Last year 309 couples in the Netherlands celebrated 70 years of marriage

The number of couples celebrating their gold and diamond wedding anniversaries has gone up sharply, despite the rising divorce rate, figures from the national statistics agency CBS show.

In 2008, 34,000 couples had been married for 50 years but this had risen to 53,000 by 2018, the CBS said.  Last year, 13,100 couples celebrated their diamond wedding and 309 hit 70 years together.

The popularity of marriage in the 1960s and 1970s and rising life expectancy rates are behind the increase, the CBS said.

At the same time, the number of couples reaching their ruby (40 years), silver (25 years) and copper (12.5 years) anniversaries is going down as the divorce rate goes up.

In 1971, the divorce rate was 12% now three in five couples will break up, the CBS said.

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