Fewer South Africans choosing customary marriage: Here are the provinces with the most decline

2026-03-20 - 08:30

Official data from Statistics South Africa shows customary marriages have plummeted by nearly a quarter in a single year, raising questions about the future of a centuries-old tradition The latest Marriages and Divorces report released by Stats SA this week shows that only 2 634 customary marriages were registered with the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) in 2024, a sharp decline of 25,5% from the 3 537 recorded the year before. Across the broader marriage landscape, 102 373 marriages and unions were registered in 2024, down 28,5% from the 143 279 recorded in 2015, and the country’s crude marriage rate has fallen to just 1.6 per thousand people. The data, which covers civil marriages, customary marriages and civil unions registered between January and December 2024, points to a society in which formal marriage, particularly in its traditional form, is becoming increasingly rare. A cultural institution under pressure The Recognition of Customary Marriages Act of 1998 requires that customary marriages entered into after the Act’s commencement be registered within three months. Despite that legal obligation, the numbers suggest many unions are either not being formalised or simply not happening at the same rate as before. The Stats SA report notes that “the number of registered customary marriages have been fluctuating over the 10-year period, 2015 to 2024,” with the highest figure recorded in 2022 at 4 376 and the lowest in 2020 at 1 585. This dip can be attributed to Covid-19 restrictions. But the 2024 decline cuts deeper than a pandemic blip. Eight of South Africa’s nine provinces recorded fewer customary marriages compared to 2023. Limpopo and KwaZulu-Natal remain the strongholds of the tradition, together accounting for over half of all customary marriages registered nationally. Yet even these provinces are not immune to the trend. ALSO READ: ConCourt rules couple’s post-customary marriage antenuptial contract is invalid Where customary marriage is declining fastest The provincial data paints a stark picture of just how widespread the retreat from customary marriage registration has become. Free State recorded the most severe collapse, with registrations falling 51,8% from 85 to just 41, the sharpest single-year drop of any province. The Eastern Cape followed with a 39,1% decline, dropping from 652 marriages in 2023 to 397 in 2024. Mpumalanga was not far behind, falling 31,7% from 474 to 324 registrations. North West declined by 30,1%, from 360 marriages down to 266, while Gauteng shed 30,4% of its registrations, moving from 360 to 266. KwaZulu-Natal, despite remaining one of the two highest-volume provinces, still recorded a significant 25,1% drop, from 940 marriages in 2023 to 704 in 2024. Limpopo, the province with the highest absolute number of registrations at 718, saw a 23,8% decline from its 2023 figure of 942. Northern Cape fell by 13,2%, from 38 marriages to 33. The only province to record growth was Western Cape, where registrations nearly doubled, rising 93,8% from 32 to 62, though in absolute terms, this remains the lowest volume of any province in the country. Older grooms, younger brides, and children still entering marriage The demographic profile of customary marriages raises its own concerns. The median age of customary marriage bridegrooms stood at 35 years in 2024, while brides were typically 29, a six-year gap that has remained consistent over the past five years. More troublingly, the data shows that “marriages for children aged less than 18 years were more likely for brides 160 (6,1%) than bridegrooms 15 (0,5%),” meaning girls under 18 remain disproportionately represented among those entering customary marriages. Age dynamics at the altar also skew heavily male. According to the report, “2 232 (84,7%) bridegrooms were older than their brides” in customary marriages registered in 2024, compared to 75% of bridegrooms in civil marriages who were older than their partners. The gap in median ages at customary marriage registration is wider than for any other type of marriage. Civil marriages also falling While customary marriages bear the steepest decline, civil marriages are not immune. A total of 97 510 civil marriages were registered in 2024, down 1,8% from 99 289 the year before, continuing what Stats SA describes as a consistent downward trend across the decade, “except for a slight increase of 0,6% between 2015 and 2016 and an increase of 5,0% between 2021 and 2022.” The report further notes that “marriages have generally declined at an annual rate of 1,3% before Covid-19 from 2015 to 2019, followed by an annual increase of 6,5% between 2021 and 2022, indicating a recovery in marriage numbers.” For those who are marrying, the age is creeping upward. The median age of bridegrooms at civil marriage reached 39 years in 2024, up from 37 in 2020, while brides’ median age rose to 35 from 33 over the same period. First-time brides continue to marry younger than their male counterparts, with never-married women entering civil marriage at a median age of 33 compared to 36 for never-married men. Divorces are rising as marriages fall Against the backdrop of declining marriages, divorce is trending in the opposite direction. Stats SA processed 24 202 divorce forms in 2024, an increase of 8,9% from the previous year. Women are driving the filings: “more wives [13 853 (57,2%)] than husbands [7 976 (33,0%)] initiated divorce proceedings.” The crude divorce rate stands at 39 per 100 000 residents. The white population group recorded the highest crude divorce rate at 110 per 100 000, followed by coloured and Indian/Asian groups at 64 and 60 per 100 000 respectively, while the black African population recorded 26 per 100 000. Notably, “13 490 (55,7%) of the 24 202 divorces had children younger than 18 years,” meaning approximately 22 916 children were affected by parental divorce in 2024 alone. The picture that emerges is of a country quietly renegotiating its relationship with marriage, and in doing so, leaving one of its oldest traditions increasingly behind. 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