Marriage rates in Canada
Canada: Marriage rates was 2.6 per 1,000 people in 2020. ▼ Falling
Latest (2020)
2.6 per 1,000 people
Change on year
down 33.3%
World rank
42nd
of 44 countries
All-time high
9.2 per 1,000 people
in 1972
All-time low
2.6 per 1,000 people
in 2020
Years of data
61
1960–2020
Marriage rates in Canada, 1960–2020
Source: OECD (2025) and other sources – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in per 1,000 people.
Analysis
The most recent figure for marriage rates in Canada is 2.6 per 1,000 people, measured in 2020. That is the lowest value across all 61 years on record.
That represents a change of down 33.3% on the previous year and down 39.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, marriage rates in Canada peaked at 9.2 per 1,000 people in 1972 and was at its lowest, 2.6 per 1,000 people, in 2020.
That places Canada 42nd out of 44 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 61 years of available data.
Marriage rates in Canada, year by year
| Year | per 1,000 people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 7.3 per 1,000 people | — |
| 1961 | 7 per 1,000 people | -4.1% |
| 1962 | 7 per 1,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 6.9 per 1,000 people | -1.4% |
| 1964 | 7.2 per 1,000 people | +4.3% |
| 1965 | 7.4 per 1,000 people | +2.8% |
| 1966 | 7.8 per 1,000 people | +5.4% |
| 1967 | 8.1 per 1,000 people | +3.8% |
| 1968 | 8.3 per 1,000 people | +2.5% |
| 1969 | 8.7 per 1,000 people | +4.8% |
| 1970 | 8.8 per 1,000 people | +1.1% |
| 1971 | 8.9 per 1,000 people | +1.1% |
| 1972 | 9.2 per 1,000 people | +3.4% |
| 1973 | 9 per 1,000 people | -2.2% |
| 1974 | 8.9 per 1,000 people | -1.1% |
| 1975 | 8.7 per 1,000 people | -2.2% |
| 1976 | 8.4 per 1,000 people | -3.4% |
| 1977 | 8 per 1,000 people | -4.8% |
| 1978 | 7.9 per 1,000 people | -1.2% |
| 1979 | 7.8 per 1,000 people | -1.3% |
| 1980 | 7.8 per 1,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 7.7 per 1,000 people | -1.3% |
| 1982 | 7.5 per 1,000 people | -2.6% |
| 1983 | 7.3 per 1,000 people | -2.7% |
| 1984 | 7.2 per 1,000 people | -1.4% |
| 1985 | 7.1 per 1,000 people | -1.4% |
| 1986 | 6.7 per 1,000 people | -5.6% |
| 1987 | 6.9 per 1,000 people | +3.0% |
| 1988 | 7 per 1,000 people | +1.4% |
| 1989 | 7 per 1,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 6.8 per 1,000 people | -2.9% |
| 1991 | 6.1 per 1,000 people | -10.3% |
| 1992 | 5.8 per 1,000 people | -4.9% |
| 1993 | 5.6 per 1,000 people | -3.4% |
| 1994 | 5.5 per 1,000 people | -1.8% |
| 1995 | 5.5 per 1,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 5.3 per 1,000 people | -3.6% |
| 1997 | 5.1 per 1,000 people | -3.8% |
| 1998 | 5.1 per 1,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 5.1 per 1,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 5.1 per 1,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 4.7 per 1,000 people | -7.8% |
| 2002 | 4.7 per 1,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 4.7 per 1,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 4.6 per 1,000 people | -2.1% |
| 2005 | 4.6 per 1,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 4.6 per 1,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 4.5 per 1,000 people | -2.2% |
| 2008 | 4.4 per 1,000 people | -2.2% |
| 2009 | 4.4 per 1,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 4.3 per 1,000 people | -2.3% |
| 2011 | 4.2 per 1,000 people | -2.3% |
| 2012 | 4.2 per 1,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 4.1 per 1,000 people | -2.4% |
| 2014 | 4.2 per 1,000 people | +2.4% |
| 2015 | 4.2 per 1,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 4.1 per 1,000 people | -2.4% |
| 2017 | 4.1 per 1,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 4.1 per 1,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 3.9 per 1,000 people | -4.9% |
| 2020 | 2.6 per 1,000 people | -33.3% |
Canada compared with similar countries
- Canada's 2.6 per 1,000 people is below the median for high income countries, which is 4.29 per 1,000 people, 61% of the median. (40 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Marriage rates in Canada 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | -33.3% | 3.9 per 1,000 people | 2.6 per 1,000 people |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 7.57 per 1,000 people | 6.9 per 1,000 people | 8.7 per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1970s | 8.56 per 1,000 people | 7.8 per 1,000 people | 9.2 per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1980s | 7.22 per 1,000 people | 6.7 per 1,000 people | 7.8 per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1990s | 5.59 per 1,000 people | 5.1 per 1,000 people | 6.8 per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 2000s | 4.63 per 1,000 people | 4.4 per 1,000 people | 5.1 per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.14 per 1,000 people | 3.9 per 1,000 people | 4.3 per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.6 per 1,000 people | 2.6 per 1,000 people | 2.6 per 1,000 people | 1 |
Countries ranked near Canada
More reference data data for Canada
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 2.05 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 3.92 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 20.47 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 2.92 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 20.47 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 6.86 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 7.45 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 22.03 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 99.83 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 15.88 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is marriage rates in Canada?
- Marriage rates in Canada was 2.6 per 1,000 people in 2020, according to OECD (2025) and other sources – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest marriage rates recorded in Canada?
- The highest recorded value was 9.2 per 1,000 people in 1972.
- What is the lowest marriage rates recorded in Canada?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.6 per 1,000 people in 2020.
- How does Canada rank for marriage rates?
- Canada ranks 42nd out of 44 countries with data for 2020.
- Is marriage rates rising or falling in Canada?
- Over the last ten years it is down 39.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Canada 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.
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CSV · JSON — 61 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.