Fewer Filipinos marry, prefer live-in arrangements: PSA

Fewer Filipinos are tying the knot as more couples choose to live together without getting married.

According to a report by The Philippine STAR, the Commission on Population and Development said the number of registered marriages in the country has steadily declined over the past 10 years.

Data from the Philippine Statistics Authority showed that registered marriages dropped by 13.5%—from 429,723 in 2014 to 371,825 in 2024.

Marriage registrations fell to 240,775 in 2020 but later increased by half to 449,428 in 2022 as couples pushed through with weddings while COVID-19 restrictions eased.

The decline, however, resumed, with marriages decreasing by 7.8% to 414,213 in 2023 and by another 10.2% to 371,825 in 2024.

“The data clearly show that the Filipino family is evolving. This reflects changing economic realities, shifting aspirations, and emerging pathways to family formation,” CPD executive director Lisa Grace Bersales, stressing the need for policies to evolve. "Government has a responsibility to create an environment where Filipinos who aspire to marry and raise families are not constrained by financial hardship or unnecessary barriers."

Per the CPD, the decline in formal marriages comes as more Filipinos opt to live together without tying the knot.

Per a Philippine News Agency report, the CPD—citing the 2020 Census of Population and Housing—said that 12.66 million Filipinos were in common-law relationships, including 6.36 million males and 6.30 million females.

The 2025 National Demographic and Health Survey results also showed that the percentage of women aged 15 to 49 living with a partner increased to 20.5% in 2025, from 18.8% in 2022. This is a quadruple increase from 5% in 1993.

"For many couples, cohabitation is viewed as a practical marital arrangement. Research indicates that economic well-being is the priority of Filipinos. Cohabitation is often viewed as a more accessible way to economically cope with unintended pregnancy and living expenses, with some couples viewing formal marriage as expensive," the Commission said.