IMPROVING LIVES THROUGH DATA ECOSYSTEMS

Civil marriages

• The 2016 figure of 139 512 civil marriages shows an increase of 0,6% from the 138 627 marriages recorded in 2015.
• In 2016, the highest number of marriages was registered in Gauteng 36 413 (26,1%) followed by KwaZulu-Natal 21 440 (15,4%) and Western Cape 20 565 (14,7%).
• The median age of bridegrooms remain unchanged at 36 years whilst the median age of brides increased by a year from 31 years in 2015 to 32 years in 2016.
• In 2016, the majority of bridegrooms (81,5%) and brides (86,4%) had not been married before.
• More than half, 80 748 (57,9%) of the 2016 marriages were solemnised by DHA marriage officers and 43 359 (31,1%) by 'Religious' rites whereas 15 405 (11,0%) solemnisation type was not specified.

Customary marriages

• The number of registered customary marriages increased by 14,7% from 3 467 in 2015 to 3 978 in 2016.
  
• In 2016, most marriages were registered in KwaZulu-Natal 1 680 (42,2%) followed by Limpopo 1 110 (27,9%) and Eastern Cape 405 (10,2%).
  
• The median age of bridegrooms decreased from 34 years in 2015 to 33 years in 2016 and brides decreased from 28 years in 2015 to 27 years in 2016.

Civil unions

• The number of registered civil unions increased by 12,3% from 1 185 to 1 331 between 2015 and 2016.
• Gauteng 494 (37,1%) and Western Cape 358 (26,9%) had the highest number of civil unions registered in 2016.
• The median age for Spouse-1 remained the same at 36 years whereas that of Spouse-2 decreased by a year from 34 years in 2015 to 33 years in 2016.

Divorces

• The number of divorces increased by 0,3% from 25 260 divorces granted in 2015 to 25 326 of those granted in 2016.
• The median age of males and females remained the same with 44 years and 40 years respectively between 2015 and 2016.
• About (51,1%) of divorces in 2016 were filed by women while men filed 34,2% divorce cases.
• About 44,4% of the 2016 divorces came from marriages that did not spend their tenth wedding anniversary.
• In 2016, there were 13 922 (55,0%)  divorce cases with children aged less than 18 years.