Rise in numbers of civil partnerships

Figures released by the Office for National Statistics have shown a recent rise in the number of civil partnerships in the UK.

The provisional number of civil partnerships in the UK in 2012 was 7,037, an increase of 3.6% since 2011; 3,591 were female, 3,446 were male.

The figures for Plymouth also show a rise in the same period. There were 31 new civil partnerships - 18 were female, 13 male; a rise of seven from the figures for 2011.

The figures, both nationally and locally, are the highest since 2008.

The average age of men forming a civil partnership in the UK in 2012 was 40.0 years, while for women the average age was 37.6 years. These figures represent a small decrease in average ages in comparison to 2011.

The provisional number of civil partnership dissolutions granted in England and Wales in 2012 was 794, an increase of 20% since 2011.

The total number of civil partnerships formed in the UK since the Civil Partnership Act 2004 came into force in December 2005, up to the end of 2012 is 60,454.