PETALING JAYA: The Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) has reported that the oldest groom in 2023 was 91 years old, while the oldest bride was 86.
According to Chief Statistician, Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Uzir Mahidin, 0.1% of grooms over the age of 65 married women aged 24 or younger, Harian Metro reported.
The latest Malaysian Marriage and Divorce Statistics 2024 revealed a decrease in the number of marriages last year, with 188,100 marriages recorded—down 12.5% from 215,022 in 2022. As a result, the crude marriage rate (CMR) fell from 6.6% in 2022 to 5.7% in 2023 for every 1,000 residents.
Muslim marriages, which accounted for 74.5% of total marriages in Malaysia, saw a 16.8% decline in 2023, with 140,176 marriages recorded compared to 168,467 in 2022.
The states with the largest drop in Muslim marriages were Selangor (5,674 or 17.4%), Kelantan (3,595 or 17.7%), and Johor (3,249 or 15.8%).
Conversely, non-Muslim marriages increased by 2.9%, from 46,555 in 2022 to 47,924 in 2023, with Johor, Sarawak, and Kuala Lumpur recording the highest rises.
Dr Mohd Uzir also noted that 6.2% of all marriages in 2023 were inter-ethnic.
The number of inter-ethnic marriages rose by 28%, from 14,028 in 2022 to 17,956 in 2023, with 48.8% of Muslim marriages and 51.6% of non-Muslim marriages being inter-ethnic.
The median age for grooms remained at 28, while brides averaged 26 and the highest number of marriages occurred in the 25 to 29 age group for both.
For divorce, the number of cases in 2023 decreased by 8.7%, from 63,338 in 2022 to 57,835, with the gross divorce rate (CDR) improving from 1.9% in 2022 to 1.8% in 2023 for every 1,000 residents, as the highest number of divorces was recorded in the 30 to 34 age group for both men and women.
Muslim divorces decreased by 3.9%, from 46,138 in 2022 to 44,322 in 2023, with the largest declines in Kelantan, Johor, and Sabah, while non-Muslim divorces fell by 21.4%, from 17,200 in 2022 to 13,513 in 2023, with Selangor, Johor, and Sarawak reporting the largest drops.
