Civil unions in Cyprus have steadily increased since their introduction in 2016, according to newly released data from CySTAT, according to the first comprehensive publication on the institution’s demographic footprint.
The figures, published as part of efforts to enhance the quality and completeness of national statistical indicators, provide new insight into changing patterns of legally recognised partnerships across the country.
Civil unions were first introduced in 2016, when 93 were recorded, accounting for just 0.7% of all legally recognised unions that year. Since then, numbers have risen significantly, reaching 917 in 2024—slightly below the 929 recorded in 2023 but broadly maintaining recent levels. Over the same period, 74 civil union dissolutions were registered in 2024.
The institution saw its strongest expansion between 2019 and 2021. After relatively modest numbers in the initial years following their introduction in 2016, civil unions rose sharply from 582 in 2019 to 812 in 2020, before reaching a peak of 1,083 in 2021. In 2021, civil unions accounted for more than one in ten of all legally recognised unions, reaching 11.2% of the total.
After the peak year, figures began to moderate. In 2022, civil unions declined slightly to 1,001, before stabilising further at 929 in 2023 and 917 in 2024.
While marriages continue to make up the majority of formal unions, civil unions now represent a notable share. In 2024, they accounted for 8.2% of all legally recognised unions, compared with less than 2% in the early years following their introduction. Overall, the total number of unions—marriages and civil unions combined—stood at 11,251 in 2024.
The data also highlight the predominance of domestic unions. Of the 917 civil unions concluded in 2024, 96.2% (882) involved residents of Cyprus, while a small proportion included individuals residing abroad. Among unions between Cyprus residents, the vast majority—839 cases, or 95.1%—were between opposite-sex couples. Same-sex couples accounted for 43 unions, representing 4.9% of the total.
Age patterns show notable differences between groups. For opposite-sex couples, the average age at the time of entering a civil union was 33.5 years for men and 30.8 years for women. Among same-sex couples, the average age was higher, at 40.6 years.
(Source: CNA)
