Faith
Marriage Rates Drop Below Half in Britain
Faith Facts
- ONS reports only 49.5% of UK adults are married or in civil partnerships in 2024, down from 51.5% in 2014.
- Adults who have never married have risen to 36.8%, up from 33.9% a decade ago.
- Couple cohabitation is higher among older adults, with more than 70% of those aged 30–64 living as couples.
The decline in marriage throughout Britain highlights a cultural shift away from biblical covenant and commitment. It serves as a call for Christians to uphold God’s design for marriage as the foundation of strong families and communities.
Harry Benson, Research Director at the Marriage Foundation, responded,
“Today’s bleak and disheartening figures from the ONS show that the proportion of the adult population who are married continues to fall and remains below 50 per cent.”
This trend reflects a decades-long pattern as fewer embrace lifelong unions—with concerning implications for the fabric of society.
Benson urged the government to reconsider policies that discourage marriage, arguing that marriage supports stability and is proven to help couples stay together.
“The fact is that the psychology involved in the act of marriage helps couples want to make their relationship work. The most recent studies show that UK parents are significantly more likely to stay together if they are married, regardless of background.”
He concluded,
“Marriage may be no guarantee, but it stacks the odds in your favour. Divorce rates are at their lowest since the 1970s. Yet record levels of family breakdown have been driven mostly by the collapse of relationships that never formalised through marriage or civil partnership. The message from psychology and the data is simple. If you want to stay together, get married.”
As believers, let us recommit to honoring the sacred covenant of marriage and encourage the next generation to cherish God’s blueprint for the family.