More Italians marrying foreigners, Istat says
Marriages down since 1972, but mixed weddings on the rise
13 November, 17:36
(ANSA) - Rome, November 13 - More couples are getting
married in Italy, but the rise is due to weddings between
Italians and foreigners, national statistics bureau Istat said
Wednesday.In 2012 there were 207.138 marriages in Italy, (+2,308 over 2011, or 3.5 weddings per 1,000 inhabitants).
Of these, 30,724, or 15%, were between an Italian and a foreigner (+4,000 over 2011). Another 153,311 marriages were between Italians, down by 39,000 over the past five years.
The marriage rate in Italy has been decreasing since 1972, dropping by an average of 1.2% a year over the past two decades, and by 4.8% a year between 2007-2011.
The slight increase in couples taking their vows in 2012 is due to more weddings in which one or both partners is foreign, Istat said.
