Statistics Norway

Marriages and divorces

6 Average age at marriage. Marriages between persons of opposite sex. Males and females1. 1961-2011
Annual average Year Average age at marriage Estimated per cent unmarried at age 503
Observed2 Hypothetic3 Males Females
All married Never married Previously married4 Never married
Males Females Males Females Males Females Males Females
1961-1965 27.8 24.5 26.4 23.4 43.7 38.3 26.0 23.2 7.6 3.6
1966-1970 26.5 23.7 25.3 22.8 41.9 37.3 25.4 22.8 7.7 4.6
1971-1975 26.5 23.8 25.2 22.8 40.2 36.2 25.6 23.0 10.9 6.0
1976-1980 27.5 24.7 25.9 23.3 39.0 35.6 26.8 24.4 17.8 11.8
1981-1985 28.8 25.9 26.8 24.2 40.2 36.6 28.2 25.8 25.9 19.5
1986-1990 30.4 27.4 28.2 25.5 41.6 37.7 29.7 27.3 32.5 26.5
1991-1995 32.1 29.0 29.5 26.9 43.3 39.2 31.0 28.7 40.3 35.1
1996-2000 34.2 31.1 31.1 28.6 45.4 41.5 31.9 29.5 37.3 32.5
2001-2005 36.0 32.5 32.6 29.8 47.0 43.1 32.6 30.3 39.3 35.3
2006-2010 37.2 33.8 33.8 30.9 48.6 44.7 33.2 30.9 39.6 36.3
                     
1991 31.3 28.2 29.0 26.4 42.1 38.4 30.6 28.2 38.6 32.3
1992 31.6 28.5 29.2 26.6 43.0 39.1 30.7 28.4 40.4 35.4
1993 32.1 29.0 29.4 26.9 43.5 39.5 31.0 28.7 41.9 36.5
1994 32.6 29.5 29.8 27.2 43.8 39.4 31.3 28.9 40.6 36.5
1995 32.9 29.9 30.0 27.6 43.9 39.8 31.4 29.1 39.8 35.0
                     
1996 33.4 30.4 30.5 28.0 44.4 40.6 31.6 29.3 37.4 32.4
1997 33.7 30.7 30.6 28.3 44.9 41.1 31.7 29.4 37.2 32.1
1998 34.1 31.1 31.1 28.6 45.4 41.5 32.0 29.7 38.3 33.4
1999 34.8 31.6 31.6 28.9 46.0 42.2 31.8 29.5 39.5 34.7
2000 34.9 31.8 31.8 29.2 46.3 42.2 32.2 29.8 34.2 29.9
                     
2001 35.3 32.1 32.0 29.3 46.4 42.8 32.4 30.1 38.5 34.3
2002 35.5 32.1 32.2 29.5 46.6 42.4 32.4 30.0 37.0 33.6
2003 35.8 32.4 32.5 29.7 47.2 43.0 32.6 30.3 40.0 35.7
2004 36.3 32.8 32.9 30.0 47.1 43.4 32.8 30.4 40.4 36.5
2005 36.7 33.3 33.2 30.4 47.8 43.9 33.0 30.8 40.5 36.2
                     
2006 36.9 33.5 33.4 30.6 48.0 44.1 33.2 30.8 41.7 38.5
2007 37.2 33.7 33.7 30.8 48.3 44.3 33.2 30.9 39.4 35.7
2008 37.6 34.2 34.1 31.2 48.9 45.1 33.4 31.1 37.2 33.4
2009 37.3 33.8 33.8 31.0 49.0 45.0 33.2 30.9 38.9 35.8
2010 37.2 33.6 33.8 30.9 49.0 45.2 33.2 31.0 41.0 38.2
                     
2011 37.7 34.0 34.0 31.1 49.6 45.5 33.5 31.3 43.0 40.0
1  Resident in Norway.
2  The average age is the average for those actually marrying in the period, thus being influenced by cohort size variations.
3  On the condition that a cohort unmarried persons at age 15 years will get married according to the age-specific marriage rates for the calendaryear observed, and that deaths do not occur. Thus, hypothetic average ages are not influenced by cohort size variations. In 1996 a new model for calculating per cent unmarried at age 50 was put into use. Using this model, new figures for 1991-1995 have been calculated. The implication of the adjustment is that the percentages are not directly comparable with those of preceding years.
4  Divorced and widowed.

Explanation of symbols