Why Women Are Waiting Longer to Get Married - Marriage Is Happening Later Than Ever
Average Age of women at First Marriage
| Country | Average Age |
|---|---|
| Türkiye | 25.0 |
| Russia | 25.5 |
| Ukraine | 25.9 |
| Moldova | 26.0 |
| Belarus | 26.1 |
| Bosnia & Herzegovina | 26.8 |
| North Macedonia | 26.9 |
| Poland | 27.0 |
| Albania | 27.8 |
| Montenegro | 28.0 |
| USA | 28.0 |
| Israel | 28.2 |
| Lithuania | 28.3 |
| Romania | 28.3 |
| Malta | 28.5 |
| Serbia | 28.6 |
| Croatia | 28.9 |
| Bulgaria | 29.1 |
| Slovakia | 29.4 |
| Czech Republic | 29.8 |
| France | 30.0 |
| Belgium | 30.0 |
| Switzerland | 30.1 |
| Hungary | 30.1 |
| Greece | 30.1 |
| Estonia | 30.4 |
| Latvia | 30.6 |
| Slovenia | 30.7 |
| Austria | 30.8 |
| Netherlands | 30.9 |
| Italy | 31.5 |
| United Kingdom | 31.7 |
| Luxembourg | 31.8 |
| Finland | 32.1 |
| Germany | 32.1 |
| Portugal | 32.4 |
| Iceland | 32.7 |
| Denmark | 32.7 |
| Norway | 33.0 |
| Ireland | 33.2 |
| Spain | 33.6 |
| Sweden | 33.9 |
One of the most dramatic social transformations of the modern era is happening quietly—and the numbers are impossible to ignore.
Across europe and much of the developed world, women are getting married later than previous generations, reshaping family structures, career planning, fertility trends, and even national demographics. Data compiled from the UNECE Statistical Database reveals just how significant the shift has become.
At one end of the spectrum sits Türkiye, where the average age of women at first marriage stands at 25 years. Several Eastern european countries, including Russia, Ukraine, Moldova, and Belarus, also remain below 27 years.
But move further west and north across europe, and an entirely different picture emerges.
In countries such as France, Belgium, Switzerland, and the Netherlands, women typically enter marriage around the age of 30 or later.
The trend becomes even more striking in Scandinavia, where sweden tops the chart at 33.9 years, followed closely by Spain, Ireland, Norway, Denmark, and Iceland.
The gap between the lowest and highest figures is nearly nine years—a remarkable difference for a life decision that has traditionally been considered one of society's major milestones.
Several factors are driving the trend. Higher education, career ambitions, financial independence, urbanization, changing cultural expectations, and shifting attitudes toward relationships have all contributed to people delaying marriage. In many countries, long-term relationships and cohabitation have become increasingly common before marriage, reducing the pressure to marry at a younger age.
The result is a world where marriage is no longer viewed as an early-adulthood milestone but increasingly as a later-life decision made after achieving personal, educational, and financial goals.
Whether this trend ultimately strengthens families or creates new demographic challenges remains a subject of intense debate. What is not debatable, however, is the direction of the numbers.
Across much of the developed world, marriage is happening later than ever before—and the data suggests this transformation is far from over.
Source: UNECE Statistical Database (2019 or latest available data), compiled from national statistical agencies and UNICEF TransMONEE sources.