SINGAPORE: Marriages registered in Singapore
suffered their first annual decline since 2003 last
year.
According to the latest publication on marriage and
divorce statistics, 24,363 marriages were registered, 6.6 per cent
lower than in 2009.
The Department of Statistics (DOS) said the number
of non-Muslim marriages fell, which offset the slight increase in
Muslim marriages over the same period.
In tandem with the fall in number of registered marriages, the
general marriage rates declined to a historic low in 2010.
Among unmarried male residents, the general marriage rate declined
from 43.6 marriages per thousand unmarried males in 2009 to 39.4 in
2010.
Among unmarried female residents, the rate dropped from 41.1 to
37.2 marriages per thousand unmarried females during the same
period.
DOS said marriage rates fell across the younger age groups below 30
years in 2010, with males and females aged 25-29 years experiencing
the largest fall compared to 2000.
The peak age group for men marrying shifted from 25-29 years in
1990 and 2000 to 30-34 years in 2010.
The peak age group for women marrying remained at 25-29 years in
2010.
About 74 per cent of total marriages in 2010 were first marriages
where neither party had previously been married.
A further 18 per cent were remarriages for one of the
partners.
The remaining 7.8 per cent were remarriages for both
partners.
Compared to 2000, remarriages registered in 2010 comprised a higher
proportion of total marriages.
DOS said men and women are also marrying later in life.
For men, the median age at first marriage rose to 30 years in
2010.
For women, it rose to 27.7 years.
The median age at remarriage also rose.
The median age of grooms who were remarrying rose from 40.2 years
in 2000 to 41.8 years in 2010. For brides, it increased from 34.5
years to 36.3 years.
The number of divorces and annulments rose marginally from 2009 to
7,405 in 2010.
The crude rate of divorce dropped slightly to 1.9 divorces per
thousand residents in 2010, after being stable at 2.0 since
2005.
Nonetheless, the 2010 rate was still higher compared with a decade
ago.
-CNA/ck
