Ireland's Central Statistics Office (CSO) published its Marriages 2024 report on Friday, April 25.
The report, the CSO says, compiled data from the marriage registration forms of all marriages registered in Ireland last year.
“There were 20,348 marriages in Ireland in 2024 including 668 same-sex marriages," Seán O’Connor, Statistician in the CSO's Life Events and Demography Division, said on Friday.
"This equates to a crude (unadjusted) marriage rate of 3.8 per 1,000 population.
"The equivalent rate in 2023 was 4.0 while the rate for 2014 was 4.8 per 1,000 population.
"Overall, the total number of marriages celebrated in 2024 decreased by 3.8% from 2023 and has reduced by 7.7% from 2014.
"Opposite-sex marriages fell by 4.2% from 20,513 marriages to 19,680, while same-sex marriages rose by 3.4%, up 22 additional marriages from 646 in 2023."
The number of marriages celebrated in Ireland in 2024 was down by almost 4% on 2023 figureshttps://t.co/umFCWcfwwj#CSOIreland #Ireland #VitalStatistics #VitalStats #Marriages pic.twitter.com/fBh1AT2ajI
— Central Statistics Office Ireland (@CSOIreland) April 25, 2025
The CSO shared the following information about marriages in Ireland in 2024:
Age of Brides in Ireland
The average age of women in opposite-sex marriages was 35.9 years in 2024, a slight increase from 35.8 in 2023 and 35.4 in 2022. The comparable age 10 years ago was 33.0 years.
The average age of women in same-sex marriages was 39.7 years in 2024, also a slight increase from 38.0 in 2023 and 38.2 in 2022. In 2019, the age was 39.3.
Age of Grooms in Ireland
The average age of men in opposite-sex marriages was 37.7 years in 2024, which was the same as in 2023 and slightly higher than 37.4 in 2023. In 2014, the average age was 35.0 years.
The average age of men in same-sex marriages was 40.7 years in 2024, a slight decrease from 40.8 in 2023 and 39.4 in 2022. In 2019, the average age was 39.8 years.
Wedding Ceremony Choice in Ireland
Overall, 60.2% of all opposite-sex marriages were religious ceremonies in 2024.
There were 6,425 (32.6%) Catholic services, 1,374 (7.0%) by the Spiritualist Union, 193 (1.0%) in Church of Ireland ceremonies, and 43 (0.2%) Presbyterian services. A further 3,814 (19.2%) ceremonies were held under other religious denominations.
Civil marriages accounted for 6,392 (32.5%) while the remaining 1,439 (7.3%) were services held by the Humanist Association.
The ratio of Catholic and civil ceremonies has reduced in 10 years, with only 33 more Catholic ceremonies than civil ceremonies taking place in 2024, compared with 6,905 more in 2014.
Meanwhile, just over half (52.5%) of same-sex marriages were civil ceremonies in 2024. 68 (10.2%) of services were held by the Humanist Association, 72 (10.8%) by the Spiritualist Union of Ireland, and 177 (26.5%) by other religious denominations.
August was the most popular month for opposite-sex marriages in Ireland in 2024
August was the most popular month for opposite-sex marriages in 2024, unchanged since 2023. Just over one in eight marriages (13.4%) in 2024 were in August while almost one in four (23.9%) took place in the last three months of the year.
Some 630 (3.2%) marriages took place in January, the least popular month to wed in 2024.
Friday and Saturday were the most popular days of the week to get married in 2024, with 12,252 (62.3%) of opposite-sex marriages taking place on these days.
The least popular day was Sunday, when 686 (3.5%) opposite-sex marriages in 2024 took place.
Friday, September 6, and Friday, June 21 were the most popular dates for opposite-sex marriages in 2024 with 211 ceremonies taking place on both these dates.
September was the most popular month for same-sex marriages in Ireland in 2024
In 2024, the most popular month for same-sex marriages was September. Just over one in eight marriages (12.7%) in 2024 were in September and almost one in four (22.9%) took place in the last three months of the year.
Just 23 (3.4%) marriages took place in January, the least popular month in 2024.
Friday, July 19, and Friday, June 21 were the most popular dates for same-sex marriages in 2024 with 10 ceremonies taking place on each of these dates.