Marriages and divorces, 2021

Most marriages in summer months

In 2021, 5,916 couples were married, 702 (13%) more than a year before. 16 couples on average were married per day.

The marriage rate per 1,000 population was 2.8. It was the highest in the Gorenjska and Osrednjeslovenska statistical regions (3 marriages per 1,000 population) and the lowest in the Goriška statistical region (2 marriages per 1,000 population).

The happiest day for wedding couples was 21 August. On that day, the largest number of couples married in 2021 (209). The month with the most marriages was August. August was the only month of the year when more than 1,000 couples married (1,030).

According to the number of marriages, August was followed by July (951), June (892) and September (870). The fewest couples were married in January (149). Most couples get married on a Saturday. In 2021, 3,468 marriages (59%) took place on a Saturday.

On average grooms almost three years older than brides

The mean age of groom at marriage in 2021 was 36.8 years. On average grooms were almost three years older than brides (34.3 years).

5,259 (89%) grooms and 5,240 (89%) brides were married for the first time. For 4,868 (82%) couples this was the first marriage for both spouses. The mean age of groom at first marriage was 32.6 years. A bride was on average two years younger (30.7 years).

Most marriages take place between Slovene citizens. In 4,621 marriages (78%) both the groom and the bride had Slovene citizenship. 530 grooms (9%) with Slovene citizenship married brides with foreign citizenship. Among those, most brides were from Bosnia and Herzegovina. 519 brides (9%) with Slovene citizenship married grooms with foreign citizenship. Most of the grooms were also from Bosnia and Herzegovina. 246 marriages (4%) were between two inhabitants with foreign citizenship.

More formal civil unions between men than between women

In 2021, 58 formal civil unions were concluded:; 31 between men and 27 between women.

More divorces than in 2020

2,322 couples were divorced in 2021, 548 (31%) more than a year before. 6 couples on average were divorced per day. A little more than 1 couple per 1,000 population divorces (1.1 per 1,000 population in 2021).

In 2021, the mean age of husband at divorce was 46.9 years and of wife 44.1 years. Average duration of marriage at divorce was 14.1 years. 38 marriages ended in divorce in the first year of marriage.

1,095 (47%) divorces were without dependent children. The remaining 1,227 (53%) marriages that ended in divorce involved 1,999 dependent children. Most of those children were assigned to the mother (59%); 6% were assigned to the father, and 32% to both parents.

Time series of data on marriages and divorces, published in the SiStat Database, have been updated with data for 2021.