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Report: Israelis marry older

Data by Central Bureau of Statistics shows average age of Israeli brides and grooms rising steadily

Every Jewish mother’s dream is to see her children find their life partner, get married, and have children – preferably sooner rather than later in life.

 

Despite this, data gathered by Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistics ahead of Tu B’Av – a Jewish holiday of love similar to Valentine's Day – showed a steady climb in the average age of Jewish brides and grooms in the country.  

 

The bureau’s report presents data from 2005, according to which 41,029 couples were married by authorized institutions; 31,284 of the couples were Jewish, 8,280 were Muslim, 647 were Christian, and 818 were Druze.

 

It was the first time round for 92% of the individuals who were married that year.

 

According to the data, the average age at which couples married was 3.5 years higher than three decades earlier. The average age amongst brides rose from 21.4 to 25.2, and amongst grooms from 24.1 to 27.6.

 

The average age at which Israelis got married in 2005 was 27.1 – similar to the average age of marrying couples in the United States, but younger than couples in most other Western countries.

 

As a result, 61% of Jewish men aged 25-29 were bachelors in 2005, as opposed to 28% of the same age group in 1970. Forty percent of Jewish women in the same age group were unmarried in 2005, as opposed to 13% in 1970.

 

According to the report, a large number of these bachelors and bachelorettes lived in Tel Aviv and Haifa. The two cities have the highest number of unmarried individuals in the country.

 

In 2005, 77% of men and 62% of women were not married in Tel Aviv. In Haifa, the numbers were slightly lower; 69% of men and 46% of women were not married.

 

The report also showed that the age difference between brides and grooms remained relatively similar. Grooms were generally older than their brides, on average by 2.4 years, as opposed to 2.7 in 1970.

 

Sharon Roffe-Ofir contributed to this article

 


פרסום ראשון: 07.29.07, 19:59
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