Age at first marriage, female in Ireland
Ireland: Age at first marriage, female was 32.4 in 2016. ▲ Rising
Age at first marriage, female in Ireland, 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 Ireland stood at 32.4. That is the highest value across all 19 years on record.
The figure is up 3.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, age at first marriage, female in Ireland peaked at 32.4 in 2016 and was at its lowest, 23.1, in 1979.
Ireland ranks 8th of 166 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 19 years of available data.
Age at first marriage, female in Ireland, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 23.5 | — |
| 1979 | 23.1 | -1.7% |
| 1981 | 23.4 | +1.3% |
| 1983 | 24.4 | +4.3% |
| 1984 | 24.6 | +0.8% |
| 1985 | 24.6 | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 25 | +1.6% |
| 1988 | 25.3 | +1.2% |
| 1989 | 25.8 | +2.0% |
| 1990 | 26 | +0.8% |
| 1991 | 26.7 | +2.7% |
| 1994 | 27.7 | +3.7% |
| 1996 | 28.7 | +3.6% |
| 1999 | 29.5 | +2.8% |
| 2002 | 30.7 | +4.1% |
| 2005 | 31.1 | +1.3% |
| 2006 | 31.4 | +1.0% |
| 2011 | 28.5 | -9.2% |
| 2016 | 32.4 | +13.7% |
Ireland compared with similar countries
- Ireland's 32.4 is above the median for high income countries, which is 29.9, 1.1× the median. (60 countries reporting)
- Ireland's 32.4 is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 30.25, 1.1× the median. (46 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 23.3 | 23.1 | 23.5 | 2 |
| 1980s | 24.73 | 23.4 | 25.8 | 7 |
| 1990s | 27.72 | 26 | 29.5 | 5 |
| 2000s | 31.07 | 30.7 | 31.4 | 3 |
| 2010s | 30.45 | 28.5 | 32.4 | 2 |
Countries ranked near Ireland
More gender data for Ireland
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) 899.27 (2030)
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) (0-14), annual growth -0.9809 % change on previous year (2030)
- Population 4,626 (2030)
- Working-age population (UN estimates and projections) 4,626 (2030)
- Population (UN estimates and projections), annual growth rate 1.02 % change on previous year (2030)
- Age population, age 00, female, interpolated 26,039 (2025)
- Age population, age 00, male, interpolated 27,455 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, female, interpolated 26,494 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, male, interpolated 27,919 (2025)
- Age population, age 02, female, interpolated 26,943 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is age at first marriage, female in Ireland?
- Age at first marriage, female in Ireland was 32.4 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 Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 32.4 in 2016.
- What is the lowest age at first marriage, female recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 23.1 in 1979.
- How does Ireland rank for age at first marriage, female?
- Ireland ranks 8th out of 166 countries with data for 2016.
- Is age at first marriage, female rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Ireland 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.
Download this data
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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.