Age at first marriage, female in Australia
Australia: Age at first marriage, female was 29.9 in 2016. ▲ Rising
Age at first marriage, female in Australia, 1971–2016
Source: United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division. World Marriage Data 2019.
Analysis
In 2016, age at first marriage, female in Australia stood at 29.9. That is the highest value across all 17 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, age at first marriage, female in Australia peaked at 29.9 in 2011 and was at its lowest, 21.5, in 1971.
That places Australia 31st out of 166 countries with data for 2016, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 17 years of available data.
Age at first marriage, female in Australia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 21.5 | — |
| 1976 | 22 | +2.3% |
| 1981 | 23.5 | +6.8% |
| 1986 | 24.8 | +5.5% |
| 1988 | 25.5 | +2.8% |
| 1989 | 25.8 | +1.2% |
| 1990 | 26 | +0.8% |
| 1992 | 26.4 | +1.5% |
| 1993 | 26.7 | +1.1% |
| 1994 | 27 | +1.1% |
| 1996 | 27.7 | +2.6% |
| 1997 | 28 | +1.1% |
| 1999 | 28.5 | +1.8% |
| 2001 | 28.9 | +1.4% |
| 2006 | 29.7 | +2.8% |
| 2011 | 29.9 | +0.7% |
| 2016 | 29.9 | +0.0% |
Australia compared with similar countries
- Australia's 29.9 is above the median for high income countries, which is 29.9, 1.0× the median. (60 countries reporting)
- Australia's 29.9 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 23.4, 1.3× the median. (25 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 21.75 | 21.5 | 22 | 2 |
| 1980s | 24.9 | 23.5 | 25.8 | 4 |
| 1990s | 27.19 | 26 | 28.5 | 7 |
| 2000s | 29.3 | 28.9 | 29.7 | 2 |
| 2010s | 29.9 | 29.9 | 29.9 | 2 |
Countries ranked near Australia
More gender data for Australia
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) 4,759 (2030)
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) (0-14), annual growth -0.0804 % change on previous year (2030)
- Population 23,430 (2030)
- Working-age population (UN estimates and projections) 23,430 (2030)
- Population (UN estimates and projections), annual growth rate 1.02 % change on previous year (2030)
- Age population, age 00, female, interpolated 149,630 (2025)
- Age population, age 00, male, interpolated 157,746 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, female, interpolated 150,777 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, male, interpolated 158,898 (2025)
- Age population, age 02, female, interpolated 151,066 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is age at first marriage, female in Australia?
- Age at first marriage, female in Australia was 29.9 in 2016, according to United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division. World Marriage Data 2019.
- What is the highest age at first marriage, female recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 29.9 in 2011.
- What is the lowest age at first marriage, female recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 21.5 in 1971.
- How does Australia rank for age at first marriage, female?
- Australia ranks 31st out of 166 countries with data for 2016.
- Is age at first marriage, female rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Australia data come from?
- The figures come from United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division. World Marriage Data 2019, published as part of Age at first marriage, female. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Mean age at marriage, female shows the average length of single life expressed in years among those females who marry before age 50. It is a synthetic indicator calculated from marital status categories of men and women aged 15 to 54 at the census or survey date.