A Global Perspective
Priceonomics recently created an image showing the average age of marriage across the world based on UN data. When comparing the age of marriage across many countries, higher income is associated with later age at marriage. The differences in average age for those nations near either extreme exceeds 10 years. Regardless of geography or income, men marry later than women. The gap, however, is wider in less developed countries.
An American Update
According to the Pew Research Center, the average marrying age in the United States is 26.9 for women and 29.8 for men. Additionally, only half (51%) of all American adults are married today compared to 7 in 10 (72%) in 1960.
So What?
The average age for marriage is increasing both in the United States and also globally. The chart at right depicts the latter trend from 1970 through 2005.
- Were you aware that the age at marriage continues to rise (both in the US and globally) and that men generally marry at older ages?
- Do you think that the average age at marriage will continue to increase, will decrease, or will level off over the next decade? Explain the rationale for your response.
- How has the shift to older age at marriage and the shift to fewer adults being married impacted the life of your congregation in recent decades?