Marriages in England and Wales fell in 2020 to the lowest ever recorded, according to statistics which lay bare the full impact of the pandemic on weddings.
There were 85,770 marriages in the two nations that year – the lowest number since the first full year of marriage records in 1838.
The 2020 figure was down 61.0% from 219,850 in 2019, which is the largest annual decrease ever recorded.
The figures, published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) on Thursday, showed marriage rates were at their lowest level since 1862.
There were 7.4 marriages per 1,000 men not in a legal partnership, compared with 19.1 in 2019, and 7.0 marriages per 1,000 women not in a legal partnership, compared with 17.8 in 2019.
The figures also showed that marriage rates were lower than divorce rates for the first time since records began.
There were 8.5 divorces per 1,000 married men and 8.6 per 1,000 married women, the ONS said.
Religious ceremonies also fell to their lowest percentage on record, accounting for 15.0% of opposite-sex marriages in 2020, down from 18.7% in 2019.
In 2020, there were 82,959 opposite-sex marriages, a decrease of 61.1% from the 213,122 figure in 2019, and 2,811 same-sex marriages, down 58.2% from 6,728 in 2019.
The statistics body acknowledged the time lag in data, saying it is “currently only possible to publish final annual marriage statistics around 26 months after the end of the reference year because of delays in the submission of religious marriage entries by the clergy and authorised persons”.
The ONS said: “Restrictions related to the coronavirus pandemic have had a marked impact on the number, timing and characteristics of marriages taking place in 2020 compared with previous years.
“Marriage rates in 2020 have more than halved compared with 2019 and have fallen to their lowest on record. While August is usually the most popular month to marry, in 2020 there was a shift to September and October respectively for opposite-sex and same-sex couples.
“While divorce proceedings were also impacted by the pandemic, for the first time, marriage rates were lower than divorce rates. Future analysis will show whether there is a rise in marriage rates in 2021 as restrictions were lifted.”
