Romanians love more: Marriages up, divorces down in 2016

More than 133,000 marriages were recorded in Romania in 2016, some 7,700 more compared to the previous year, while the number of divorces went down by 2,700 to 28,800, according to recent data from the National Statistics Institute (INS). The number of marriages was the highest since 2009 last year, which may also be connected to the positive trend in the economy. The number of marriages is usually higher during economic growth periods and lower during crisis as some people postpone the decision to get married due to financial reasons. However, the number of marriages also varies due to other factors. For example, the number of marriages in Romania reached a multi-annual peak of around 190,000, in 2007, when the state decided to offer financial support to the couples who wanted to get married. This also coincided with one of the best periods for the Romanian economy. The number of marriages then dropped abruptly after 2008 due to the economic crisis as well as due to the higher migration as many young Romanians went to work abroad after Romania joined the EU in 2007. In 2011, only 105,600 couples got marries in Romania. The number started to grow in 2014, as the local economy also started to recover. Meanwhile, the number of divorces has dropped from over 36,000 in 2007 to under 30,000 in the last four years, 2015 being the only exception. More than 60% of Romanians over 20 were married, this being one of the highest shares in the EU, according to a Eurostat report based on data from 2011. The EU average share was 55.3%. Family thus remains an essential part of the Romanians’ lives. Romanian women, first to marry in the EU Statistics: Fewer babies born in Romania in 2016 editor@romania-insider.com