Share of births outside marriage by country
Countries reporting
43
Highest
87
Colombia
Lowest
2.4
Japan
Median
40.45
Years covered
65
1960–2024
Data points
2,270
What the numbers show
Share of births outside marriage is currently reported for 43 countries. The highest value is 87 in Colombia; the lowest is 2.4 in Japan.
The median across all reporting countries is 40.45, and the mean is 41.9.
The gap between the highest and lowest reporting country is a factor of about 36.
Over the past decade 32 countries rose and 10 fell. The largest increase was in South Korea (up 142.6%), and the largest decrease in Hungary (down 46.4%).
Share of births outside marriage: full country ranking
| # | Country | Latest | Year | 10-year change | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Colombia | 87 | 2023 | up 4.2% | rising |
| 2 | Chile | 78.06 | 2022 | up 11.1% | rising |
| 3 | Costa Rica | 74 | 2023 | up 6.9% | rising |
| 4 | Mexico | 73.69 | 2024 | up 13.5% | rising |
| 5 | Iceland | 69.4 | 2019 | up 7.8% | rising |
| 6 | Norway | 61.18 | 2023 | up 10.8% | volatile |
| 7 | Bulgaria | 59.7 | 2023 | up 1.0% | volatile |
| 8 | Portugal | 59.5 | 2023 | up 25.0% | volatile |
| 9 | France | 58.5 | 2023 | up 2.3% | rising |
| 10 | Sweden | 57.45 | 2023 | up 5.6% | rising |
| 11 | Slovenia | 56.54 | 2023 | down 2.5% | volatile |
| 12 | Denmark | 54.7 | 2021 | up 11.6% | rising |
| 13 | Estonia | 53.79 | 2023 | down 8.7% | rising |
| 14 | Belgium | 52.4 | 2018 | up 17.5% | volatile |
| 15 | Spain | 49.96 | 2023 | up 22.1% | volatile |
| 16 | New Zealand | 48.43 | 2024 | up 3.7% | rising |
| 17 | Finland | 48.4 | 2023 | up 15.0% | volatile |
| 18 | United Kingdom | 47.6 | 2024 | unchanged | volatile |
| 19 | Czechia | 47.09 | 2023 | up 4.7% | volatile |
| 20 | Netherlands | 42.14 | 2023 | down 11.1% | volatile |
| 21 | Slovakia | 41.64 | 2023 | up 12.6% | volatile |
| 22 | Italy | 40.45 | 2023 | up 50.4% | volatile |
| 23 | Austria | 40.02 | 2023 | down 3.3% | rising |
| 24 | United States | 40 | 2023 | down 1.5% | rising |
| 25 | Australia | 39.87 | 2023 | up 15.9% | rising |
| 26 | Luxembourg | 38.96 | 2023 | up 3.1% | volatile |
| 27 | Ireland | 38.4 | 2019 | up 15.0% | volatile |
| 28 | Latvia | 37.34 | 2023 | down 16.3% | volatile |
| 29 | Romania | 33.89 | 2023 | up 7.9% | rising |
| 30 | Germany | 33.08 | 2023 | down 5.0% | volatile |
| 31 | Canada | 28.98 | 2024 | down 12.7% | rising |
| 32 | Poland | 28.72 | 2023 | up 22.7% | rising |
| 33 | Switzerland | 27.7 | 2020 | up 48.9% | volatile |
| 34 | Lithuania | 27.25 | 2023 | down 4.9% | volatile |
| 35 | Croatia | 26.06 | 2023 | up 61.8% | volatile |
| 36 | Malta | 25.9 | 2013 | up 58.9% | volatile |
| 37 | Hungary | 24.42 | 2023 | down 46.4% | volatile |
| 38 | Cyprus | 21.2 | 2019 | up 81.2% | volatile |
| 39 | Greece | 9.69 | 2023 | up 38.4% | volatile |
| 40 | Israel | 8.6 | 2023 | up 40.6% | rising |
| 41 | South Korea | 4.72 | 2024 | up 142.6% | rising |
| 42 | Turkey | 3.06 | 2023 | up 13.2% | rising |
| 43 | Japan | 2.4 | 2023 | up 9.1% | rising |