South Africa recorded 3 537 registered customary marriages in 2023, down from 4 376 in 2022. That is a year-on-year drop of 19.2%, according to Statistics South Africa’s latest Marriages and Divorces report. The figures point to a clear slowdown in one of the country’s legally recognised marriage systems.

The data also shows that registered civil marriages remain far more common. In 2023, South Africa recorded 99 289 civil marriages, 3 537 customary marriages and 2 297 civil unions, for a total of 105 123 marriages and unions registered through the Department of Home Affairs system.

Limpopo Still Leads Despite a Steep Drop

Limpopo remained the province with the highest number of registered customary marriages in 2023 at 942, followed by KwaZulu-Natal on 789, the Eastern Cape on 652, Mpumalanga on 474 and Gauteng on 360. Together, those provinces carried most of the country’s registered customary marriages.

But the year-on-year declines were hard to ignore. Limpopo dropped from 1 252 in 2022 to 942 in 2023. The Eastern Cape fell from 845 to 652 and Mpumalanga declined from 633 to 474. KwaZulu-Natal also slipped from 881 to 789, while Gauteng moved down from 417 to 360. Northern Cape was the outlier, rising from 11 registrations in 2022 to 38 in 2023.

Stats SA says the broader marriage picture in South Africa shows a decreasing trend in civil marriages, fluctuations in customary marriages and an increasing trend in civil unions, apart from dips seen in 2020 and 2023. In plain terms, marriage is still happening, but the mix is shifting and customary marriage registrations are under pressure.

The report also found that most customary marriages in 2023 involved older bridegrooms. About 87.1% of bridegrooms were older than their brides. Stats SA recorded the biggest share of bridegrooms in the 30 to 34 age group, while most brides were in the 25 to 29 group.

For households, families and policymakers, that matters. These numbers do not just track weddings. They show how social choices, legal registration and cultural practice are changing across South Africa.