The number of Danes saying “I do” has dwindled in recent years, according to official statistics. With a decrease of 12 percent on 2010 and the lowest level for 30 years, only 27,200 Danes tied the knot in 2011.
The figures have plummeted dramatically since 2008, with experts suggesting that the financial crisis may have contributed to the decline. It is also thought that some couples may be reluctant to walk down the aisle due to bad experience with divorce in their families.
But while marriage rates may be dropping, so too are divorce rates, with the level staying at 40.2 percent in 2010 and 2011. Birth rates have also fallen, with 4,000 fewer babies brought into the world in 2011 than in 2010. This relatively small figure of 59,500 is the country’s lowest birth rate since 1988, according to the national board of health, Sundhedsstyrelsen.
It is hoped that new marriage rights for gays and lesbians may start to up the wedding rates from June this year. Statistics Denmark also revealed that, despite the decline, the most popular day to get hitched last year was, unsurprisingly, November 11 (11.11.2011) – an anniversary that not even the most absent-minded of spouses could forget.