How many unmarried couples live together in the UK?
In short
According to the ONS, there were 3.5 million cohabiting couple families in the UK in 2024, or 17.7% of all families, up from 3.1 million (16.4%) in 2014. Married couple families still made up 65.1% of families, but their share has slowly fallen. The House of Commons Library counts about 1.5 million cohabiting couples in 1996.
What the full article will cover
- How many couples live together without marrying?
- How has cohabitation grown since the 1990s?
- Who cohabits, and at what age?
- Is cohabitation replacing marriage?
- How do the figures differ across the UK?
- Why do the numbers matter for law and policy?
Frequently asked questions
- Is cohabitation the fastest-growing family type in the UK?
- How long do cohabiting couples usually stay together?
- Do most cohabiting couples eventually marry?
- Where do the ONS figures come from?
Sources
- ons.gov.uk — https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/families/bulletins/familiesandhouseholds/2024
- ons.gov.uk — https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/families/bulletins/familiesandhouseholds/2023
- commonslibrary.parliament.uk — https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/sn03372/
General information, not legal or religious advice.