Marriages, Civil Unions, and Divorces: Year ended December 2011

In the December 2011 year:

• Marriages:
  • 20,231 marriages were registered to New Zealand residents.
  • There were 14,049 first marriages and 6,182 remarriages.
  • The general marriage rate was 11.8 marriages per 1,000 not-married population aged 16 years and over.
  • An additional 2,200 marriages were registered to overseas residents.
• Civil unions:
  • 301 civil unions were registered to New Zealand residents, of which 77 percent were same-sex unions.
  • 76 civil unions were registered to overseas residents.
• Divorces:
  • 8,551 divorces were granted in New Zealand.
  • There were 9.8 divorces for every 1,000 estimated existing marriages.
  • Just over one-third (35 percent) of couples who married in 1986 had divorced before their silver wedding anniversary (25 years).