The results of the legal marital status projections and the cohabitation projections can be combined to look at future trends in total partnership. This shows that while the number of married couples is projected to fall by about 0.9 million by 2031, this is outweighed by a projected rise in cohabiting couples of about 1.8 million. So the total number of couples would rise by about 0.9 million (7 per cent) over this period. However, the total adult population is projected to rise more (15 per cent by 2031), so the proportion of people who are in couples is therefore projected to fall while the proportion of people who live without a partner correspondingly rises.

Click here for a summary table showing the projected population by age, sex and partnership status. (Microsoft Excel Document (27kb). You will need Microsoft Excel in order to view this document. If you do not have this, please click here to go to the Microsoft Download Center from where you can download a copy of the Microsoft Excel Viewer.)