Hastings had the highest rate of divorcees in England and Wales

Hastings had more divorced people or people with a dissolved civil partnership last year than anywhere in England and Wales, new census figures show.

And the percentage of people who were married or in a civil partnership dropped, following national trends.

There were 9,446 divorced people and 38 people with a dissolved civil partnership in Hastings last year, making up 12.7% of people aged 16 and over.

It was down slightly from the 2011 census which recorded 12.8% of people were either divorced or had a dissolved civil partnership – but still the highest rate across England and Wales.

This was different to trends across the two nations, where 9.1% of those aged 16 and older were divorced or no longer in a civil partnership, up slightly from 9% a decade prior.

And 38.4% of people in Hastings were married or in a civil partnership last year​ –​ down from 39.6% 10 years prior.

Data from the census shows 27,999 people were in opposite sex marriages last year, down from 28,842 in 2011.

An additional 380 were in same sex marriages in Hastings last year – they were illegal in 2011.

The figures also show 235 people were in same sex civil partnerships last year and 98 were in opposite sex civil partnerships. There were 235 people in civil partnerships 10 years prior, which were only allowed for same sex couples at the time.

The number of people considered single – never having been in a civil partnership or marriage – in Hastings when the census took place last year was 29,609 (39.6%), up from 26836 (36.5%) in 2011.

John Wroth-Smith, Census deputy director, said: "When looking a bit deeper, we can see that the proportion of people in a marriage or civil partnership has declined, which follows the long-term trend of declining marriages."

"Conversely, the number of people who were never married or in a civil partnership has increased by almost 3 million," Mr Wroth-Smith added.

Across England and Wales, 21.7 million people were married or in a civil partnership – making up 45% of those aged 16 and older. And 37.9% of the population were single in 2021.