Fewer people in South Africa are saying “I do.”

In the past 20 years, the number of registered civil marriages dropped by more than 40% – from 178,689 in 2003 to 99,289 in 2023, according to Statistics South Africa.

The reasons are complex, but one clear trend is a growing preference for long-term partnerships outside traditional marriage structures.

And when people do get married, they’re doing it later in life. The median age for first-time brides rose from 28 in 2002 to 33 in 2023. For grooms, it increased from 32 to 36.

The groom tends to be older than the bride in first-time marriages. Only 10% of first-time civil marriages in 2023 were between couples of the same age.

Civil marriage is the most common of South Africa’s three legally recognised forms of marriage, making up 95% of all registrations.