Sarah Jane Boon quoted on the front page of The Times in relation to ONS marriage figures for England and Wales
According to figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), the number of marriages rose sharply after the pandemic as more couples opted for marriage following the relaxation of Covid restrictions.
There were 246,897 marriages in England and Wales in 2022, the Office for National Statistics said yesterday. That was up by 12.3 per cent from 2019, when there were 219,850. The ONS described it as a "short-term rise". In the 30 years from 1992 to 2022 the annual number of marriages decreased by 20.8 per cent, from 311,564.
Commenting on the figures, Sarah Jane Boon, Partner in our Family team, is quoted on the front page of The Times.
When life somewhat returned to normality post-pandemic, many couples who had postponed their nuptials then tied the knot, alongside those who had already planned to get married in 2021 and 2022. We can expect to see the figures fall again for 2023, with increasing numbers of people delaying marriage, or couples choosing to live together rather than marry, either as a precursor to marriage or as an alternative.
"The cost of living crisis also means it is likely we will see evidence of financial pressures and hardships impacting marriage rates.
Read the full online article in The Times here (subscription required).
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