Settling down quietly is preferred to marriage

Majority of adults are not married or in civil partnerships as they focus on homes and children

LESS than half of adults are in marriages or civil partnerships, official data has shown for the first time.

The proportion of people aged 16 or over who are married or in a civil partnership was 50.6 per cent in 2020 but dipped to 49.7 per cent in 2021 before dropping even further to 49.4 in 2022, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) found.

Family lawyers said the figures – based on population estimates by marital status and living arrangements in England and Wales in 2021 and 2022 – were indicative of adults wanting to wait longer before marrying and prioritising property purchases and raising children instead.

David Thompson, family partner at Seddons, said: “Despite the divorces and travails of famous people, most people – perhaps surprisingly – still want to marry. If anything, people are waiting longer to get married.”

Less than 3.5 per cent of the population in matrimonial or civil partnerships in 2022 were under the age of 30.

Mr Thompson added: “People put off settling down for longer, looking at settling instead for when the time is right; big decisions like the cost of buying a house and bringing up children push weddings down the list until the couples can afford it.” The ONS said that comparable records go back to 2002 while other data, which go back to 1972 and is not directly comparable, also show the percentage of married people had previously never dropped below 50 per cent.

Meanwhile, the proportion of couples who are not married or in a civil partnership but already living together rose to more than a fifth – from 19.7 per cent in 2012 to 22.7 per cent in 2022, which is equivalent to 5.4million people in 2012 and 6.8 million people in 2022.

Legal experts said the statistics suggest that laws in this area must be reformed. David Lillywhite, partner at Burgess Mee Family Law, said: “Unfortunately, many couples still believe that simply by living with their partner they will automatically be entitled to a share of the other’s wealth or receive financial support from them when the relationship breaks down.

“The reality is very different and can often come as something of a shock.

“This area of law is crying out for reform, which could include the ability for cohabitees to apply for maintenance for a limited period to adjust for the loss of financial support.”

Last year the Government announced it would review laws governing how a couple’s finances are divided after a divorce, enlisting the Law Commission to analyse how the 50-year-old laws work in practice.

However, Sital Fontenelle, head of Kingsley Napley’s family and divorce practice, said protections for cohabitees, who currently have “limited rights”, must be considered.

The 2021 data has only come to light now as the ONS waited until after that year’s census to provide a full set of statistics.