PETALING JAYA: Romance is flourishing in the golden years as senior Malaysians seek new beginnings, with marriage rates among women aged 60 and above nearly doubling.

The number of brides in this age group rose from 908 in 2017 to 1,712 in 2024.

Experts say the spike in senior marriages could be due to our growing lifespans, less stigma for remarriage, improved connectivity through social media and lack of family support leading to older people finding life partners.

With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, it’s a heartening trend to note - especially when Malaysia is expected to become an aged nation by 2048 where 14% of the population will be citizens aged 65 and above.

Below shows how the trend has progressed over the years:

A hand to hold forever

The spike in marriage rates among women aged 60 and above could be due to the general trend that women tend to live longer than men.

“So, statistically speaking, we will have a larger pool of widows who may remarry,” said Universiti Putra Malaysia’s Malaysian Research Institute on Ageing research officer Chai Sen Tyng.

In Malaysia, it was reported that the life expectancy of a baby girl born in 2025 was 77.9 years, compared to boys at 73.1 years.

But Chai personally believes that a generational shift is happening.

“As many women did not get married at younger ages, they are now entering matrimony at older ages.

“These would be women who are more educated, financially stable and perhaps motivated by companionship, mutual support and equal partnership rather than dependence.

“Maybe they are ready for marriage but not interested in parenting,” he said.

Grooms aged 60 and above have always outnumbered brides of the same age.

But across the years, it has become more common for women in that cohort to take the leap into marriage.

The percentage of women settling down with a partner has grown from 22.6% in 2017 to 29.1% in 2024.

Chai said there was a dip in marriage rates around 2020 and 2021, likely due to disruptions from the Covid-19 pandemic.

"But post-pandemic levels exceed pre-2019 levels, especially for older women," he added.

National Council of Senior Citizens Organisations Malaysia (Nascom) president Datuk Dr Soon Ting Kueh said he believed the main reason for the increase was companionship.

“When people get to an older age and their spouse has passed away, they are often living alone as their children set up their families.

"So, loneliness tends to set in.

“Nascom encourages companionship among other people, whether formally married or not,” Soon said.

Cupid’s arrow hits later

Over the years, Johor has recorded the highest number of people aged 60 and above who got married.

The state recorded a cumulative total of 5,017 marriages involving men and women from this age group from 2017 to 2024.

This is followed by Selangor (4,824), Perak (4,388) and Kelantan (4,206).

Here’s how the number of marriages stacked up, according to the state where they occurred:

It is tough to pinpoint the exact reason why Johor has the highest number of marriages in this age group, says Chai.

“But it could be influenced by divorce and remarriage patterns.

“Selangor, Johor, Sarawak and Sabah are often on top for divorces,” he added.

In 2024, Johor recorded the second highest number of divorce cases at 8,163 after Selangor’s 12,032, based on data from the Statistics Department.

Universiti Malaya demographer Dr Tey Nai Peng said one of the reasons for the increasing trend of marriage among senior citizens was our longer lifespan due to improved healthcare, keeping them active and socially engaged.

“The rising trend of marriage among seniors reflects social changes, namely the increasing number of older population and widows.

“Another factor is better digital connectivity for senior citizens - social media and matchmaking platforms have made seeking partners easier,” he said.

Other factors are like shrinking family support whereby smaller families and children migrating away from their parents have caused seniors to feel lonelier, increasing the need for companionship.

“There is also reduced stigma around remarriage, leading senior citizens to be encouraged to pursue relationships,” Tey said, adding that there may also be improved reporting on the statistics.

More weddings bells

Calling it a positive development, experts say it is likely that senior marriages will continue rising in future.

“With Malaysia ageing rapidly and the increased social acceptance, senior marriages will continue to increase,” said Tey.

He said such marriages among the older population helps to boost mental health as the companionship could reduce loneliness.

“Married seniors may also depend less on institutional or government support,” Tey said.

However, he said the Malaysian legal system must prepare for complex family structures, cross-border marriages and inheritance disputes due to this trend.

“There may be higher divorce rates as there is greater social acceptance for this while seniors marrying foreign partners will raise citizenship policy issues,” Tey added.

With such social changes, he said the government should reform inheritance laws to prevent disputes in blended families.

“Healthcare and housing support for senior couples should also be strengthened.

“They should also promote public awareness campaigns to normalise senior marriages and reduce stigma,” he said.

Chai agreed that senior marriages will continue to grow, especially among those aged between 60 and 74, or the younger cohort of senior citizens.

“New generations of healthy seniors might choose to get hitched again,” he said.

In future, there is a possibility that businesses might realise marriage is no longer for young couples alone, Chai added.

On whether there is still a stigma for older people to get hitched, Nascom's Soon said today’s society is generally accepting.

“I would also like to encourage children of these couples to give their blessings as well,” he said.

Soon said the government should also give their support, such as monetary awards to such couples.

“I believe married older couples are happier and less likely to suffer from ageing or illness.

“This will potentially save government expenditure on health care,” he said.