Marriage rates in 1990 vs. 2022 in Ireland

Ireland: Marriage rates in 1990 vs. 2022 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 1990 vs. 2022 in Ireland, 1960–2021

2468196019902021

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 1990 vs. 2022 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 1990 vs. 2022 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.

That places Ireland 37th out of 44 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 62 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest 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

  1. 34 New Zealand 3.68 per 1,000 people compare
  2. 35 France 3.6 per 1,000 people compare
  3. 36 Portugal 3.5 per 1,000 people compare
  4. 38 Italy 3.2 per 1,000 people compare
  5. 38 Slovenia 3.2 per 1,000 people compare
  6. 40 Argentina 2.79 per 1,000 people compare

See the full ranking of 44 places →

More reference data data for Ireland

All data for Ireland →

Frequently asked questions

What is marriage rates in 1990 vs. 2022 in Ireland?
Marriage rates in 1990 vs. 2022 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 in 1990 vs. 2022 recorded in Ireland?
The highest recorded value was 7.4 per 1,000 people in 1971.
What is the lowest marriage rates in 1990 vs. 2022 recorded in Ireland?
The lowest recorded value was 1.9 per 1,000 people in 2020.
How does Ireland rank for marriage rates in 1990 vs. 2022?
Ireland ranks 37th out of 44 countries with data for 2021.
Is marriage rates in 1990 vs. 2022 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 in 1990 vs. 2022. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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About this data

Indicator
Marriage rates in 1990 vs. 2022
Unit
per 1,000 people
Source
OECD (2025) and other sources – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
44 places, 2,520 data points, 1886–2022
Last refreshed

Number of marriages during a given year per 1,000 people.