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Civil marriages now more common than Catholic ceremonies

A stock photo of two wedding rings
Ceremony preferences have also changed in the past ten years

The number of marriages has fallen by 7.7% between 2014 and 2024.

Information released by the Central Statistics Office shows that over the ten year period, the number of couples tying the knot went from 22,045 to 20,348.

Ceremony preferences have also changed in the past ten years.

Roman Catholic ceremonies were the most common marriage type in 2014 at 13,071, but by 2024, these had fallen by almost 51% to 6,425, making them the second most popular choice for couples.

In 2024, Civil Registrations were the most popular type of ceremony at 6,743.

There was also a 68% rise in the number of Humanist ceremonies between 2014 and 2024.

The five most popular ceremony types in 2024 were: Civil Registrations, Roman Catholic, Humanist, Spiritualist Union of Ireland, and OneSpirit. These accounted for 85% of all wedding ceremonies in Ireland.

Statistician in the Life Events and Demography Division, Seán O'Connor, said: "Each year the CSO publishes detailed statistics as part of our series of releases on Marriages. These include the number of marriages, the ages of bride and groom, the county of marriage, and the form of ceremony.

"Today's release, which is a CSO Frontier Series, provides a 10-year analysis of the different types of marriage ceremonies chosen by people in Ireland, and how the types of ceremonies have changed over the years 2014-2024.

"Overall, fewer couples are getting married in Ireland. Between 2014 and 2024, the number of marriages (including both opposite and same-sex couples) decreased by 7.7% from 22,045 to 20,348."