According to recent data from the Central Statistical Bureau of Latvia (CSP), the country's marriage landscape is changing slowly but steadily. Fewer young people are rushing to the altar, men are marrying later, and the number of divorced and single individuals is increasing.
As of early 2025, there were approximately 675,000 registered residents in Latvia who were married, which is 1% less than the previous year. At the same time, 1,015,324 people were unmarried, 161,248 were divorced, and 225,179 were widowed.
Men marry later and less frequently than women. There are more unmarried men (564,812) than unmarried women (450,512). Men are slightly more likely to get divorced than women, while women are more often widowed — a natural consequence of the difference in life expectancy.
The average age of entering into the first marriage is steadily increasing. Over the past thirty years, it has risen by about ten years for both women and men.
An interesting detail: the number of marriages among older people is also increasing. In the age group of 60-69 years, there are about 22,000 spouses registered, and in the group over 70 years, there are more than 40,000. Unfortunately, love is not always in the air here. According to the Central Statistical Bureau, this has been facilitated by amendments to the State Pension Law, which stipulate that since 2019, in the event of a spouse's death, the surviving spouse receives a benefit of 50 percent of the deceased's pension for one year.
The average duration of marriage in Latvia remains relatively short — about 13 years. Despite a decrease in the number of divorces in recent years, one in three unions still breaks down, often within the first 5-10 years of living together.
Looking at the romantic calendar, July and August remain the most popular months for weddings. However, this was not always the case: until the mid-1960s, Latvians more often married in December — perhaps to greet the New Year already in a family status.
Leave a comment