2021 Census: number of people who have never been married or in a civil partnership continues to rise

Data obtained from the 2021 Census has shown that the number of people who have never been married or been in a civil partnership has risen. The Office for National Statistics (ONS), which revealed the data, said it was "fascinating".

Nearly four in 10 adults have never been married or been in a civil partnership, up from three in 10 at the start of the century. The census takes place every 10 years, with the next one to take place in 2031.

The number of adults that have never been married or been in a civil partnership has slowly risen since the last census. In 2021, 37.9 percent of adults (18.4 million) had never been married or in a civil partnership.

The number has also risen since the turn of the new millennium.The data shows this was up from 34.6 per cent of adults (15.7 million) in 2011, 30.1 per cent (12.5 million) in 2001 and 26.3 per cent (10.5 million) in 1991.

Despite the statistics proving the number of people who have never been married or been in a civil partnership is rising, the number of people who are divorced or who have had a civil partnership dissolved has slowly risen.

In 2021, the proportion of divorced adults was 9.1 per cent which equates (4.4 million). This was a small rise from the previous decade, which was nine per cent (4.1 million) in 2011. In 2001, the proportion was 6.2 per cent (2.5 million).