The number of marriages in Armenia has been on the rise in recent years as compared to the situation in the 1990s, said the head of the Department of Census and Demography of Armenia’s National Statistical Service at a press conference on Wednesday.

“In 1990, we had 28,000 marriages, in 2000 their number reached 11,000, and last year 18,773 marriages were registered Armenia,” says head of the department Karine Kuyumjyan, adding that the statistics are based on the data from marriage registration offices, i.e. reflects only officially registered marriages.

According to the official, as compared to 2000, the number of divorces in Armenia also increased (2,929 divorces).

Sociologist Aharon Adibekyan thinks that the decrease in the number of divorces in the 90s was conditioned by the social conditions of the population.

“The worse people’s living standards are, the fewer divorces they have, because they have no opportunity to live separately,” says Adibekyan, who is more concerned over the recent tendency of having fewer children in families.

“We estimate that by 2050 Armenia will have a population of 2 million. I think that before solving the issue of lands in Karabakh and Western Armenia the authorities should deal with falling birth rates. Who needs those lands if there is no one to live there?” says Adibekyan, adding that today in rural areas parents prefer having 2-3 children, while in urban areas 1-2 (in the past that was 3-4 and 2-3 children, respectively).

Adibekyan also says that official statistics do not provide a precise picture of the situation, since “in Armenia there many so-called ‘hidden’ marriages and divorces, which are not registered.”