Customary marriages in South Africa have decreased by a staggering 80% over the past two decades, according to Statistics South Africa.

Many of these unions aren’t registered right away. In 2023, 9 in 10 were recorded a year after the actual wedding date, but this doesn’t fully explain the steep drop.

Most of the customary marriages that are registered are in just three provinces: Limpopo (27%), KwaZulu-Natal (22%), and the Eastern Cape (18%).

And who’s getting married? The median age of the bridegroom was 35, while the bride was 29, a six-year age gap in customary marriages registered between 2019 and 2023.

Customary marriage is one of the three legally recognised forms of marriage in South Africa. It falls under the Recognition of Customary Marriages Act, which came into effect in 2000.