MANILA, Philippines - Fewer Filipinos are tying the knot, according to the National Statistics Office (NSO).
There were 476,408 marriages registered in 2011, down by 1.3 percent from 482,480 recorded in 2010, the NSO said in a report posted on its website, adding that the number of registered marriages has been declining since 2009.
The biggest year-on-year decrease was recorded in Eastern Visayas at 18.8 percent, followed by the Bicol and Caraga regions, which posted declines of 9.2 and 7.9 percent, respectively.
Meanwhile, marriages in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao jumped by 79.7 percent.
The NSO report also showed that more couples were married in civil rites at 202,614 or 42.5 percent.
Marriages in Catholic churches came in second with 171,046 or 35.9 percent; other religious rites, including Muslim, at 20.8 percent; and 3,167 under tribal rites.
February is still the favorite month for weddings with a daily average of 1,799 marriages. However, the highest number of marriages occurred in May with 55,529 or 11.7 percent.
August is the least favored month with only 24,763 marriages or a daily average of 799.
The NSO said the latest data showed that the median age for brides was 25.3 and 28 for grooms. “Women prefer to marry at an earlier age than men,†it said.
Teenage brides numbered 58,320 or 12.2 percent of the total, more than four times compared to teenage grooms at 12,882.
More men settle at the age of 50 and above with 16,585 compared to women of the same age group with 7,012.