The number of marriages plummeted at the beginning of the pandemic, the numbers show. Over the past two decades, the number of marriages has remained around 7 to 8 per 1,000 people per year, according to new data released by the National Center for Health Statistics of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
But in 2020, the marriage rate fell to 5.1 per 1,000 people, the data showed. The rate began to rise the following year, and by 2022, the number of marriages reached 6.2 per capita and over 2 million in a year, according to the report.
The growth in marriage rates may be due to more than just rescheduling, scholars of the subject believe. Being together in confinement gave many couples a unique hurdle to overcome. Many people came out of that experience with a better understanding of what they need from a life partner.
The same reason may be behind the decline in divorce rates.
In 2022, the divorce rate was 2.4 per 1,000 people. Although it is not the lowest ever recorded – in 2021, it was 2.3 – it continues a downward trend, according to the data.
In comparison, the divorce rate in 2000 was 4 per 1,000, meaning the current rate represents a significant decline from two decades earlier.
Source: CNN