Age at first marriage, female in Canada
Canada: Age at first marriage, female was 27.2 in 2016. ▲ Rising
Age at first marriage, female in Canada, 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 Canada stood at 27.2. That is the highest value across all 34 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.4% on the previous year and up 2.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, age at first marriage, female in Canada peaked at 27.2 in 2016 and was at its lowest, 22, in 1971.
That places Canada 47th out of 166 countries with data for 2016, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 34 years of available data.
Age at first marriage, female in Canada, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 22 | — |
| 1976 | 22.3 | +1.4% |
| 1977 | 22.6 | +1.3% |
| 1979 | 23.1 | +2.2% |
| 1980 | 23.4 | +1.3% |
| 1981 | 23.1 | -1.3% |
| 1982 | 23.3 | +0.9% |
| 1983 | 24.6 | +5.6% |
| 1984 | 23.8 | -3.3% |
| 1985 | 24.1 | +1.3% |
| 1986 | 24.3 | +0.8% |
| 1987 | 24.6 | +1.2% |
| 1988 | 24.9 | +1.2% |
| 1989 | 25.2 | +1.2% |
| 1990 | 25.5 | +1.2% |
| 1991 | 27.1 | +6.3% |
| 1992 | 25.6 | -5.5% |
| 1993 | 25.9 | +1.2% |
| 1994 | 26.2 | +1.2% |
| 1995 | 26.6 | +1.5% |
| 1996 | 26 | -2.3% |
| 1997 | 26.4 | +1.5% |
| 1998 | 26.4 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 26.5 | +0.4% |
| 2000 | 26.6 | +0.4% |
| 2001 | 26.3 | -1.1% |
| 2002 | 26.8 | +1.9% |
| 2003 | 26.7 | -0.4% |
| 2004 | 26.8 | +0.4% |
| 2006 | 26.6 | -0.7% |
| 2011 | 26.9 | +1.1% |
| 2013 | 27.1 | +0.7% |
| 2015 | 27.1 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 27.2 | +0.4% |
Canada compared with similar countries
- Canada's 27.2 is below the median for high income countries, which is 29.9, 91% of the median. (60 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 22.5 | 22 | 23.1 | 4 |
| 1980s | 24.13 | 23.1 | 25.2 | 10 |
| 1990s | 26.22 | 25.5 | 27.1 | 10 |
| 2000s | 26.63 | 26.3 | 26.8 | 6 |
| 2010s | 27.07 | 26.9 | 27.2 | 4 |
Countries ranked near Canada
- 44 Spain 27.7 compare
- 45 United States 27.5 compare
- 46 Chile 27.4 compare
- 47 South Africa 27.2 compare
- 49 Austria 27.1 compare
- 50 United Kingdom 27 compare
More gender data for Canada
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) 5,985 (2030)
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) (0-14), annual growth -0.1285 % change on previous year (2030)
- Population 35,670 (2030)
- Working-age population (UN estimates and projections) 35,670 (2030)
- Population (UN estimates and projections), annual growth rate 0.8111 % change on previous year (2030)
- Age population, age 00, female, interpolated 179,464 (2025)
- Age population, age 00, male, interpolated 188,972 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, female, interpolated 181,929 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, male, interpolated 191,273 (2025)
- Age population, age 02, female, interpolated 183,113 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is age at first marriage, female in Canada?
- Age at first marriage, female in Canada was 27.2 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 Canada?
- The highest recorded value was 27.2 in 2016.
- What is the lowest age at first marriage, female recorded in Canada?
- The lowest recorded value was 22 in 1971.
- How does Canada rank for age at first marriage, female?
- Canada ranks 47th out of 166 countries with data for 2016.
- Is age at first marriage, female rising or falling in Canada?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Canada 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.