MARRIAGE RATE DECLINES
Marriage is continuing to lose its traditional pull among Batswana, with the number of registered unions falling to the lowest level recorded in a decade.
Statistics from the latest vital statistics report show that only 4 517 marriages were registered in 2024, representing a 41 per cent decline from the decade-high of 7 631 recorded in 2021. The downward trend has been consistent since the 2021 peak, with registered marriages falling year after year until reaching their lowest point in 2024.
The decline has also pushed Botswana's Crude Marriage Rate down to just 1.8 marriages per 1,000 population. The statistics further show that marriage is increasingly becoming a later-life decision, particularly for men. The mean age at first marriage was estimated at 43 years for bachelors, compared with 38 years for spinsters. This suggests that many Batswana are entering their late 30s and 40s before formalising their first marriages and not necessarily that marriage is an important milestone of adulthood. According to marriage counsellor, Onneile Thamaku, economic pressures, changing social attitudes, personal priorities and the increasing acceptance of relationships outside formal marriage could all be factors contributing to this. He shared that the figures point to a significant change in marriage patterns and raise questions about whether couples are postponing formal unions, choosing other forms of partnership or simply taking longer to make the decision to marry.
He added that the behaviour of married couples might also be a contributing factor, noting that some couples are unable to give marriage the dignity it deserves, which sends a wrong perception to those unmarried.
“We see a lot of social ills happening: divorce rates have gone up, husbands are killing wives, and some are molesting children, while wives are also leaving their husbands at home and going on cheating sprees; these all
contribute to a negative connotation on marriage,” he said.
He, however, said, despite the negative image, marriage remains relevant and should not be abandoned, adding that the foundation must be solid so that people are able to withstand life pressures and stick together through thick and thin. He advises couples to always seek counselling or try their best to communicate issues freely and honestly, saying such is what will make them stick together when life gets hard. Despite the national decline, some districts recorded considerably more marriages than others. Gaborone accounted for the highest proportion of registered marriages at 11.9 per cent of all unions and was followed by Central Serowe/Palapye at 9.6 percent, Kweneng East at 9.2 percent and Southern at 8.8 percent.