The popularity of cohabitation has been cited as a key factor in the falling number of married British couples.
According to an Office of National Statistics (ONS) report cited by Yahoo! Lifestyle, married couples made up just 48 per cent of the adult population of England and Wales last year - while one in six Brits live with their partners.
Anastasia de Waal, a representative from the thinktank Civitas, suggested that the increase in the cost of living and unemployment levels are likely to have contributed to the situation.
However she urged people keep in mind the difference between what people want and what they are doing when looking at the figures. Ms de Waal cited attitude surveys which showed that marriage is still a popular aspiration for the majority of young people; suggesting that London solicitors and other legal officials are not necessarily seeing the beginning of the end of the institution of marriage.
Reflecting on the statistics, the authors of the ONS report pointed out that 50 years ago, fewer than one in 100 adults under 50 years old would have cohabited with their partner.
"One of the main reasons for the decrease in the married population and the increase in the single population is the growth of cohabitation by unmarried couples," they stated.
Other figures featured in the report include a one percentage point increase in the number of divorcees to 9.3 per cent and a rise in the average age of people getting married.
