Israeli Weddings Surge in 2024 Amid Rising Singlehood and Changing Marriage Trends

Following the 2023 outbreak of the "Iron Swords" war, many couples postponed wedding plans, but 2024 has seen a sharp rebound in marriages across Israel. According to the Central Bureau of Statistics, 53,025 couples married in authorized religious institutions in 2024, marking a 10.4% increase from 2023. Of these, 71% were Jewish couples, 25.8% Muslim, 1.8% Druze, and 1.3% Christian. Jewish marriages rose by 13.1%, and Muslim marriages by 4.8%, while Christian and Druze marriages slightly declined. Historically, marriage rates have decreased over the past 27 years across all religions, especially among Christians, Druze, and Muslims, with a notable decline among Jews since 2016 that has recently stabilized.

Alongside marriage trends, there is a growing preference for cohabitation without formal marriage, with the percentage of Jewish couples living together rising from 2.5% in 2000 to 7.1% in 2024. Among Jewish first-time marriages, 89.4% involved both partners marrying for the first time. The average age for first-time Jewish grooms was 27.3 years, and for brides 25.6 years, showing a slight decrease since 2016 after decades of rising marriage ages. Muslim first-time marriage ages have increased by over two and a half years for grooms and three and a half years for brides since 1970.

The delay in marriage age has contributed to a significant rise in singlehood among young Jews aged 25-29: single men increased from 57% in 2000 to 65% in 2024, and single women from 36% to 53%. Among large cities with populations over 100,000, Tel Aviv-Yafo, Herzliya, and Ramat Gan have the highest percentages of singles in this age group, while Bnei Brak and Beit Shemesh have the lowest. Singlehood has also increased among Jews aged 45-49, with single men rising from 6% to 14% and single women from 6% to 12%. Tel Aviv-Yafo, Ramat Gan, and Bat Yam lead in singlehood rates for this older group, whereas Beit Shemesh, Modiin-Maccabim-Reut, and Bnei Brak have the lowest, reflecting their younger, more religious populations.

In addition to domestic marriages, 8,235 marriages involving at least one Israeli resident were registered abroad in 2024, including 12,159 individuals. About half of these foreign marriages occurred in 2024, with others dating back to 2023 or earlier. Among couples married abroad, 24% were both Jewish, with over half of these weddings held in the United States, nearly a quarter in Cyprus, and about 5% in former Soviet states, mainly Georgia. Mixed Jewish couples often married in the U.S., former Soviet countries, or Ethiopia, with the U.S. being the most popular destination overall.

These statistics illustrate a complex picture of Israeli family life, marked by a post-war marriage surge, rising cohabitation, delayed marriage ages, and increasing singlehood, especially in major urban centers.