Brussels, May 18: Cyprus ranks first among EU25 regarding marriage rates, according to a Eurostat survey on marriages, divorces, births, the compositions of families and household expenditure.
According to the survey, there were around 2.2 million marriages in the eu25 in 2004, or 4.8 marriages per 1000 inhabitants. Cyprus with 7.2 marriages per 1000 inhabitants and Denmark with 7.0 had the highest marriages rates, while Slnvenia (3.3), Belgium (4.1) and Greece (4.2) had the lowest.
Although Cypriots marry easier than the rest Europeans, the rate of divorces in Cyprus is above the average EU rate.
In 2004 there were almost one million divorces in the EU25 (2.1 divorces per 1000 inhabitants). The member states with the highest divorce rates were the Czech Republic and Lithuania (both 3.2) and Estonia (3.1). The lowest rates were found in Ireland (0.7 in 2003 ), Italy (0.8 in 2003) and Greece (1.1). In Cyprus the divorce rate was 2.2 per 1000 inhabitants.
Regarding babies born outside marriage, the survey shows that Cypriots are the most conservative of all eu25, since they rank last, (only 3.3 per cent of all births concern babies of unmarried couples), compared to first ranking Estonians with 58 per cent in 2003.
Eurostat also issued data regarding composition of households. Among member states in 2005, 70 per cent or more of households in Finland, Germany, Denmark and Austria were without children, while it was 55 per cent or less in Poland, Lithuania, Slovakia, Cyprus and Malta.
I don't know if the highest marriage rate is good or not. But ranking last in babies born out of marriage is a good thing i think.
