In Greece, Religious Weddings Have Decreased by More than Half in 30 Years

Crowns for an Orthodox wedding. Photo: Orthodoxia News Agency

PIRAEUS — Earlier this month, the Hellenic Statistical Authority published data according to which the share of religious weddings in the total number of marriages decreased from 89.6% in 1994 to 38.5% in 2024.

As recently as the early 1980s, 100% of weddings were religious in nature. Today, the number stands at 38.5%, with 33.2% being civil and 28.3% being "registered partnerships."

The minimum number of religious weddings registered came in 2020 at 29.5%, after which the indicator partially recovered, but did not return to previous levels. At the end of 2024, 36,649 marriages were registered in the country: 19,695 church and 16,954 civil (-9.2% compared to 2023). On top of this, there are 14,486 registered partnerships. In total, there were 51,135 new relationships registered in 2024, with religious weddings accounting for under 40% of them.

The 14,486 cohabitation agreements also account for a 3.9% decrease compared to 2023. The 2024 statistics include 182 same-sex marriage registrations for the first time. Among the cohabitation agreements, 192 male and 96 female same-sex unions are taken into account.

More and more couples are choosing civil registration or living together without a wedding over a religious ceremony. It should be noted that Greece became the first country with an Orthodox majority to allow same-sex civil unions. At the same time, the Church does not crown such unions, which emphasizes the difference between church and state practice.

Experts note that the "erosion" of the church marriage model is superimposed on the general demographic decline and complicates the formation of long-term family policy.

The Hellenic Statistical Authority emphasizes that the trend of a 30-year decline in weddings is stable and reflects a profound transformation of family practices. Against this background, the public debate around the legalization of same-sex marriage and the place of Orthodoxy in the public sphere remains one of the most acute in Greek society.

Previously, UOJ reported that German politicians have pushed for LGBT themes in preschool education.

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