WELLINGTON, May 4 (Xinhua) -- The number of marriages in New Zealand continued its long-term decline in 2025, while divorces rose slightly, Stats NZ reported Monday.

This photo taken on Sept. 30, 2023 shows Lake Wakatipu in Queenstown, New Zealand. (Photo: Xinhua)

The statistics department said there were 17,481 marriages and civil unions in 2025, down 3 percent from 2024 and extending a downward trend since the early 1970s.

The marriage rate fell to 7.6 per 1,000 eligible people last year, roughly half the level recorded in 2000 and around one-sixth of the peak rate of 45.5 per 1,000 in 1971, said Stats NZ population estimates, projections and coverage spokesperson Rebekah Hennessey.

At the same time, 7,887 divorces were granted in 2025, up 5 percent from the previous year. Despite the increase, divorce numbers remain well below historical highs seen in 1982 and 2000, statistics showed.

The department noted that there were 2,565 overseas couples traveling to New Zealand to marry in 2025, slightly higher than in 2024. More than half of these couples were from Australia, followed by the United States.

Long-term data show about one-third of marriages in New Zealand end in divorce within 25 years, while around 60 percent of couples remain married for life, Hennessey said.