Figures obtained by Northern Ireland Humanists suggest that humanist weddings may now be the third most common in the province.
Humanist weddings were first granted legal recognition six years ago, and according to the figures, which come from the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) they may now account for as many as 15 per cent of all weddings.
Preliminary data for 2024 shows that out of 7,251 marriages, 1,113 were humanist. Catholic and civil weddings remain the most popular forms of ceremony. However, the figures do suggest that humanist weddings are now more popular than Protestant ones.
Figures for Protestant weddings are not yet available, although in 2023 the three main Protestant denominations in Northern Ireland managed 1,084 marriages between them and this was on a downward trend.
When they were first recognised in 2018, humanist weddings represented just 0.5 per cent of the total and have grown every year to date.
Northern Ireland Humanists claim that the sharp rise in humanist weddings is an indication that people in Northern Ireland wish to move on from the sectarianism of the past. A growing lack of religious identification is also a factor.
Among those aged 25 to 44, over a quarter (29 per cent) now claim to be of no religion, compare to 34 per cent who identify as Catholic and 23 per cent as Protestant.
Similar trends have been reported in Scotland and the Republic of Ireland. In Scotland 29 per cent of weddings are now humanist. In the Republic of Ireland, just under a third of weddings are Catholic, although this represented a drop of 11.5 per cent from 2023 to 2024.
Church of Ireland (Anglican) marriages saw an even greater decline of over 20 per cent.
By contrast, data compiled by the Iona Institute found that last year more than a quarter of Irish weddings were 'New Age' ceremonies. According to the Iona paper, humanist ceremonies fell by more than 10 per cent and civil ceremonies dropped slightly by 1.3 per cent.
