Number of unmarried couples to soar (From Times Series)

Number of unmarried couples to soar

11:57am Thursday 24th June 2010 in National News © Press Association 2011

The number of unmarried couples living together will rise dramatically over the next 25 years, according to statistics.

Expensive weddings, lavish honeymoons and platinum wedding rings will all be cast aside as the proportion of couples in wedlock drops to 42% in 2033, down seven percentage points on the latest statistics.

Instead, more and more people will decide to co-habit, according to figures released by the Office for National Statistics.

The number of co-habiting couples stands at 2.3 million. This is expected to reach 3.8 million in 2033.

Meanwhile, the proportion of those co-habiting who have never previously married is expected to rise from 74% to 87%.

Since 1978, more and more couples have decided against tying the knot - in 1978, 50% of people were married. Meanwhile, divorce has become more popular. In 1978 only 2% of couples split but by 2008 this had reached 7% of couples.