Average age for first marriage continues to rise in Norway

The average age for first-time married men and women continued to rise in Norway last year, with 34.3 years for men and 31.6 years for women, the country's statistics bureau said on Thursday.

The average age for those entering their first marriage has been increasing every year since 1974, except in 2009 and 2010 when there was a slight decrease, Statistics Norway said in its report on marriages and divorces in 2014.

The corresponding figures in 1994 were 29.8 years for men and 27.2 years for women, according to the report.

A total of 22,900 marriages were contracted in 2014, about 500 fewer than in 2013, the statistics bureau said, adding that 10,800 couples separated and 9,600 couples divorced last year.

The divorce rate was 10.1 for men and 10.6 for women in 2014, the lowest since 1989 for men and 1999 for women. The divorce rate was highest for men in the age group 45-49 years and for women in the age group 40-44 years.

The separation rate was 11.8 for men and 12.6 for women in 2014, according to the Statistics Norway report.

It was most common to marry in May to September in 2014, when two out of three weddings were held. The peak for marriage ceremonies was in June and August. From May to September, there were more people marrying than separating or divorcing, while in the rest of the year the trend was reversed. Endit