What's the median age to get married in Singapore?
PHOTO: Unsplash
PUBLISHED ONDecember 02, 2021 3:24 AMByXue Miao
It’s official. I’m finally at the age where conversations with friends are naturally steering towards the topics of weddings, BTOs and babies.
I can safely say that being in my 20s is probably the most exciting AND terrifying period of my life.
Exciting because it feels like I could be doing anything in this world. Terrifying because life has officially become a rat race, guided by the stereotypical markers of success.
To make it a little more terrifying, I chanced upon some key statistics on marriages in Singapore by the Singapore Department of Statistics.
Interested to find out the marriage trends in Singapore? Here are some key results that were published in 2020.
Key statistics of marriages in Singapore
- The median age at first marriage is 30.4 years old for males, and 28.8 years old for females.
- The median age of grooms and brides varies across different ethnic groups.
- The age difference is between couples is getting smaller, with 42.1 per cent of couples being either of the same age or aged one year apart in 2020, an increase from 35.4 per cent in 2010.
- The median age (at first marriage) is also different for different educational qualifications.
- The median age at divorce is 43.2 for males and 39.5 for females.
- The median duration of marriage for divorces is 10.4 years in 2020.
What’s the median age to get married in Singapore?
There has been an increase in median age at first marriage for grooms and brides since 2010.
The median age for males rose from 30 years old to 30.4 years old from 2010 to 2020.
The median age for females rose from 27.7 years old to 28.8 years old from 2010 to 2020.
| Median age at marriage | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 2000 | 2010 | 2020 | |
| Grooms, first marriage | 28.0 | 28.7 | 30.0 | 30.4 |
| Brides, first marriage | 25.3 | 26.2 | 27.7 | 28.8 |
| Grooms, remarriage | 38.0 | 40.2 | 41.8 | 43.3 |
| Brides, remarriage | 32.6 | 34.5 | 36.3 | 38.0 |
Median age to get married according to ethnic group
It’s interesting to note that the median age to get married varies across different ethnic groups.
Over the past 30 years, the median ages of grooms and brides have generally risen across the years.
Here’s how it’s broken down:
| Grooms (age) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 2000 | 2010 | 2020 | |
| Chinese | 28.6 | 29.3 | 31.5 | 31.4 |
| Malays | 27 | 28.6 | 29.2 | 29.2 |
| Indians | 28.5 | 29.6 | 30 | 30.9 |
| Eurasians | 30.1 | 34.5 | 31.7 | 32.7 |
| Caucasians | 34.2 | 34.9 | 37.3 | 36.7 |
| Others | 31.2 | 31 | 30.2 | 31.8 |
| Brides (age) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 2000 | 2010 | 2020 | |
| Chinese | 25.9 | 26.7 | 28.7 | 29.7 |
| Malays | 24.4 | 25.6 | 27.1 | 27.6 |
| Indians | 25 | 26.6 | 27.7 | 28.9 |
| Eurasians | 26.5 | 28 | 28.9 | 30.4 |
| Caucasians | 28.2 | 30.1 | 32.5 | 32.6 |
| Others | 26.3 | 28.2 | 27.9 | 30.2 |
Age difference between married couples
It’s interesting to note that the age difference between married couples is getting smaller over the years.
In 2020, 42.1 per cent of married couples were either of the same age or aged one year apart, an increase from 35.4 per cent in 2010.
| Age difference between couples married in 2020 | 2010 | 2020 |
|---|---|---|
| Same age | 14.4 per cent | 18.0 per cent |
| One year apart | 21.1 per cent | 24.1 per cent |
| Two years apart | 15.5 per cent | 18.1 per cent |
| Five years and above | 68.9 per cent | 64.1 per cent |
Median age at first marriage by educational qualification
| Secondary & below | Post secondary | University | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 2020 | 2010 | 2020 | 2010 | 2020 | |
| Grooms | 31.3 | 30.2 | 29.0 | 29.2 | 30.4 | 31.0 |
| Brides | 26.6 | 26.7 | 26.7 | 27.4 | 28.5 | 29.4 |
Since 2010, the median age at first marriage has risen across all education groups, with the exception of grooms with secondary and below qualifications.
The youngest groups in 2020 were:
Grooms: Post-secondary, 29.2 years old
Brides: Secondary & below, 26.7 years old
Education differential at marriage
Do our educational backgrounds determine the person we marry?
The Singapore Department of Statistics has collated data on the educational profile of newlyweds as well.
It was found that the proportion of marriages with both brides and grooms being university graduates rose from 31.3 per cent in 2010 to 41.9 per cent in 2020.
And the proportion of both having secondary and below qualification dropped from 18.1 per cent in 2010 to 8.2 per cent in 2020.
Here are some key statistics:
| 2010 | 2020 | |
|---|---|---|
| Bride with higher qualification than groom | 17.2 per cent | 18.6 per cent |
| Groom with higher qualification than bride | 17.1 per cent | 12.6 per cent |
| Both secondary & below | 18.1 per cent | 8.2 per cent |
| Both post-secondary | 16.2 per cent | 18.6 per cent |
| Both university | 31.3 per cent | 41.9 per cent |
Top reasons for divorces in Singapore
Nobody enters a marriage expecting it to end up as a divorce. But sometimes, things might not work out due to various different reasons.
In Singapore, the median age at divorce rose in the last decade, from 37.4 years old in 2010 to 39.5 years old in 2020 for females, and 41.0 years old in 2010 to 43.2 years old in 2020 for males.
According to divorces under the Woman’s Charter, the main reasons for divorce in 2020 is:
- Unreasonable behaviour (52.7 per cent)
- Live apart/separated for three years or more (44.3 per cent)
According to divorces under the Administration of Muslim Law Act, these are the top reasons for Muslim divorces in 2020:
- Infidelity/extra-marital affair (23.4 per cent)
- Financial problems (11.6 per cent)
- Domestic violence and abuses (9.4 per cent)
- Desertion (9.1 per cent)
Beyond the heartbreak, divorces can come with a huge price tag as well. For instance, we’ve seen how much we could lose if we give up our BTO flat …
Are we financially ready for marriage?
It’s a dream for most to marry our other half.
While marriage doesn’t necessarily need to be expensive, some of the biggest financial milestones do come after marriage.
This includes getting the first BTO flat, holding a wedding or having the first child.
Given that financial conflicts are one of the most common problems in marriages, it is important to talk about money with our partner before marriage and set financial goals together.
Understanding how your future spouse deals with his or her finances can also help eliminate potential future disagreements as well.
Beyond these financial milestones, the choice of your partner has always been cited as the most financial decision in your life. So make sure you’ve made the right choice too!
This article was first published in seedly.