Philippines: More couples choosing cohabitation, or 'live-in' arrangements

Manila: Mark and Kerry met eight years ago. Kerry, 32, a medical transcriptionist, is expecting. Mark, 37, who runs a tourist transport firm and is all-around handyman, is excited about their first baby, due in November.

They're not married.

Filipino couples are increasingly choosing cohabitation, or "live-in" arrangements, official data shows.

Formal marriage? It still forms the majority, but the numbers are significantly down.

The reasons: Officials point to "economic practicality", as well as the high cost of weddings, and evolving social perceptions. 

According to the Commission on Population and Development, the proportion of Filipino women aged 15-49 living in live-in arrangements nearly quadrupled (or a near four-fold increase) from 5% in 1993 to 19% in 2022, a trend attributed to the view that cohabitation is a more affordable way to raise a family. 

The rise in cohabitation means more children borne out of formal marriages.

Also, the 2021 Young Adult Fertility and Sexuality (YAFS) Study showed that about 12% of the 20 million youth aged 15-24 are living in or cohabiting, as per the 2022 National Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS).

While some may delay formal marriage until they have the means, others prefer cohabitation as a manifestation of commitment or a practical response to differing religious beliefs.

Official data shows that of the total registered marriages in 2023, 42.9% or 177,627 marriages were contracted through a civil ceremony, a 0.4 percentage point decrease from 2022 (43.3% share).

About one-third (130,170 or 31.4% share) were officiated in the Roman Catholic Church, while about one in four (97,538 or 23.5% share) were performed in other religious rites.

Marriages solemnised in Muslim traditions accounted for 1.5% of the total registered marriages, whereas 0.7% were performed in tribal ceremonies. 

“The decline in marriages reflects changing realities as families of today come in many forms,” said CPD Executive Director Undersecretary Lisa Grace S. Bersales. “Policymakers, government agencies and organisations should continue working together to strengthen the family, the basic unit of our society."

Bersales pointed out: “While we uphold marriage as a sacred institution, we must also protect couples who choose alternative arrangements and ensure the welfare of every individual, ensuring no family is left behind in our nation’s development.” 

The commission cites a number of reasons why couples skip formal marriage:

There are downsides to a cohabiting relationship under Philippine law:

While there was a temporary increase in registered marriages in 2022, the overall trend shows a decline in formal marriages, with a significant drop in 2024 marriages compared to the previous year, according to the . 

This trend is accompanied by an increase in cohabiting couples and children born outside of formal wedlock. 

The 2022 National Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS) revealed that women aged 15-49 who are living together have gradually quadrupled within the span of three decades from 5% in 1993 to 19% in 2022. 

The 2021 Young Adult Fertility and Sexuality (YAFS) Study showed that about 12% of the 20 million youth aged 15-24 are living in or cohabiting.

This also coincides with the released data that the number of children outside marriage is at 842,728, compared to 605,794 births from couples in formal union, as per the 2023 Civil Registration and Vital Statistics.

June: No longer the wedding month

According to the Philippine Statistics Authority, in 2023, February recorded the highest number of registered marriages with 52,501 or 12.7% of the total marriages in the country.

Specifically, the 14th of February was consistently the day with the highest number of marriages since 2009 except last 2021.

Moreover, the month of December ranked second with 43,966 (10.6% share), followed by the month of June with 43,295 (10.5% share).

This is the same with PSA’s 2024 Monthly release of Vital events, February has recorded 44,093 marriages.

Meanwhile, the month of November remains to have the least number of registered marriages with 20,525 in 2023 and 23,862 in 2022.

Regional wedding hotspots

Among the 17 regions, CALABARZON recorded the highest number of registered marriages with 60,541 or 14.6% of the total marriages. Two more regions with a relatively large population reported a high number of registered marriages.

The National Capital Region (NCR) recorded the second highest number of marriages with 51,892 followed by Central Luzon with 47,684. The same regions also reported the highest number of registered marriages and maintained their respective ranks in 2022.