Marriage rates in Ireland
Ireland: Marriage rates was 3.3 per 1,000 people in 2021. ▼ Falling
Latest (2021)
3.3 per 1,000 people
Change on year
up 73.7%
World rank
37th
of 44 countries
All-time high
7.4 per 1,000 people
in 1971
All-time low
1.9 per 1,000 people
in 2020
Years of data
62
1960–2021
Marriage rates in Ireland, 1960–2021
Source: OECD (2025) and other sources – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in per 1,000 people.
Analysis
Ireland recorded 3.3 per 1,000 people for marriage rates in 2021.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 73.7% on the previous year and down 23.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, marriage rates in Ireland peaked at 7.4 per 1,000 people in 1971 and was at its lowest, 1.9 per 1,000 people, in 2020.
Ireland ranks 37th of 44 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 62 years of available data.
Marriage rates in Ireland, year by year
| Year | per 1,000 people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 5.5 per 1,000 people | — |
| 1961 | 5.4 per 1,000 people | -1.8% |
| 1962 | 5.5 per 1,000 people | +1.9% |
| 1963 | 5.5 per 1,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 5.6 per 1,000 people | +1.8% |
| 1965 | 5.9 per 1,000 people | +5.4% |
| 1966 | 5.8 per 1,000 people | -1.7% |
| 1967 | 6.1 per 1,000 people | +5.2% |
| 1968 | 6.5 per 1,000 people | +6.6% |
| 1969 | 6.9 per 1,000 people | +6.2% |
| 1970 | 7 per 1,000 people | +1.4% |
| 1971 | 7.4 per 1,000 people | +5.7% |
| 1972 | 7.3 per 1,000 people | -1.4% |
| 1973 | 7.4 per 1,000 people | +1.4% |
| 1974 | 7.3 per 1,000 people | -1.4% |
| 1975 | 6.7 per 1,000 people | -8.2% |
| 1976 | 6.4 per 1,000 people | -4.5% |
| 1977 | 6.1 per 1,000 people | -4.7% |
| 1978 | 6.4 per 1,000 people | +4.9% |
| 1979 | 6.2 per 1,000 people | -3.1% |
| 1980 | 6.4 per 1,000 people | +3.2% |
| 1981 | 6 per 1,000 people | -6.3% |
| 1982 | 5.8 per 1,000 people | -3.3% |
| 1983 | 5.5 per 1,000 people | -5.2% |
| 1984 | 5.2 per 1,000 people | -5.5% |
| 1985 | 5.3 per 1,000 people | +1.9% |
| 1986 | 5.2 per 1,000 people | -1.9% |
| 1987 | 5.2 per 1,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 5.2 per 1,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 5.2 per 1,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 5.1 per 1,000 people | -1.9% |
| 1991 | 4.9 per 1,000 people | -3.9% |
| 1992 | 4.7 per 1,000 people | -4.1% |
| 1993 | 4.7 per 1,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 4.6 per 1,000 people | -2.1% |
| 1995 | 4.3 per 1,000 people | -6.5% |
| 1996 | 4.4 per 1,000 people | +2.3% |
| 1997 | 4.3 per 1,000 people | -2.3% |
| 1998 | 4.5 per 1,000 people | +4.7% |
| 1999 | 4.9 per 1,000 people | +8.9% |
| 2000 | 5 per 1,000 people | +2.0% |
| 2001 | 5 per 1,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 5.2 per 1,000 people | +4.0% |
| 2003 | 5.1 per 1,000 people | -1.9% |
| 2004 | 5.2 per 1,000 people | +2.0% |
| 2005 | 5.1 per 1,000 people | -1.9% |
| 2006 | 5.2 per 1,000 people | +2.0% |
| 2007 | 5.2 per 1,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 4.9 per 1,000 people | -5.8% |
| 2009 | 4.8 per 1,000 people | -2.0% |
| 2010 | 4.5 per 1,000 people | -6.2% |
| 2011 | 4.3 per 1,000 people | -4.4% |
| 2012 | 4.5 per 1,000 people | +4.7% |
| 2013 | 4.5 per 1,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 4.7 per 1,000 people | +4.4% |
| 2015 | 4.7 per 1,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 4.8 per 1,000 people | +2.1% |
| 2017 | 4.6 per 1,000 people | -4.2% |
| 2018 | 4.3 per 1,000 people | -6.5% |
| 2019 | 4.1 per 1,000 people | -4.7% |
| 2020 | 1.9 per 1,000 people | -53.7% |
| 2021 | 3.3 per 1,000 people | +73.7% |
Ireland compared with similar countries
- Ireland's 3.3 per 1,000 people is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 4.6 per 1,000 people, 72% of the median. (31 countries reporting)
- Ireland's 3.3 per 1,000 people is below the median for high income countries, which is 4.29 per 1,000 people, 77% of the median. (40 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Marriage rates in Ireland 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | +73.7% | 1.9 per 1,000 people | 3.3 per 1,000 people |
| 2020 | -53.7% | 4.1 per 1,000 people | 1.9 per 1,000 people |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 5.87 per 1,000 people | 5.4 per 1,000 people | 6.9 per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1970s | 6.82 per 1,000 people | 6.1 per 1,000 people | 7.4 per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1980s | 5.5 per 1,000 people | 5.2 per 1,000 people | 6.4 per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1990s | 4.64 per 1,000 people | 4.3 per 1,000 people | 5.1 per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 2000s | 5.07 per 1,000 people | 4.8 per 1,000 people | 5.2 per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.5 per 1,000 people | 4.1 per 1,000 people | 4.8 per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.6 per 1,000 people | 1.9 per 1,000 people | 3.3 per 1,000 people | 2 |
Countries ranked near Ireland
More reference data data for Ireland
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.45 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 1.19 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 4.37 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0921 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 4.37 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 4.87 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 3.37 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 5.6 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 21.02 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.5015 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is marriage rates in Ireland?
- Marriage rates in Ireland was 3.3 per 1,000 people in 2021, according to OECD (2025) and other sources – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest marriage rates recorded in Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 7.4 per 1,000 people in 1971.
- What is the lowest marriage rates recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.9 per 1,000 people in 2020.
- How does Ireland rank for marriage rates?
- Ireland ranks 37th out of 44 countries with data for 2021.
- Is marriage rates rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 23.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Ireland 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 — 62 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.