Rate Of Unmarried Parents Globally Rises Up To 31%; Religious Countries Also Seeing Increase In Numbers

Countries around the world are seeing an increase in unmarried parenting. Couples cohabiting without getting married have spiked even in those nations that are known for being religious and family-centered.

A research from the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, or OECD, found that the countries of Estonia, Sweden, France, Poland and the Netherlands have the highest numbers of unmarried parenting. Estonia's rate clocks in at 31 percent, a notable increase from the 18 percent recorded in 2005. Statista charted the findings and compared unmarried parenting levels recorded in 2014 versus 2005.

Religious Countries With Cohabiting Parents

Unmarried parents cohabiting in the U.S. increased to 4.2 percent in 2014 compared to the 2.9 percent recorded in 2005, Forbes reported. Though unexpected, religious countries also have spikes in the numbers of their unmarried parents.

Poland is an example of this. The country, which has nearly 90 percent of Catholics, has the sharpest rate at 15 percent, a striking contrast from the 2.5 percent unmarried parents cohabiting in 2005, the CIA World Factbook wrote.

Ireland, also a widely Catholic nation, also saw a seven percentage increase in unmarried parenting. Other countries with many unmarried parents cohabiting together are the United Kingdom, Ireland, Denmark, Spain, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Romania and Greece.

Unmarried Parenting Increases

Two out of five children have unmarried parents in countries that are members of the OECD while the Latin American region has two out of three babies born out of wedlock, the Economist reported. Children with unmarried parents often don't enjoy the same privileges offered to their counterparts who have married parents.

In the U.S. and England, the law treats unmarried parents as unrelated, while France and the Netherlands permit couples to enjoy contracts that have some aspects of marriage. In Australia and New Zealand, unmarried parents have the same rights and privileges given to married couples if they reach a specific number of years cohabiting.

Missing Out On Important Economic Benefits

Stable households and economic benefits are often linked to married parents, the Wall Street Journal reported. Kids with unmarried parents often face instability and uncertainty, according to Jane Waldfogel, a social work professor at Columbia University.

Less educated and poor-earning American men have increased in recent decades. This fact has made the idea of marriage less attractive for women, especially those with high educational attainment.

Cohabiting parents have higher chances of splitting up as well. In addition, married households tend to own homes, have better financial conditions and are more capable of procuring emergency savings and retirement money.