Fewer people getting married in Sweden, data shows

In the period from January to October 2024, some 39,340 marriages were registered in Sweden, a 16% decrease on the pre-pandemic average, new data from Statistics Sweden (SCB) has found.

According to the data, during 2020 and 2021, marriage rates dropped by 27% due to pandemic restrictions on gatherings being in place, and while a surge was expected once these were lifted, this was didn’t fully materialise.

Slow recovery

Although marriage numbers rose in 2022 and 2023, they still remained 11% below the pre-pandemic average.

This trend has persisted into 2024, with fewer marriages taking place in January through to October this year compared to the same period in both 2022 and 2023, suggesting a declining recovery trajectory.

“There was no wave of marriages after the pandemic,” commented Ann-Marie Persson, population statistician at Statistics Sweden.

Seasonal weddings

In Sweden, marriage is generally highly seasonal, with close to half of all weddings taking place in June, July and August – this year, however, July was a slower month than usual, contributing to the overall decline.

‘The probability that the number of marriages during the last two months of the year will change the trend is small,’ Statistics Sweden noted. ‘The vast majority get married during the summer.’

Other notable takeaways from the data include that Saturdays are the most popular day for weddings, while unique dates, such as February 2 or 22 also lead to temporary spikes in marriage numbers.

Marriage and divorce statistics in Sweden are derived from data on all individuals registered in the country who have married or divorced during a given year. Differences may arise between the total number of marriages and the number of married individuals because some Swedish residents marry partners who are not registered in Sweden. In such cases, the event is recorded as a marriage, but only the Swedish-registered individual is included in the statistics. Read more here.