Fewer young couples are getting married, financial uncertainty may be to blame

Fewer couples in the Netherlands are getting married and people in their 20s and 30s are more likely to opt for a registered partnership instead, the national statistics office CBS said on Wednesday.

Last year, almost 65,000 couples made up of people in their 20s and 30s got married, compared with 85,000 20 years ago, the CBS said. At the same time, almost 18,000 young couples signed a registered partnership, a rise of 2,000 on 2016.

The CBS says it suspects fewer young couples get married because they are more concerned about their financial futures, partly due to the rise of short and flexible jobs contracts.

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In addition, young couples need more of their own cash to buy a house and may prefer to put money into that than splash out on a wedding, the CBS said.