In 1993, the share of under-30s among all people getting married in Estonia was between 60% and 70%, whereas in 2023, only 24% of the newly married men and 34% of women were under 30 years old, according to data from Statistics Estonia.
“The share of 30–44-year-olds among all newly married people has almost doubled in the last 30 years. While in 1993, 24% of men and 20% of women married in this age range, the respective figures in 2023 were 51% and 46%,” Henry Lass, an analyst at Statistics Estonia, the country’s official statistics agency, said.
Looking at various age groups, it turns out that marriage has also become increasingly popular among 45–59-year-olds over the past 30 years.
“Only 10% of newly married men in 1993 were aged 45–59. The share of men getting married at this age fluctuated between 9% and 12% until 2013, but rose to 17% by 2023,” Lass added.
For women, the same trend can be observed.
“From 1993 to 2013, the share of women aged 45–59 among all newlyweds remained below 10%, but went up to 14% by 2023,” the analyst noted. However, it is noticeable that women in this age group are somewhat less likely to marry than men.
Men over 60 marry more than women
The 60+ age group is also no stranger to marriage in Estonia, but the difference between men and women in this age group stands out as well. 341 men aged 60 and over married in 1993, while more than 100 fewer women – 228 – did so at this age.
The difference between men and women marrying at age 60 and over remained similar in 2023. Last year, the number of newly married men aged 60+ was 282, compared with 178 for women.
The 2023 data reveal that the average age of a remarried man is 45.2 and that of a remarried woman is 41.5 years. Approximately 30% of people who marry have been married at least once before.
“However, the percentage of remarried people has not changed significantly over time – rather, there has been a slight decline,” the analyst pointed out, citing as an example the fact that while the proportion of remarried women stood at 32.4% in 1993, it was 30.8% in 2023. “The share of remarried men was 32.6% in 1993 and 29.4% in 2023,” he added.
According to preliminary data, the most popular dates for marriage in 2024 were 8 August (125 marriages), 24 April (95 marriages) and 24 July (90 marriages).
