“Behind every statistic is a human being with a story” – What the latest ONS figures reveal about marriage, divorce and generational approaches

On 18 November 2025, the Office for National Statistics released the latest statistics about marriages and civil partnerships in England and Wales in 2023.

The results are stark: 

• An 8.6% decrease in marriages and civil partnerships compared to the previous year.
• A record-breaking median age at marriage: whereas the median age for marriage in 1970 was 23 for men and 21 for women, the age for opposite-sex marriages has now risen to 34.8 and 33.0 respectively.

However, it is a truth universally acknowledged that statistics do not speak for themselves; it is how we interpret them that tells the real story. Once we add flesh to the bones of these numbers, a more nuanced picture emerges - one that might not lead us to despair that “romance is dead”.

Context matters

Post-pandemic catch-up and volatility: The important context here was highlighted by Charles Russell Speechlys’ partner, Jamie Kennaugh in comments widely quoted in the press. She noted that it is in fact “unsurprising to see that marriage rates started to fall in 2023, following a post-pandemic surge in 2021 and 2022 when many couples who had delayed their nuptials finally tied the knot.” The ONS report itself acknowledges increased variance in recent years, likely attributed to skewed numbers following the pandemic.

Generational appetite for marriage: Generational differences in attitudes to marriage may also be shaping the statistics. Our firm’s own research recently showed that, whilst just 43% of Millennials say they want to get married, marriage is something that 75% of GenZ adults do aspire to: gen-z-report-final-2025.pdf The oldest GenZ adults are now around 28 years old and perhaps as they reach the “marrying age”, we will see an uptick in marriage rates.

Divorce rates amongst the older generation

While it is interesting to consider marriage rates amongst the young, we should also consider divorce rates in the older age range.  

On the same day as reporting the marriage statistics, The Telegraph has also examined the trend of later-life divorce: (‘Marriage can be a long old schlep’: The rise of the ‘grey divorce’). The article cites recent research by Legal and General showing that 30% of divorces now involve somebody over the age of 50 and ONS figures showing that divorces amongst those aged 65+ increased by 46% between 2004 and 2014. The article suggests that these “silver-splitters” recognise they are now living longer, healthier lives which gives them a chance - and a wish - for a happier, “second act” in the latter 30-40 years of their lives. Arguably this becomes easier, when children have become independent. 

Combined with this freedom and desire for a new chapter, there are also perhaps fewer reasons for the older generation to stay in unhappy marriages and fewer perceived barriers to divorce now than before: greater financial independence (particularly amongst women), the fading stigma of divorce and the advent of no-fault divorce have all played their part.

A solution for both generations?

In either context – younger adults hesitant to marry or older adults anxious about the future of their marriages - one relatively simple solution could help give comfort. A nuptial agreement can be entered into at any time: before a marriage as a “prenuptial agreement”; or during a marriage as a “postnuptial agreement”.  In either case, if the marriage does subsequently break down, the legal position is the same: it is likely that it will be upheld and enforced by the court, provided it was freely entered into by both parties with a full appreciation of the circumstances and if it provides fairly for both parties at the time.

We are arguably living longer in an increasingly aspirational society, labouring with the paradox of choice in the dating pool and concerned by headlines of increasing divorce rates and highly discretionary financial awards. In this context it is perhaps unsurprising if statistics hint at a reluctance to marry and/or if they bring instability to a marriage.  However, might the next generation of Zoomers and Alphas arm themselves with a prenuptial agreement and more comfortably segue from the words “I love you” to “I do”? Might a postnuptial agreement give older couples clarity and security in the event of divorce, allowing their marriage a renewed sense of ease and space to keep working at staying together?

In all cases, as the headline highlights, it is important to remember that behind every statistic lies a human being with a story - family, complexity, dreams and hopes for the future. Just as our divorce law allows bespoke financial remedies tailored to the individual, so too can a nuptial agreement allow for bespoke financial arrangements if the worst should happen – but, critically, only the latter option offers autonomy from the outset.