Civil ceremonies have overtaken Catholic weddings as the most common way to marry in Ireland, according to new Central Statistics Office (CSO) data covering 2014 to 2024. The numbers point to a broader change in Irish wedding culture, with more couples choosing civil and humanist ceremonies and fewer opting for traditional church rites.
The CSO said there were 20,348 marriages registered in Ireland in 2024, down 3.8 percent from 2023 and 7.7 percent from 2014. The marriage rate also continued to ease, falling to 3.8 per 1,000 people in 2024 from 4.8 a decade earlier.
Civil ceremonies made up 6,743 marriages in 2024, while Roman Catholic ceremonies accounted for 6,425, putting civil weddings just ahead for the first time in the latest CSO tally. In the same release, the CSO said the gap between Catholic and civil ceremonies has narrowed dramatically over 10 years, shifting from 6,905 more Catholic ceremonies in 2014 to just 33 more Catholic ceremonies in 2024.
CSO statistician Seán O’Connor said the figures reflect how Irish couples are changing their approach to marriage, noting that “the types of ceremonies chosen by couples have evolved over time.”
The shift away from traditional religious services has been especially clear over the last decade, with civil ceremonies now leading the pack.
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The move is not just about civil weddings. Humanist ceremonies rose 68 percent over the decade to 1,507 in 2024, while Church of Ireland ceremonies fell from 443 in 2014 to 193 last year. Together, civil, Roman Catholic, Humanist, Spiritualist Union of Ireland and OneSpirit ceremonies accounted for 85 percent of all marriages in 2024, showing how concentrated, yet diverse, Irish wedding choices have become.
The CSO also found that brides and grooms are marrying later in life, with the average age at 35.9 for brides and 37.7 for grooms in 2024. Friday remained the most popular day to marry, while August was the favorite month for opposite-sex couples and September for same-sex couples.
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