Marriages down

The Office for National Statistics has published figures for 2006 showing that the marriage rate for men was 22.8 per thousand and for women 20.5 – the lowest rate in 144 years. The number of marriages in 2006 fell by 4% to 236,980 compared with just over 244,000 the previous year, the lowest figure since 1895. The average age for marrying has increased by about five years since 1991. The average age for the first marriage in 2006 was 31.8 for men and 29.7 for women.