The proportion of marriages performed by civil celebrants continued to increase in 2009, with 66.9% of marriages performed by civil celebrants. Civil marriages have outnumbered religious ceremonies since 1999 when 51.3% of all marriages were performed by civil celebrants. Of the 39,740 marriages performed by ministers of religion, the most common rites used were Catholic (32.8%) followed by Anglican (17.3%).
1.9 Type of celebrant, Australia,
selected years, 1989-2009
In 2009, couples who lived together before marrying were more likely to marry in a civil ceremony than those who lived apart, with 73.7% of couples living together married in a civil ceremony, compared with 43.6% of those who lived apart.