline. In 2023, there were 361,000 marriages in Germany, representing the second-lowest figure since 1950. Of these, approximately 97% were between opposite-sex couples, while about 3% were same-sex marriages.

This decline in marriage rates is not unique to Germany but is observed across many Western countries. Factors such as changing societal norms, increased acceptance of cohabitation, and a focus on personal and professional development before settling down contribute to individuals marrying later in life or opting not to marry at all.

Vivian Asamoah