Eight in 10 Americans get married at least once by age 40

WASHINGTON - For Americans, the probability of getting married by the age of 40 is more than 80 percent, reveals new federal data.

The prospects of a first marriage by 40 are 81 percent in men, while in women it is 86 percent.

The study is based on interviews with a national survey sample of 12,571 men and women about their marriage history, as well as a statistical probability analysis.

Based on data from the National Survey of Family Growth, conducted in 2002 among ages 15-44, the survey showed that women tend to marry at younger ages than men, but by age 40, those chances are the same for men and women.

Although most men and women between ages 35 and 44 have married for the first time by 35, lower percentages of men have married than women.

The survey found that 17 percent of women had not got married for the first time by age 35, while 25 percent of men had not.

The report on first marriage in the U.S. by the National Center for Health Statistics also found that the probability of first marriage by age 30 is 74 percent for women and 61 percent for men.

At age 25, women have a 50-50 chance of being married for the first time, while men have a 50-50 chance of being married by age 27. (ANI)