Marriage rates in Australia
Australia: Marriage rates was 4.89 per 1,000 people in 2022. ▼ Falling
Latest (2022)
4.89 per 1,000 people
Change on year
up 39.7%
World rank
15th
of 44 countries
All-time high
9.3 per 1,000 people
in 1970
All-time low
3.1 per 1,000 people
in 2020
Years of data
44
1970–2022
Marriage rates in Australia, 1970–2022
Source: OECD (2025) and other sources – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in per 1,000 people.
Analysis
Australia recorded 4.89 per 1,000 people for marriage rates in 2022.
The figure is up 39.7% on the previous year and down 9.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, marriage rates in Australia peaked at 9.3 per 1,000 people in 1970 and was at its lowest, 3.1 per 1,000 people, in 2020.
Australia ranks 15th of 44 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 44 years of available data.
Marriage rates in Australia, year by year
| Year | per 1,000 people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 9.3 per 1,000 people | — |
| 1980 | 7.4 per 1,000 people | -20.4% |
| 1981 | 7.6 per 1,000 people | +2.7% |
| 1982 | 7.7 per 1,000 people | +1.3% |
| 1983 | 7.5 per 1,000 people | -2.6% |
| 1984 | 7 per 1,000 people | -6.7% |
| 1985 | 7.3 per 1,000 people | +4.3% |
| 1986 | 7.2 per 1,000 people | -1.4% |
| 1987 | 7 per 1,000 people | -2.8% |
| 1988 | 7.1 per 1,000 people | +1.4% |
| 1989 | 7 per 1,000 people | -1.4% |
| 1990 | 6.9 per 1,000 people | -1.4% |
| 1991 | 6.6 per 1,000 people | -4.3% |
| 1992 | 6.6 per 1,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 6.4 per 1,000 people | -3.0% |
| 1994 | 6.2 per 1,000 people | -3.1% |
| 1995 | 6.1 per 1,000 people | -1.6% |
| 1996 | 5.8 per 1,000 people | -4.9% |
| 1997 | 5.8 per 1,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 5.9 per 1,000 people | +1.7% |
| 1999 | 6 per 1,000 people | +1.7% |
| 2000 | 5.9 per 1,000 people | -1.7% |
| 2001 | 5.3 per 1,000 people | -10.2% |
| 2002 | 5.4 per 1,000 people | +1.9% |
| 2003 | 5.35 per 1,000 people | -1.0% |
| 2004 | 5.5 per 1,000 people | +2.8% |
| 2005 | 5.4 per 1,000 people | -1.8% |
| 2006 | 5.5 per 1,000 people | +1.9% |
| 2007 | 5.5 per 1,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 5.5 per 1,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 5.5 per 1,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 5.4 per 1,000 people | -1.8% |
| 2011 | 5.4 per 1,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 5.4 per 1,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 5.1 per 1,000 people | -5.6% |
| 2014 | 5.2 per 1,000 people | +2.0% |
| 2015 | 4.8 per 1,000 people | -7.7% |
| 2016 | 4.9 per 1,000 people | +2.1% |
| 2017 | 4.6 per 1,000 people | -6.1% |
| 2018 | 4.8 per 1,000 people | +4.3% |
| 2019 | 4.5 per 1,000 people | -6.2% |
| 2020 | 3.1 per 1,000 people | -31.1% |
| 2021 | 3.5 per 1,000 people | +12.9% |
| 2022 | 4.89 per 1,000 people | +39.7% |
Australia compared with similar countries
- Australia's 4.89 per 1,000 people is above the median for high income countries, which is 4.29 per 1,000 people, 1.1× the median. (40 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Marriage rates in Australia changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | +39.7% | 3.5 per 1,000 people | 4.89 per 1,000 people |
| 2020 | -31.1% | 4.5 per 1,000 people | 3.1 per 1,000 people |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 9.3 per 1,000 people | 9.3 per 1,000 people | 9.3 per 1,000 people | 1 |
| 1980s | 7.28 per 1,000 people | 7 per 1,000 people | 7.7 per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1990s | 6.23 per 1,000 people | 5.8 per 1,000 people | 6.9 per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 2000s | 5.48 per 1,000 people | 5.3 per 1,000 people | 5.9 per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 2010s | 5.01 per 1,000 people | 4.5 per 1,000 people | 5.4 per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.83 per 1,000 people | 3.1 per 1,000 people | 4.89 per 1,000 people | 3 |
Countries ranked near Australia
More reference data data for Australia
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.21 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 28.02 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 38.41 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 2.55 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 38.41 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 4.07 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 6.14 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 118.71 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 170.29 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 13.9 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is marriage rates in Australia?
- Marriage rates in Australia was 4.89 per 1,000 people in 2022, according to OECD (2025) and other sources – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest marriage rates recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 9.3 per 1,000 people in 1970.
- What is the lowest marriage rates recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.1 per 1,000 people in 2020.
- How does Australia rank for marriage rates?
- Australia ranks 15th out of 44 countries with data for 2022.
- Is marriage rates rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 9.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Australia data come from?
- The figures come from OECD (2025) and other sources – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Marriage rates. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 44 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Number of marriages during a given year per 1,000 people.