SINGAPORE — A record number of couples got married and fewer marriages ended in divorce in 2022, the Singapore Department of Statistics said on Wednesday (July 26).

A total of 29,389 marriages were registered last year, 3.7 per cent more than the 28,329 marriages registered in 2021.

This is the highest since data on total marriages registered in Singapore was first compiled and published in 1961. 

The previous record high was in 2014 with 28,407 marriage registrations.

MARRIAGES

Compared to a decade ago, the general marriage rates for both men and women increased in 2022.

There were 47.0 marriages per thousand unmarried men aged 15 to 49 years, up from 43.8 in 2012. Similarly, there were 45.5 marriages per thousand unmarried women aged 15 to 49 years, up from 39.4 in 2012.

The general marriage rates in 2022 for both men and women were among the highest in the recent two decades, said the department.

The rates were only second to 47.5 for men and 45.8 for women seen in 2002.

The median age at first marriage also went up in 2022 compared to 2012 — from 30.1 years to 30.7 years for grooms and from 28.0 years to 29.3 years for brides.

This depicted a trend towards later marriages, said the department.

According to the Department of Statistics, the annual average marriage over the last five years (2018-2022) stood at 26,562, lower than the annual average of the preceding five years (2013-2017), which stood at 27,833.

This was partly contributed by the lower number of marriages in 2020 when marriage plans for some were disrupted due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

DIVORCES

There were 7,107 marital dissolution in 2022, a 9.9 per cent decrease from 7,890 the previous year.

The general divorce rates for men and women fell in 2022 "in tandem with the decline in number of marital dissolution", said the department. 

There were 6.2 marital dissolutions for every thousand married men aged 20 years and over, a decline from 7.1 in 2012. Similarly, there were 5.9 marital dissolutions for every thousand married women aged 20 years and over, down from 6.7 a decade ago.

At the same time, the median age at divorce rose over the last ten years, from 41.6 years in 2012 to 44.4 years in 2022 for male divorcees, and from 38.0 years to 40.5 years for female divorcees.

According to the department, the annual average number of marital dissolutions was 7,385 between 2018 and 2022, lower than the annual average of 7,509 in the preceding five-year period.

There was also a decline in the dissolution rates before the tenth marriage anniversary among resident marriage cohorts after 2005, said the Department of Statistics.

The cumulative proportion of marriages that dissolved before the tenth anniversary declined from 17.0 per cent for the 2005 marriage cohort to 14.5 per cent for the 2011 marriage cohort.

The proportion of resident marriages that dissolved was the highest from the fifth to before the tenth anniversary compared to other 5-yearly periods. 

"From the tenth anniversary, the proportion of marriages that dissolved was smaller with each subsequent 5-yearly milestone," the department said.

"It is encouraging to see a decline in marital dissolutions for the more recent marriage cohorts," said Ms Sun Xueling, Minister of State for Social and Family Development and Home Affairs.

This signified greater marriage stability among recent cohorts of married couples, as compared to previous cohorts, said the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF).

MSF added that while the increased marriage stability and decline in dissolved marriages are encouraging, "the government will continue with its efforts and work with the community to support couples in navigating their marriage journey, particularly in the early years".

In the first two years of marriage, there are marriage preparation, mentoring and support programmes to prepare soon-to-wed and newlyweds for life together, MSF said.

For couples married for more than two years, there are marriage enrichment programmes to equip them with tools to sustain a healthy marriage.

"To support couples in their parenthood journey, community partners like Families for Life provide evidence-based parenting programmes to equip parents with the techniques to understand their children and parent more confidently," MSF said.

"With the support of our partners, social service agencies and community groups, MSF will continue to help strengthen marriages through various programmes and initiatives and encourage our community to step forward as volunteers," said Ms Sun.

"I also hope more Singaporeans would embark on marriage and parenthood journeys and experience the joy that comes along," she added. CNA