More people living together opt for cohabitation agreements

On 1 January last year, 820 unmarried couples were living together in the Netherlands. More than half had cohabitation agreements. Since 1995, the number of unmarried couples has risen by 300 thousand. The share of couples who had partnership agreements also increased in recent years.

Cohabitation agreements more popular among older as well as young couples

More than half of unmarried people living together had a cohabitation agreement in 2008. In 2003, the proportion was 5 percentage points lower. The share of unmarried couples who have drawn up a cohabitation agreement or intend to do so has risen among younger as well as older couples.

Share of unmarried couples who have drawn up a cohabitation agreement or intend to do so

Older unmarried couples more often have or have the intention to draw up partnership agreements than younger couples. Eight in ten older couples report they have or would like to have a cohabitation agreement, as against six in ten young couples.

Considerably more unmarried couples with children

Having children is no longer a reason for couples to get married. In 2009, four in ten unmarried couples had children living at home, as against two in ten in 1995. The increase in the amount of unmarried couples since 2000 is mainly attributable to couples with children.

Number of unmarried couples living together

Share of couples planning to get married stable

One quarter of older unmarried couples living together intend to get married in the future. This applies to three quarters of young unmarried couples. It is remarkable that the proportion of couples who intend to get married among unmarried couples has not declined between 2003 and 2008.

Number of unmarried couples planning to get married

Arie de Graaf