20 Aug 2026

The number of marriages solemnised annually continues to plummet amid a sharp rise in births outside wedlock, according to the Botswana Statistics Report on births, marriages and deaths registered in Botswana during 2024.

The report shows that 4 517 marriages were registered in 2024, the lowest number recorded over the past decade.The figure represents a 41 per cent decline from the peak recorded in 2021, when 7 631 marriages were solemnised.

According to the report, most marriages involved individuals residing in the same district, while the majority of unions were first marriages for both spouses.

Marriage patterns also point to delayed union formation, particularly among men. The mean age at first marriage was estimated at 43 years for bachelors and 38 years for spinsters.

No person aged 18 or below entered into marriage during the year. However, one male and four females were recorded as marrying at age 19.The report further indicates that in about 80 per cent of marriages, the groom was older than the bride. In 2024, most men who married were older than their wives, regardless of their marital status at the time of marriage. This marked a shift from a previous trend in which women tended to marry younger men.

Meanwhile, birth statistics for 2024 show a significant shift in family formation patterns, with births outside wedlock accounting for the overwhelming majority of registered births. The report notes that the marital status of mothers provides insight into changing family formation patterns and social dynamics, with variations among married, single, divorced and widowed mothers having implications for social policy, maternal and child health programmes and family support initiatives.

Of the 41 784 births registered in 2024, 84 per cent occurred outside wedlock, while 6 545 births, or 16 per cent, were to married mothers. The legitimacy status of 29 births was not stated.

Births outside wedlock were concentrated among mothers aged between 20 and 34 years, with women aged 20 to 24 years recording the highest number.

In contrast, births within wedlock were highest among mothers aged 30 to 34 and 35 to 39 years, suggesting that marriage and childbearing within marriage are more common among women in the older reproductive age groups.

The report notes that, overall, non-marital childbearing remains the dominant pattern across all reproductive age groups, particularly among younger women, while births within wedlock are relatively more common among women in their thirties.

“This trend may reflect changing social norms, delayed marriage, increased cohabitation, and economic factors influencing family formation patterns,” it added, noting that the pattern has important implications for social protection systems, child welfare, and family support policies 

The data analysed in the report were sourced from the Department of Civil and National Registration. ENDS