On the occasion of Tu Bab: The Central Bureau of Statistics today (Monday) published data on marriages in Israel, from which it appears that there was a 17% decrease in the number of couples who married in licensed religious institutions in 2020, compared to the number in 2019.
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Meanwhile, about 68% of the 39,984 couples who got married are Jewish – a 19% decrease in the number of Jewish couples who got married compared to 2019. It also appears that in recent years there has been an increase in the percentage of Jewish young people who live in cohabitation (shared residence of spouses who are not married to each other) , at the same time as the rate of marriage decreases.
As a result of the decrease in the scope of marriage in the Jewish population, the percentage of singles among Jewish men aged 45-49 increased from 3% at the end of 1970 to 13% at the end of 2020. The percentage of singles among Jewish women aged 45-49 increased during the same period from 2% to 11%, respectively.
Among the large cities with more than 100,000 residents, the percentage of single women aged 45-49 ranges from 2.4% in Beit Shemesh to 29.0% in Tel Aviv-Yafo. The percentage of singles aged 45-49 ranges from 4.1% in Beit Shemesh to 32.4% in Tel Aviv-Yafo.
The average age of marriage among grooms who married for the first time was 26.9 (26.8 among the Jews). For comparison, in 2019 this age was 27.3 (27.4 among the Jews), and in 1970 this age was 25.0 both in the general population and among the Jews. Alongside this, the number of couples who got married this year is relatively low compared to previous years as a result of the restrictions and closures imposed due to the Corona crisis.
Also, the average age among the ultra-Orthodox grooms who married for the first time was 22.5, compared to 28.9 among the non-Orthodox Jewish grooms. The average age of marriage among brides who married for the first time was 24.6 (25.2 among Jewish women). For comparison, in 2019 this age was 24.9 (25.6 among Jewish women), and in 1970 this age was 21.7 (21.8 among Jewish brides).
Date, illustration (photo: ingimage ASAP)The average age among the ultra-Orthodox brides who married for the first time was 21.5, compared to 27.0 among the non-Orthodox Jewish brides. As a result of the increase in the age of marriage in the Jewish population, the percentage of singles among Jewish men aged 25-29 increased from 28% at the end of 1970 to 65% at the end of 2020. The percentage of single women among Jewish women aged 25-29 increased during the same period from 13% to 51%, respectively.
Alongside this, among the large cities with more than 100,000 residents, the percentage of single women aged 25-29 ranges from 13.8% in Bnei Brak to 80.6% in Tel Aviv-Yafo. The percentage of singles aged 25-29 ranges from 19.1% in Bnei Brak to 88.7% in Tel Aviv-Yafo.
Also, in 2020, 6,746 marriages were reported to the population registry that took place abroad and in which at least one of the spouses was registered in the population registry.