The bar graphs illustrate the ages at which males and females got married across a particular country in 1998 and 2008.
Overall, marriage tendencies remained largely unchanged, with both females and males entering marriage mostly at ages 25-29 or 30-34. While the popularity of getting engaged at earlier ages, especially at 16-19, was the lowest and fell further, high-age marriages became more common across both genders over time.
In 1998, marriage was most common among people aged 25-29 and 30-34. In both age groups, 9% of men got married, while the figures for women made up 11% and 7%, respectively. Men aged 35-39, on the other hand, accounted for 9%, compared to women in the same age group, who recorded less than half that figure (5%). Although 6% of females and a comparable proportion of nearly 3% men were married when they were 20-24, very low levels were observed for those in the 16-19 age bracket, with only 1% females, whereas no males were married at this age.
A decade later, the overall pattern changed minimally. The 25-29 age group still had the highest percentage of marriages despite a drop in the proportion for men to 8%, while the figure for women remained stable. Conversely, 30-34 became the most common age for females to enter marriage, rising to 11%, while men in this group matched the 25-29 age category at 8%. As for 35-39, males still dominated (9% vs 5%); similarly, females also lagged in the 40-44 age category despite an increase (7% vs 3%). The popularity of getting married when 20-24 and 16-19 decreased further – the figures for both genders generally averaged around 1% to 2%.