Ireland’s marriage rate dropped to just 3.8 people per 1,000 adults last year [1], the lowest ever recorded excluding the period of Covid lockdowns, while there was a 4pc drop in the total number of couples who tied the knot, according to the latest figures from the CSO.
This is likely to have a knock-on effect on the country’s fertility rate which is already well below replacement level.
In addition, there were almost as many civil ceremonies as Catholic celebrations [2].
In total, there were 20,348 marriages registered in Ireland last year down from 21,159 in 2023 and 23,173 in 2022.
Since 2014, the number of marriages has fallen by 7.7pc as there were 22,045 marriages in 2014, despite a big increase in the population.