What is the Average Age to Get Married

What is the average age to get married? The answer to this question can vary by region and demography. While women generally tend to marry at a younger age than men, first-time couples often marry at older ages in places like Europe and North America when compared to regions like Africa. But why does it have to be like this?  Things such as cultural shifts, socio-economic conditions, and evolving views on marriage are known to influence marriage age trends. Hence, your decision to get married at a certain age might not solely be out of personal preferences but also an unconscious reflection of certain conditions that align you with a prevalent pattern in your surroundings.

Average Age to Get Married by Country

The table below offers a glimpse into the recent marriage age trends for men and women first across different nations:

Factors Influencing the Average Age to Get Married

From the table in the previous section, we see that across the globe, the average age people get married for the first time varies quite a bit. If you think it is a matter of personal choice, well, you’d be right, but only partly. Digging a little deeper, we tend to find some fascinating currents pushing those averages up or down.

Marriage age trends are a product of various factors shaping the perception and viability of marriage at different stages of one’s life. When these factors are widespread swept across a place or people, the average age of marriage begins to adjust accordingly, influencing individual preferences. To get a better understanding, let’s explore some of these reasons causing late and early marriage trends in a society.

Education and Career

These days, many young adults are focusing on getting their degrees, launching their careers, and finding their footing before even thinking about settling down. The popularity of education within a place or among a people can influence the common life trajectory, whereby people tend to devote a certain period of life to academic and career pursuits, further delaying other life decisions such as marriage.

Take, for instance, in the United States, the median age at first marriage for women with a doctorate degree was 31.5 years in 2020, significantly higher than the 25.4 years for women with less than a high school degree. Global studies have also linked an increase in female education to a delay in the average age of marriage. This clearly illustrates how higher educational attainment often correlates with delayed marriage.

Economic Stability 

Love tales typically portray romance as the only needed green light to say “I do” but in real life, having a bit of financial security can definitely influence when a couple feels ready to tie the knot. Starting a life together often involves shared expenses, maybe buying a home, and potentially raising a family. Feeling financially stable can increase a person’s confidence in making that leap.

Therefore, if the economy is in a decline, or young people are facing job insecurity, they might understandably wait until they feel more secure before getting married. Research also solidifies this, suggesting that economic downturns can lead to a decrease in marriage rates and potentially an increase in the average age at marriage as people postpone major life decisions during uncertain times. In the same vein, higher economic opportunities, particularly for men, have been linked to higher rates of marriage.

Cultural Norms

What’s considered the “right” time to marry can differ wildly by culture. These differences often reflect deeply ingrained cultural expectations about family formation and the roles of men and women. In some regions, early marriage might be a long-standing tradition, while in others, there’s a greater emphasis on individual autonomy and marrying later.

Even within a country, urban areas often see later marriage ages compared to more rural regions where traditional norms might hold stronger. Also, with the popularity of dating and the liberalization of global culture, people may no longer view marriage as the ultimate path, leading them to opt for domestic partnerships or take their time in the dating pool before finally selecting a life partner.

Conclusion

In many nations, the average age for marriage keeps changing with time, along with the cultural shifts and other socio-economic changes that take place. Global studies show that the average marriage age has been on an upward trend, with middle-age (40-59) marriages starting to gain traction. So, while the decision to marry feels deeply personal, it often trails behind a societal paradigm that shapes our values, priorities, and considerations.