Average Age Of First-Time NI Brides Hits 30

The average age of first-time brides in Northern Ireland has reached 30 for the first time, according to the latest official statistics.

The Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency's 93rd 'Annual Report of the Registrar General (2014)' also found that, on average, one marriage takes place each hour in the region, with August said to be the most popular month for tying the knot.

The report covers a range of vital statistics, including births, deaths, marriages and civil partnerships that fall within the remit of the General Register Office.

Elsewhere, the findings revealed 8,550 marriages were registered last year, equivalent to around one every hour of the year, while 110 civil partnerships were registered. Of these, 47 were male partnerships and 63 female partnerships. In 2013, 100 civil partnerships were registered.

Meanwhile, 2,455 divorces and 11 civil partnership dissolutions were granted, with non-cohabitation remaining the most frequently recorded reason for separation.

Looking at Northern Ireland's resident population, in the year to 30 June 2014, it increased by 10,800 people to 1,840,500. Of the 24,394 births registered last year – 12,543 males and 11,85 females – 43% occurred outside of marriage. The number of births to teenage mothers fell to a record low of 839, the report said, while births to mothers aged 35 or over increased.

A total of 81 stillbirths were registered in 2014, a fall of 26% from 2013, and the lowest number ever recorded in Northern Ireland.

(JP)