Marie Claire UK Marie Claire UK
  • Fashion Fashion
      • Fashion
        • View all Fashion
        • Fashion Trends
        • Shopping
        • Watches and Jewellery
        • Fashion News
  • Beauty Beauty
      • Beauty
        • View all Beauty
        • Fragrance
        • Hair
        • Make Up
        • Skincare
        • Nails
        • Marie Claire Beauty Awards
  • Health Health
      • Health
        • View all Health
        • Fitness
        • Nutrition
        • Female Health
        • Wellbeing
  • Life Life
      • Life
        • View all Life
        • Opinions
        • Travel
        • Sustainability
        • Weddings
        • Money & Work
        • Competitions
  • Culture Culture
      • Culture
        • View all Culture
        • TV and Film
        • Celebrity News
        • Books
        • Royal News
  • Vouchers Vouchers
      • Clothing
        • View all Vouchers
        • Mint Velvet
        • Karen Millen
        • H&M
        • nobody's child
        • ASOS
        • ARKET
        • MANGO
      • Designer Clothing
        • View all Vouchers
        • Reiss
        • THE OUTNET
        • SSENSE
        • Mytheresa
        • Liberty London
        • Selfridges
        • Farfetch
      • Accessories
        • View all Vouchers
        • AllSaints
        • Aspinal of London
        • Charles & Keith
        • River Island
        • FitFlop
        • Kate Spade
        • Vagabond
      • Jewellery
        • View all Vouchers
        • Pandora
        • Abbott Lyon
        • Goldsmiths
        • Beaverbrooks
        • Astrid & Miyu
        • Swarovski
        • Angara Jewellery
      • Beauty
        • View all Vouchers
        • Sephora
        • Cult Beauty
        • Space NK
        • Dyson
        • Clarins
        • Look Fantastic
        • Clinique
      • Activewear
        • View all Vouchers
        • Lululemon
        • Gymshark
        • Sweaty Betty
        • Nike
        • adidas
        • New Balance
        • Helly Hansen
  • NEWSLETTER Signup to our newsletter
  • logoCreated with Sketch.
    Marie Claire Newsletter

    Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!


    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

    You are now subscribed

    Your newsletter sign-up was successful


    An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
    Trending
    • Women in Sport 2026
    • Marie Claire Masters
    • Autumn Winter 2026
    • Nail Trends 2026
    • Best Investment Bags
    • Best Perfumes
    1. Life
    2. Relationships

    This is the best age to get married (apparently)

    According to a study

    Delphine Chui's avatar
    By Delphine Chui
    Published 6 January 2017 In Buying Guides

    When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

    best age to get married
    (Image credit: Snap Stills/REX/Shutterstock)
    • Facebook
    • X
    • Pinterest
    Share this article
    Join the conversation
    Follow us
    Add us as a preferred source on Google
    Subscribe to our newsletter

    According to a study

    In real life, the best time to get married is when you feel good and ready, but according to a psychological study featured in Psychology Today, these are the best - and worst - ages to tie the knot.

    The common belief goes that the later you marry, the more likely you are to stay together because you're more mature and know what you want, and don't want, but these statistics say otherwise.

    American sociological researcher, Nicholas Wolfinger, studied findings, over the course of six years, from the National Survey of Family Growth.

    The data results concluded that couples who got married in your late thirties had a higher chance of splitting than those who wed in their late 20s. 

    So, what's the age bracket, you ask? According to this study, and let's take this with a pinch of salt, shall we?, It's between the ages of 28 and 32.

    But, it's worth noting that there actually is some non-random scientific backing behind this, as the researcher studied further data from a different set of years and came to the exact same conclusion, and age range, again.

    So, it seems that there is a higher chance of divorce in couples who get married at a young age, and also for couples who get later in life.

    Couples who married as teenagers had a 38% risk of divorce in their first five years of marriage, while those slightly older, in their early twenties, had a 28% chance. And, those who got married over the age of 35 had around a 17% chance of divorcing.

    It's not all gloom and doom, though, as the divorce rate for couples who married between the ages of 25 and 34 were found to be significantly lower.

    And if you are thinking about getting married this year, maybe you should consider the most Instagrammable places to get engaged. Proposals - and engagement rings - at the ready...

    Explore More
    Weddings
    Marie Claire Newsletter

    Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!

    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.
    Delphine Chui
    Delphine Chui
    Social Links Navigation
    Read more
    A bunch of flowers
    Female health I Was Told My Fertility Was a Race Against Time. Doctors Say the Reality Is More Complicated
    A woman doing a push up
    Fitness I'm a Personal Trainer: Forget Your Actual Age—Your "Push-Up Age" Might Be Telling a Different Story
     
     
    What the World's Longest-Lived People Do Differently—According to the Research
    Wellbeing What the World's Longest-Lived People Do Differently—According to the Research
    Anne Hathaway has just announced her third pregnancy at 43
    Life Anne Hathaway's Pregnancy Hides a Much Bigger Truth About Having Babies in Your 40s
     
     
    Latest in Relationships
    Wedding planning
    Relationships I Love My Fiancé, but I Resent the Emotional Labour of Planning Our Wedding
    Wicker husband: Alexander Skarsgård and Olivia Coleman in the new film Wicker
    Relationships Move Over Regular Men and AI Boyfriends, The “Wicker Husband” Has Arrived
     
     
    Emotionally Unavailable Men: Jacob Elordi and Margot Robbie in Wuthering Heights
    Relationships Why Are We Still Glamourising Emotionally Unavailable Men?
    Broken disco ball smashed to pieces on the floor. Black and white for a dramatic touch. Shiny backdrop is defocused.
    Relationships Why Do Men Ruin Your Birthday?
     
     
    Latest in Buying Guides
    Mariko Kuo
    Shopping I’m a Corporate Lawyer, and This is How I'm Wearing these 3 Trouser Trends at Work
    Best products for frizzy hair in the rain
    Hair Autumn Rain Wreaks Havoc on My Frizz-Prone Hair—These Are the Products That Keep It Smooth Without Weighing It Down
     
     
    AW26 Shoe Trends
    Shopping From Heeled Loafers to Square Toes and Lace-Up Courts, Consider This Your Guide to Autumn's Defining Shoe Trends
    30 AW26 BUYS
    Fashion 30 of the Most Sought-After New Season Buys to Kick-Start Your Autumn/Winter 2026 Wardrobe
     
     
    logoCreated with Sketch.
    • Site Archive
    • Contact Future's experts
    • Contact us
    • Terms and conditions
    • Advertise with us
    • Privacy policy
    • Cookies policy
    • About us
    Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google

    Marie Claire UK is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

    © Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, Bath BA1 1UA. All rights reserved. England and Wales company registration number 2008885.