Marriage and divorce rates have followed different trends in the Asia/Pacific region since 2005 (Figure 3.7 and Figure 3.8). The average crude marriage rate across the Asia/Pacific has remained stable and remains around 2 percentage points higher than the OECD average. Crude marriage rates are highest at over eight marriages per 1 000 adults in Fiji, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, and the lowest at under four marriages per 1 000 adults in Hong Kong (China), Korea and New Zealand.
Since 2005, crude divorce rates have increased in most Asia/Pacific countries – and by nearly 20% across the region on average. Crude divorce rates have multiplied by more than nine in Georgia, making it the country with the highest rates in the region, whereas Armenia and Brunei Darussalam have the lowest. Crude divorce rates fell among the OECD countries in the Asia/Pacific region – Australia, Japan, Korea and New Zealand.
Since 2005, the mean age of first marriage in the Asia/Pacific has increased by almost 3 years (Figure 3.9.). In 2005, the mean age at first marriage across the selected Asia/Pacific economies was 24 years for women and 27 years for men. By 2022, the mean age at first marriage had increased for men and women and is still more than 4 years below the OECD average for both. A strong tendency of postponing marriages is observed across Asia/Pacific economies, but large cross-national differences remain since 2005. The mean age at first marriage has increased by about four years among men and women in Armenia, while change was much more limited in Australia, Japan, New Zealand and Singapore where the mean age of first marriage for men increased by approximately one year. Indonesia and Viet Nam are the only countries where the mean age at first marriage for women in 2021 is slightly lower than in 2005.
