Brazil census: Cohabiting couples (38.9%) outnumber married (37.9%) for first time. Youth, low-income, Indigenous/Black drive trend; Church fights costs, stable unions.
Newsroom (06/11/2025, Gaudium Press ) Unmarried partners living together in Brazil surpassed legally and religiously married couples for the first time in 2022, according to data from the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE) released on November 5.
The census found that 38.9% of Brazilian couples were in cohabiting unions, compared to 37.9% who were both civilly and religiously married—a stark shift from previous decades. In 2000, 49.4% of unions were formally married, while informal relationships accounted for 28.6%. In 1970, 64.5% of couples were married.
Civil-only marriages (without religious ceremony) rose from 17.5% in 2000 to 20.5% in 2022, while religious-only marriages declined from 4.4% to 2.6%. Overall, 51.3% of Brazilians over age 10 reported being in a marital union.
The trend is most pronounced among younger and lower-income groups. Among Brazilians under 39 in relationships, 56.2% cohabit informally. Formal marriage dominates among those over 40, at 76.3%. In households with per capita income of half a minimum wage (about $141) or less, 51.2% of unions are unofficial. Among those earning five minimum wages ($1,415) or more, 54.3% are formally married.
Racial disparities are notable: 56% of Indigenous couples and 46.1% of Black couples cohabit, compared to 46% of white couples who are civilly and religiously married.
IBGE analyst Luciene Longo attributed the pattern to socioeconomic factors. “Cohabitation unions were more common among people in more precarious socioeconomic conditions,” she said in a statement.
Church leaders point to legal and cultural shifts. Auxiliary Bishop Reginei Modolo of Curitiba, a member of the Brazilian Bishops’ Conference Commission for Life and Family, highlighted the 1988 Constitution’s introduction of “stable unions”—common-law partnerships with rights equivalent to civil marriage, formalized after 2002.
“With that new figure, civil marriage became almost unnecessary in the eyes of many people,” Modolo told Crux. He noted that the Church requires civil marriage before religious ceremonies, contributing to the decline in sacramental weddings.
Rising wedding costs have also deterred couples, Modolo said. “The wedding became a social event of great magnitude,” fueled by a commercial industry surrounding decorations, parties, and promotions.
Milene Angeleli, co-director of Paraná’s Family Pastoral Ministry, observed the trend is stronger in urban areas. In smaller cities, formal marriage remains more common. Pastoral teams now offer formation for cohabiting couples, many of whom later legitimize their unions.
Economic barriers persist. In Assis Chateaubriand (population 37,000), Angeleli said weddings have become competitive displays. The local bishop banned commercial promoters from churches, and pastoral volunteers now assist with decorations to reduce costs.
Community weddings have emerged as a solution. Angeleli’s diocese hosts one annually, uniting about 10 cohabiting couples in a shared ceremony. “It reduces the costs for them,” she said.
In Curitiba, Modolo reported increased interest in religious weddings, driven by renewed focus on Pope Francis’s 2016 exhortation Amoris Laetitia, which urges accompaniment of couples and warns against the “wedding industry.”
“Personalized marriage catechesis can help people understand that the sacrament is the central element, not the social dimension,” Modolo said.
The census underscores a profound transformation in Brazilian family structure, shaped by legal reforms, economic pressures, and evolving cultural norms.
- Raju Hasmukh with files from Crux Now
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