Northern Ireland couples “waiting 7 years longer to tie the knot” than 1990’s
Couples are waiting on average seven years longer to tie the knot in 2019 compared to 30 years ago, according to the latest statistics in the 2019 Registrar General’s Annual Report.
Whilst the number of marriages taking place annually has fallen over the last 30 years from over 10,000 in 1989 to 7,255 marriages in 2019, the average age for brides and grooms has increased to 33.4 and 35.4 years respectively, compared with 25.8 years for brides and 27.9 years for grooms in 1989.
This is one of the findings of the statistics published today by the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA).
The report also shows that August was the most popular month to get married in 2019 and that Saturday, 24 August was the most popular day, with 105 couples having married on that date.
There were 103 civil partnerships registered in 2019, 46 of which involved male partnerships and 57 involved female partnerships.
The average age of males participating in a civil partnership was slightly higher than for females (37.9 and 37.0 years respectively).
When looking at births, the report shows that the number of births to teenage mothers (mothers less than 20 years of age) continues to fall to a record low of 631 (2.8 per cent) out of the total 22,447 births registered in 2019.
This is less than half the number recorded a decade previously (1,334) and two-thirds less than three decades ago (1,888).
The average age of first-time mothers has continued to increase, up from 25.2 years in 1989 to 28.9 years in 2019.
The average age of all mothers has similarly risen, from 27.7 years to 30.9 years over the last three decades.
Of the 22,447 births registered (11,666 males and 10,781 females) 45.9 per cent occurred outside of marriage/civil partnership, compared to 17.0 per cent three decades ago.
2019 saw the lowest stillbirth rate (3.0 per 1,000 births) on record in Northern Ireland, with 67 stillbirths registered.
The statistics in relation to deaths show that cancer continued to be the leading cause of death in 2019, accounting for 28.4 per cent of all deaths.
With 2,344 men and 2,133 women dying from cancer in 2019, it was the most common cause of death for both sexes, with diseases of the circulatory system (such as heart disease and cerebrovascular disease) the second most common cause for both.
There were 192 registered deaths due to self-inflicted injury in Northern Ireland in 2019, compared with 184 in 2018.
Males accounted for three-quarters of all deaths due to self-inflicted injury (149).
In terms of population change, the estimated population of Northern Ireland rose by 12,000 people from mid-2018 to reach 1.89 million in the year.
This increase can mainly be attributed to the difference between births and deaths.
Projections indicate that the population of Northern Ireland will continue to grow until 2048 with a potential fall in overall population projected beyond that.
The number of people aged 65 and over is projected to overtake children by mid-2028.
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