information - trends in cohabitation

Trends in Cohabitation

Cohabitation - that is, when people live together as a couple outside registered marriage (including same-sex relationships) - is an increasingly common family form. However, data on cohabitation are sparse in some areas, particularly those relating to financial issues.

According to the 2006 Census, 1.24 million people were in a cohabiting relationship. Persons living in a cohabiting relationship accounted for 15% of all persons living with a partner in 2006, compared with 10% in 1996.

Cohabitation has increasingly become the common pathway to marriage: 76% of couples who entered a registered marriage in 2006 indicated that they were living together prior to marriage, compared with only 20% in 1980 (Australian Bureau of Statistics [ABS], 2001b, 2007b).

Cohabitation is more common among young people than older people. Most people aged under 25 years who are living with a partner are in a cohabiting relationship rather than a marriage. The reverse applies to people aged 25 years and over who are living with a partner.

Download the full report:
Trends in Cohabitation (PDF document 284kb)

More Information:
Attitudes Towards Marriage and Cohabitation (PDF document 196kb)

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