Civil weddings gaining popularity since start of crisis

Civil weddings in Greece have been on a steady rise ever since the country was struck by the financial crisis in 2009, mainly due to the fact, analysts say, that they are far cheaper than religious ones.

According to data from Greece’s statistical authority ELSTAT, the number of civil weddings first surpassed religious ones in 2012 – 51.8 percent to 48.2 percent.

The trend continued in the following years, with civil weddings comprising between 50 to 52.1 percent of marriages until 2017.