Civil Partnerships are on the Decline According to the Office of National Statistics




Fewer civil partnerships took place in England and Wales in 2015 than in any year since 2005, according to figures released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) last month. 

 There were 85% fewer civil partnerships in 2015 than in 2013. 

 For 2013, there were 5,646. 

 In 2014, there were 1,683.

 In 2015, 861. 


The Government Equalities Office say it’s too soon to know if same-sex marriage is responsible for the drop in civil partnerships.

 But it does seem a fair assumption to make.

 The statistics for 2015 also reveal that of the 861 civil partnerships formed that year, 66% were between men. 

 The age at which people enter into a civil partnership has risen, too, to 48.5 for men and 49.1 for women. 

Almost half were aged 50 or over.

 London continues to be the most popular place in England and Wales to have a civil partnership.

 ONS statistics are always an interesting insight into how individuals choose to classify relationships: common law, marriage or civil partnership.



It's not unreasonable to suggest that civil partnerships will continue to decline.

 The Government has already indicated that it may scrap civil partnerships altogether, so it'll be interesting to see figures for 2016 and beyond. 

 Interesting, too, that the Isle of Man has recently celebrated its first opposite-sex civil partnership. 

Recent high court challenges in favour of introducing civil partnerships for heterosexual couples will no doubt continue to be fought across the British Isles. 

You can find out more on the ONS website.

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