Cohabitation across the Nordics and Europe
Living together without being married is common across the Nordics and much of Europe. But countries measure it in different ways – so we show what each figure actually counts.
· 4 min read
How common is cohabitation in different countries?
| Country | Figure | What it measures | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sweden | 49 % | Of couples who moved in together in 2011 were still living together ten years later | 2021 |
| Norway | 30 % | Of people in a couple are cohabiting | 2017–2019 |
| Denmark | 17 % | Of everyone aged 20–79 lives in a cohabiting couple | 2021 |
| Finland | 26 % | Of all families are cohabiting couples | 2025 |
| United Kingdom | 17.7 % | Of all families are cohabiting couple families | 2024 |
| Spain | 16.2 % | Of all couples are unmarried couples (parejas de hecho) | 2020 |
| France | 197,176 | Civil partnerships (PACS) concluded, against 248,174 marriages | 2024 |
| United States | 7 % | Of adults live with a partner they are not married to | 2023 |
- Sweden
- Figure: 49 %
- What it measures: Of couples who moved in together in 2011 were still living together ten years later
- Year: 2021
- Norway
- Figure: 30 %
- What it measures: Of people in a couple are cohabiting
- Year: 2017–2019
- Denmark
- Figure: 17 %
- What it measures: Of everyone aged 20–79 lives in a cohabiting couple
- Year: 2021
- Finland
- Figure: 26 %
- What it measures: Of all families are cohabiting couples
- Year: 2025
- United Kingdom
- Figure: 17.7 %
- What it measures: Of all families are cohabiting couple families
- Year: 2024
- Spain
- Figure: 16.2 %
- What it measures: Of all couples are unmarried couples (parejas de hecho)
- Year: 2020
- France
- Figure: 197,176
- What it measures: Civil partnerships (PACS) concluded, against 248,174 marriages
- Year: 2024
- United States
- Figure: 7 %
- What it measures: Of adults live with a partner they are not married to
- Year: 2023
Why can't the figures be compared directly?
Each country counts in its own way. Finland and the UK count families, Denmark and the US count people, Norway counts people in a couple and Spain counts couples. Sweden does not register cohabitation, so Statistics Sweden follows how relationships develop over time instead. France has its own registered form, the PACS, and reports it next to marriages.
What do the figures still tell us?
- Living together without being married is a common, lasting form of family – not just a step before the wedding.
- In Denmark, a growing share of children live with cohabiting parents: 18 per cent in 2024, up from 14 per cent ten years earlier.
- In the UK, cohabiting couple families are slowly growing, from 16.4 per cent in 2014 to 17.7 per cent in 2024.
- The rules differ more than the numbers. Read more in Cohabiting or married?.
The table may be used with a credit to sambo.life and the national statistics office.
Common questions
- Which country has the most cohabiting couples?
- There is no exact answer, because countries measure it differently. In Finland 26 per cent of all families are cohabiting couples, and in Norway 30 per cent of people in a couple are cohabiting.
Sources
- Vartannat sambopar bor fortfarande ihop efter tio år – SCB
- Andelen samboere fortsetter å øke – SSB
- Nyt fra Danmarks Statistik: par og samlevende (2021) – Danmarks Statistik
- Nyt fra Danmarks Statistik: børns familier (2024) – Danmarks Statistik
- Perheet 2025 – Tilastokeskus
- Families and households in the UK: 2024 – Office for National Statistics
- Encuesta Continua de Hogares 2020 – INE (España)
- Mariages et pacs – Insee
- Share of U.S. adults living without a romantic partner has ticked down in recent years – Pew Research Center