Number of heterosexual marriages in Spain 2006-2023

From 2006 to 2020, the highest peak of opposite-gender marriages in Spain took place in 2006 with a total number of approximately 203,000 heterosexual unions. The tendency in the upcoming years was downward, and the lowest point was reached in 2020, with figures showing figures of 87,000 opposite-gender unions. However, since 2022 the number of marriages returned to pre-pandemic levels, fluctuating between 160,000 and 173,000 marriages. 

Same-sex marriage in Spain

Spain legalized same-sex marriage (matrimonio igualitario in Spanish) in 2005, thus becoming the third country in the world to allow same-sex couples to marry, after the Netherlands and Belgium. The number of same-sex nuptials stood at approximately 6,770 in 2023, with figures looking very similar for marriages between women and marriages between men. While marriages between women grew steadily since same-sex marriages was legalized, the trend for men behaved differently, with marriages booming in 2006 and dropping thereafter only to pick up in recent years. The number of same-sex marriages was significantly lower than that of opposite-sex couples throughout the entire period under review.

Divorce numbers in Spain

When love does not work out, some married couples may seek to put an end to their wedlock by getting a divorce. This was the case for more than 76,000 couples in 2023, as recorded by the latest reports. The number of marriages terminated by divorce in Spain decreased over the last few years, although it maintained steadily above 90,000 between 2009 to 2019. 2006 registered the highest number of divorces in Spain during this period at roughly 127 thousand divorces. In contrast, 2020 recorded the lowest point of the period considered.