Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union.

Unit F2: Population and migration.

2920 Luxembourg LUXEMBOURG

Data on marriages and divorces at national level are transmitted by the National Statistics Institutes on voluntary basis in the context of the annual demographic data collections in the field of demography carried out by Eurostat as follows:

The POPSTAT questionnaire collects annual mandatory and voluntary demographic data from the National Statistical Institutes.

The completeness of the demographic data collected on a voluntary basis depends on the availability and completeness of information provided by the National Statistical Institutes.

 The following statistics on marriages and divorces are collected from the National Statistical Institutes:

• Marriages by previous legal union status of marrying persons;
• First-time marrying persons by age, year of birth and sex;
• Marriages by country of citizenship of marrying persons;
• Marriages by country of birth of marrying persons;
• Divorces by duration and year of the marriage;
• Divorces by country of citizenship of spouses;
• Divorces by country of birth of spouses.

Statistics on marriages and divorces: based on the different breakdowns of data on marriages and divorces received, Eurostat produces the following:

• Statistics available in the online table Marriage indicators (demo_nind):

- Total number of marriages;

- Crude marriage rate;

- Mean age at first marriage – male;

- Mean age at first marriage – female;

- Total first marriage rate – male;

- Total first marriage rate – female;

- Proportion of first marriages – male;

- Proportion of first marriages – female.

• Statistics available in the online table Divorce indicators (demo_ndivind):

- Total number of divorces;

- Crude divorce rate;

- Divorces per 100 marriages.

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Crude marriage rate : the ratio of the number of marriages during the year to the average population in that year. The value is expressed per 1000 inhabitants.

Crude divorce rate: the ratio of the number of divorces during the year to the average population in that year. The value is expressed per 1000 inhabitants.

Legal marital status: marital status is the legally defined marital state.

Mean age at first marriage: the mean age of men and women when they get married for the first time.

First marriage rates: the ratio of the number of first time marrying person of age x to the average population of age x, separately for men and women.

Total first marriage rate: it is computed by adding the first marriage rates by age in a given year, separately for men and women.

Proportion of first marriages: the ratio of the number of first time marriages in the total number of marriages in a given year, by sex.

Divorces per 100 marriages: the ratio between the number of divorces (independently of the duration) and the number of marriages in a given year.

Age and duration definition:

Most National Statistical Institutes of the EU Member States provide data on the number of first marriages by both dimensions: age and year of birth of the first-time marrying persons. First marriage statistics are compiled and disseminated, based on the data collected, only by age at last birthday (also referred as age completed).

Most National Statistical Institutes of the EU Member States provide data on the number of divorces by both dimensions: duration and year of marriage. Divorces are compiled and disseminated, based on data collected, only by duration of marriage reached during the year.

Eurostat uses the concept of age completed when calculating marriage indicators.

The statistical unit used is ''number'', as indicated in the online database or by the title of tables.

The statistical population is the total population. For more information on the population concepts used, please see the reference metadata on Population.

Marriage and divorce statistics are disseminated as available by single country and by aggregates of countries, as follows:

a) The Member States of the European Union and their regional structure as defined in the Nomenclature of territorial units for statistics.

b) The EU candidate countries and their agreed Statistical Regions following the same rules as the Nomenclature of territorial units for statistics.

c) The EU potential candidate countries and their agreed Statistical Regions following the same rules as the Nomenclature of territorial units for statistics.

d) The EFTA countries and their agreed Statistical Regions following the same rules as the Nomenclature of territorial units for statistics.

e) Other countries: Andorra, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Monaco, the Russian Federation, San Marino and the United Kingdom.

f) The geographical aggregates European Union and Euro Area, on which the dissemination covers at least the current and the previous version of their composition, the European Economic Area (EEA) and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA).

For details on geographical changes over time see the notes by country under 15.2 Comparability over time.

Statistics from the UK are available only until the withdrawal of the country from the EU.

The time series compiled and published in the Eurostat database varies, depending on the breakdowns, with the longest time series starting in 1960 and continuing through to the latest available reference year.

The completeness of the time series for marriage and divorce statistics collected on a voluntary basis depends on the availability of data sent to Eurostat by the National Statistical Institutes.

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Data on marriages and divorces are disseminated as integer number and as rates.

The reference period for marriage and divorces data is the calendar year in which the events occurred.

Data are collected on voluntary basis.

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Regulation (EC) No 223/2009 on European statistics (recital 24 and Article 20(4)) of 11 March 2009 (OJ L 87, p. 164), stipulates the need to establish common principles and guidelines ensuring the confidentiality of data used for the production of European statistics and the access to those confidential data with due account for technical developments and the requirements of users in a democratic society and Amending Regulation (EU) No 2015/759 of 29 April 2015 as regards the violation of statistical confidentiality.

For Germany, for the data on marriages and divorces, disclosure of cells with less than 3 persons is not allowed.

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In line with the Community legal framework and the European Statistics Code of Practice Eurostat disseminates European statistics on Eurostat's website (see item 10 - 'Accessibility and clarity') respecting professional independence and in an objective, professional and transparent manner in which all users are treated equitably. The detailed arrangements are governed by the Eurostat protocol on impartial access to Eurostat data for users.

Statistics are continuously revised according to the most recent data released and sent to Eurostat by the National Statistical Institutes. The geographical aggregates and the demographic indicators are revised accordingly.

The statistics are published in line with the information in 8.1 Release calendar and 17.1 Data revision-policy.

News releases on-line.

Statistics Explained articles on Eurostat website

Domain-specific publications

Eurostat’s Data Navigation Tree.

Eurostat's data on Demography, population stock and balance.

Please note that the label for Germany in the GEO code list changed from the beginning of July 2023 in Eurostat dissemination tables.

The new label is now: ‘Germany’. Previously, it was ‘Germany (until 1990 former territory of the FRG)’.

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"Demographic statistics: A review of definitions and methods of collection in 44 European countries", Eurostat, 2015 edition.

More information regarding methodology by country can be found in the national metadata files online in the population (national level) metadata (See "Related metadata").

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Quality assurance is part of data processing. Statistical products and processes are systematically reviewed in compliance with Quality Assurance Framework of the European Statistical System.

No quality assessment is available.

Demographic trend and developments have a strong impact on the societies of the countries and of the EU. Demographic statistics on the size and structure of Europe's population are used in a wide range of economic, social and environmental policy areas.

No user' satisfaction surveys have been carried out.

Data completeness depends on the availability of data from the National Statistical Institutes.

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For information on the timeliness of data release, see 8.1 Release calendar.

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Marriage and divorce data are based on the legal civil status as recognised by the law of each country.

Breaks in data series could compromise comparability over time. Any breaks in data series due to changes in methodology and data processing or revisions to data counts reported by the countries in question are documented in the Eurostat database using flag b (break in time series).

The population data for the year 2021 and after take into account the results of the latest population census (held in 2021-2022). Following Eurostat’s recommendations to ensure consistency of statistics over time, several Member States (Bulgaria, Germany, Ireland, Greece, Spain, Croatia, Italy, Cyprus, Lithuania, Hungary, Malta, Poland, Portugal) have revised or are in process of revising their population time series between the reference years of the population and housing censuses held in 2011 and 2021. While this work is spread over time, revisions are mostly expected in the first quarter of 2024 (for more information about data revision per country, see also 17. Data revision).

Over time, certain countries have been subject to geographical changes (see below):

• FX stands for Metropolitan France, including Corsica and excluding the overseas departments (DOM).
• FR stands for France as a whole, including the overseas departments (DOM). Data on Saint Barthelemey are excluded as of 1.1.2012. Data on Mayotte are included, starting with the statistics on vital events for the reference year 2014 and the statistics on population on 1.1.2015.
• The European geographical aggregates (EU, EA and EEA) include FX up to 1997 and FR from 1998 onwards. This change is indicated by flag b (break in time series) in the EU statistics for 1998.
• The time series for Germany (DE_TOT) refer to the Federal Republic of Germany after 3 October 1990.
• As of 1.1.1975, data for Cyprus (CY) refer to the government-controlled area;
• Up to 1.1.2000, population data for Malta (MT) refer to the Maltese population only. However, as of 2001 figures also include foreign residents. This is indicated by flag b in the figures for 2001.
• As of 1.1.2010, the statistics on the permanent resident population of Switzerland (CH) include all people in the asylum process who have been residing in Switzerland for 12 months or more. The change is reflected in Eurostat population figures starting with populations reported on 1.1.2011.
• As of 1.1.2011, Belgium (BE) national population figures refer to all registered people, including asylum seekers.
• As of 1.1.2010, Poland (PL) revised the methodology used to estimate the usually resident population. This is indicated by a flag b in the figures for 2010.
• As of 1.1.2012, the reported Estonian (EE) population includes the migration component, whereas this was not included before.

These changes may affect also the statistics on marriages and divorces and are signalled by the flag b.

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See 8.1. Release calendar.

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To further specify the general Eurostat revision policy, the following revision policy has been established for demographic and migration statistics (as available in Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 205/2014, art 5):

1. Member States shall inform the Eurostat of any planned revision of the data already supplied no later than one week before the release of the revised data in the Member State concerned.

2. Member States shall provide any revised data to the Eurostat no later than one week after the release of these data.

3. Member States shall ensure that any revised data provided to the Eurostat is consistent with the whole set of data already provided.

For more information please see also in the Eurostat dedicated section on demography, population stocks and balance.

The policy of Eurostat is to make updates as soon as data is received and at any time during the year.

Marriage and divorce statistics are continuously revised according to the most recent data released and sent to Eurostat by the National Statistical Institutes. The geographical aggregates and the demographic indicators are revised accordingly.

The status of the data is indicated by using flags (p = provisional data; e = estimated; b = break in time series; f = forecast).

The revision practice effectively corresponds to the revision policy of the domain listed under sub‑concept 17.1 (data revision – policy).

All reported errors (once validated) result in corrections of the disseminated data.

Reported errors are corrected in the disseminated data as soon as the correct data have been validated.

Data may be published even if they are missing for certain countries or flagged as provisional or estimated for certain countries. They are replaced with final data once transmitted and validated. European aggregates and demographic indicators are updated for consistency with new country data.

Whenever new data are provided and validated, the already disseminated data are updated and European aggregates and demographic indicators are accordingly revised.

Data are usually revised for the last period. Countries however may choose the length of the revisions depending on the need.
In principle, aggregates and components are revised at the same time or soon after a data revision is received by Eurostat.
For most of the countries data are considered final with the first sending, except in case of errors discovered after transmitting data to Eurostat and in case of post-census revisions.
Revisions are published continuously as soon as received by Eurostat.
Routine revisions are documented and monitored internally and communicated in the metadata files available in dissemination.

The impact of major revisions is analysed in working documents produced for experts' meetings held with representatives of National Statistical Institutes.
Time series breaks caused by major revisions are not flagged, to provide break-free data, back-calculation is applied.

Major revisions are pre-announced and documented in the metadata files available in dissemination.
The impacts of major revisions are communicated in working documents produced for experts meetings held with representatives of National Statistical Institutes.

Data are collected by Eurostat from the National Statistical Institutes.

Data are collected annually.

The annual data collections are carried out by Eurostat using data provided by the national statistical institutes in order to publish updated statistics. The demographic data collections contain both mandatory and voluntary data (see 3.1. Data description).

Eurostat checks raw data sent by the national statistical offices to see if the total of a variable is consistent with the breakdown by different variables. It also does cross-checks to see if different breakdowns of the same variable are consistent.

Based on the detailed collected data, Eurostat calculates a series of demographic statistics. The demographic indicators calculated in the standard way are validated in the context of the available time series. The validation rules include checking the plausibility of the most up-to-date annual value and two consecutive annual values. Mathematical checks are carried out using standard deviations and the weighted average.

For more information on data validation, see http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/data/data-validation.

Based on the detailed national figures on population and other demographic events sent to Eurostat by the National Statistical Institutes, Eurostat derives/calculates demographic indicators and geographical aggregates using common calculation methods.

Geographical aggregation

For statistics on marriages and divorces expressed in numbers, geographical aggregation is done by arithmetical sum if no values are missing from the components of the geographical aggregate in question. Otherwise the geographical aggregates are not calculated.

For rates, the geographical aggregates are calculated using the same method as for an individual country. The input for calculation is the aggregated data described above.

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