A pattern of later marriages continued in Singapore in 2023, while the number of divorces increased by 0.2 per cent since 2022.

According to a Jul. 15 report by the Singapore Department of Statistics (DOS) published on the SingStat website, there were also fewer marriage registrations in Singapore in 2023, compared to 2022.

2022 saw a record high of 29,389 marriages registered.

Marriage registrations down

Marriage registrations decreased in Singapore by 3.7 per cent in 2023, with 28,310 civil and Muslim marriages registered in total.

The number had fallen from the 2022 record high of 29,389 registered marriages.

However, this number is similar to pre-pandemic levels before 2020.

The report also noted a trend of later marriages in 2023, among both women and men.

The median age men got married was 31 years in 2023, compared to 30.2 years in 2013.

The median age women got married was 29.5 years in 2023, compared to 28.1 years in 2013.

The median age of marriage has steadily increased for both genders over the past decade.

An increase in median age was observed among women with secondary and below qualifications between 2013 and 2023, narrowing the gap with those with university qualifications.

The median age at marriage for women with secondary and below qualifications rose from 26.9 to 29.5, with their university counterparts getting married at a median age of 29.8 in 2023 — a 0.3 year gap.

Divorces and annulments increased

Marital dissolutions also increased by 0.2 per cent in 2023, with 7,118 marriages ending in divorce or annulment.

The number rose from 7,107 marital dissolutions in 2022.

Numbers fluctuated between 2020 and 2022.

This was caused by divorce proceedings which were disrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic, the 2022 temporary closure of Syariah Court's services, and the subsequent temporary reduction of mediation and hearing services in 2023 as it introduced new divorce e-services.

According to the report, the median duration of marriage was 11.1 years across all divorces in 2023.

For civil divorces, the top reasons for both men and women filing or divorce remain unchanged since 2013, with women citing "unreasonable behaviour" and men citing having "lived apart or separated for three years or more".

"Infidelity or extra-marital affair" was cited as the top main reason in Muslim divorces in 2023.

269 couples also annulled their civil marriages in 2023, up from 185 in 2022.

The median age at divorce was recorded to be 44.5 years and 40.8 years for men and women respectively.

Highest dissolution rate for couples between their fifth and tenth years

According to the report, the proportion of marriages that dissolved was the highest between the fifth year and the 10th year.

15.3 per cent of resident marriages registered in 2012 were dissolved before their 10th anniversary.

Higher dissolution rates were also observed among those who married between the ages of 20 to 24, compared to those who married at older ages.

Academic qualifications also contributed to dissolution rates, which were highest among couples with only secondary and below qualification, followed by those with post-secondary qualifications.

Couples with university qualifications had the lowest dissolution rates.

Higher rates of dissolved marriages were also seen among couples who had remarried, followed by those with only one partner who was previously married.

Those who got married for the first time had the lowest dissolution rates.

MSF response

In a report which addressed the statistics from DOS, the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) said the trend for marriages is stable overall despite the slight dip in marriages, based on a five-year moving average.

There has also been increased marriage stability in more recent marriages, MSF noted.

The 2006 to 2012 marriage cohorts have lower rates of dissolution before the 10th anniversary, compared to the 2005 cohort.

The most significant improvement was seen in the fall of dissolution rates in Muslim marriages before the 10th anniversary, MSF noted.

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