Roscommon in Census 2011 - Roscommon County Council

5.1 Households and families -
nationwide
Marital status – recent trends
The married population increased by 9.2 per cent between 2006 and 2011, growing from
1,565,016 to 1,708,604. As the population aged 15 and over grew more slowly (6.9% over
the same period), married people as a percentage of the total population increased from
46.4 per cent to 47.3 per cent.
Since 1996 the proportion of the population who were divorced has grown significantly
from 0.4 per cent (9,787 people) to 2.4 per cent (87,770). There was a corresponding
increase in the numbers who were re-married following divorce, from 6,641 in 1996 to
42,960 in 2011.
There was a significant fall in the proportion who were widowed which fell from 6.7 per
cent to 5.3 per cent over the same period. This corresponds with increased life expectancy
for men.
The share of the population aged 15 and over who were single increased from 41.1 per
cent in 1996 to 43.1 per cent in 2006, but has subsequently fallen back to 41.7 per cent
(1,505,035 people) in 2011.
While married people on their first marriage accounted for 48.5 per cent of the adult
population in 1996, this has fallen to 45.1 per cent by 2006, but increased again in 2011 to
45.9 per cent. Over the same period, the percentages have remained relatively stable for
those re-married following widowhood, and for separated people.
Family size has been falling in recent years. In 1991 there were 2.0 children on average in
each family. In 1996 this had fallen to 1.8 children. In 2002 it was 1.6 children and by 2006
the average family had 1.4 children. In 2011, while the average number of children had
fallen slightly, it was still just below 1.4 children per family.
32
The age at which
women were more
likely to be married
than single.
34
The age at which men
were more likely to
be married than
single.
48
The peak age for
separation and
divorce.
30