Share of the population by marital status in France 2006-2018
The percentage of married persons in France reached 42.5 percent in 2018. Ten years earlier the share of the married population in the country was of 47.8 percent. Since the mid-2000s the proportion of married couples in France has been declining. In 2018, the number of marriages in the country reached 235,000, compared to more than 278,000 in 2004. Marriage does not appear to be the preferred mode of union of French citizens, while the divorce rate remains high.
Less marriages, more divorces
If the share of married individuals in France is decreasing, the proportion of single and married French keeps rising. In 2018, almost nine percent of the French population was divorced, a proportion which was two percentage points lower in 2006. Divorce rates amounted to 55 per every 100 marriages in 2016, making France one of the European countries with the highest divorce rate. In the meantime, the share of single people is also gradually rising.
New relationships
It seems that marriage is not the most common union between two individuals anymore. Civil partnerships, which have been implemented in France since 1999, are getting quite popular. In 2017, more than 193,000 civil unions have been celebrated in the country, regardless of the genders of the two partners. Despite the legalization of gay marriage in 2013, the number of same-sex marriages keeps being rather low in France.
Less marriages, more divorces
If the share of married individuals in France is decreasing, the proportion of single and married French keeps rising. In 2018, almost nine percent of the French population was divorced, a proportion which was two percentage points lower in 2006. Divorce rates amounted to 55 per every 100 marriages in 2016, making France one of the European countries with the highest divorce rate. In the meantime, the share of single people is also gradually rising.
New relationships
It seems that marriage is not the most common union between two individuals anymore. Civil partnerships, which have been implemented in France since 1999, are getting quite popular. In 2017, more than 193,000 civil unions have been celebrated in the country, regardless of the genders of the two partners. Despite the legalization of gay marriage in 2013, the number of same-sex marriages keeps being rather low in France.
