Females outnumber males at younger marriage ages
· The South African
Females outnumber males between the ages of 20 to 34 years. This is for people who were never married before. Males only start outnumbering females in the 35 to 39 age group.
Marriages split data was sourced from Statistics South Africa
Statistics South Africa data showed that marriages continued its downward trend in 2024. On the other hand, divorces continue to trend higher. The number of marriages fell to 102 373 in 2024 from 105 123 in 2023. The number of divorces rose to 24 202 in 2024 from 22 230 in 2023.
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Declining trend in marriages
Economists point to the declining trend in marriages as a sign of weakening economic growth. The recent peak in marriages was in 2008. Correspondingly, the number of marriages was 186 522 in 2008. That year the South African economy grew by 3.2%. This followed three years of growth above 5%.
Conversely 2009 saw a 1.5% contraction in the economy. Consequently, the number of marriages fell by 7.8% in 2009. The declining trend resulted in the number of marriages halving between 2008 and 2020. Explicitly, the number of marriages was only 92 394 in 2020.
However, 2020 was an exceptional year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Many couples were forced to postpone weddings due to venue closures, gathering restrictions and health risks. Subsequently, the number of marriages jumped by 20.6% in 2021.
Marriage history data was sourced from Statistics South AfricaCrude marriage rate
South Africa’s population grew by 29.4% between 2008 and 2024. The population increased to 63 million from 48.7 million in 2008. In all years, females outnumber males. Accordingly, the number of marriages should have grown by 20% between 2008 and 2024.
Instead, the number of marriages has fallen. This is reflected in the crude marriage rate. The crude marriage rate reflects the number of marriages per 1 000 people. Between 2015 and 2019 the average crude rate was 2.4 per thousand. It declined to 1.7 per thousand in the post Covid 19 period (2021-2024).