Pandemic saw marriage rates in England and Wales fall to lowest on record

The 2020 figure was down 61.0% from 219,850 in 2019, which is the largest annual decrease ever recorded.

Marriage rates in 2020 fell to their lowest on record due to the pandemic (Niall Carson/PA) (PA Archive)

Marriages in England and Wales fell in 2020 to the lowest ever recorded, according to statistics which lay bare the full impact of the pandemic on weddings.

There were 85,770 marriages in the two nations that year – the lowest number since the first full year of marriage records in 1838.

The 2020 figure was down 61.0% from 219,850 in 2019, which is the largest annual decrease ever recorded.