Poll: Is marriage important to you?

The total is the highest since comparable records began, and is an increase of 10 per cent on 10 years ago.

Some 33.9 per cent of residents in England and Wales had never been married last year, equalling the previous high in 2011.

By contrast, just over half – 51.2 per cent – of people were married, a fall of 5 per cent on 10 years ago.

There were 7 per cent who were widowed and 8 per cent were divorced.

The number of people in civil partnerships, or 0.2 per cent, fell slightly year-on-year, which could be reflected by the introduction of same-sex marriages.

The divorce rate, including those who had dissolved civil partnerships, rose to 8.2 per cent, just below its recent peak of 8.3 per cent in 2011.

The long-term increase in the number of divorces is being driven by those aged 45 and over, according to the latest data from the Office for National Statistics.

There has been a greater rise in divorce among those aged 50 to 64 than in younger age groups.

The figures show that around one in eight adults was living as part of an unmarried couple. Cohabiting was most common among 30 to 34-year-olds.

More men than women have never married and live alone: a total of 28 per cent compared with 22 per cent.