---
title: Marriages in Britain are lasting longer
date: "2006-04-01T12:00:00Z"
categories:
  - links
wp_id: 378
description: Marriages in Britain are lasting longer because couples are marrying later and are more likely to be religious. Meanwhile, total marriage rates are falling as cohabitation becomes a more common alternative to formal unions.
keywords: [marriage, britain, demographics, cohabitation, social trends, religion]
---

[Marriages in Britain are lasting longer](http://www.economist.com/printedition/displayStory.cfm?story_id=6746806). But part of the reason is that there are fewer marriages. More people just live together. The ones that **do** marry are older (30 years, as against 26 years a decade ago) and probably more religious.