WILLEMSTAD – The latest data from Census 2023 reveals a significant trend on Curaçao: the number of unmarried individuals is steadily declining. According to the Curaçao Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), the demographic analysis of the island’s population shows that more than 50% of people aged 16 and older are unmarried, a slight increase from Census 2011.
The data collected from the 1992, 2001, 2011, and 2023 censuses indicate a clear pattern: while the percentage of unmarried individuals continues to rise, the number of married individuals is gradually decreasing. Specifically, the percentage of married people has decreased from 36.9% in 2011 to 34.1% in 2023, while the number of divorced individuals has remained nearly the same—7.8% in 2011 compared to 7.9% in 2023. The number of widows and widowers, however, has increased slightly, from 5.9% in 2011 to 6.9% in 2023.
Marital Status and Age Trends
The CBS also examined the correlation between age and marital status. The analysis shows that the percentage of unmarried individuals tends to decrease with age. As people grow older, the likelihood of them being married, divorced, or widowed increases. In particular, people over 80 years old have a notably high percentage of unmarried individuals—about 20% of this group remains unmarried throughout their lives.
Among those who are married, men (21,559) slightly outnumber women (21,120). However, there are more unmarried women (36,191) and divorced women (6,515) compared to men. Additionally, the number of widows exceeds that of widowers, a trend the CBS attributes to women generally having a longer life expectancy than men. The statistics also suggest that men may be more likely to remarry after a divorce. Another contributing factor could be the gender imbalance on the island, with 15,439 more women than men.
The data further reveals that men are marrying later than women, with the average age for men to marry being 31.4 years and for women 29.9 years. This delay in marriage for men is consistent with past census data. Between 2011 and 2023, the average age at first marriage increased by 2.1 years for men and 2.8 years for women. This reflects a growing trend of people choosing to marry later in life, according to the CBS.
Overall, the Census 2023 underscores significant changes in marital patterns on Curaçao, with more individuals delaying marriage or opting to remain unmarried, particularly among the younger generations. The trends also highlight the evolving demographic landscape of the island, particularly in terms of gender and age-related factors in marriage and divorce.
