The number of marriages hit a record high in the last three decades, while divorce rates have gone down, bucking a rising trend in the last 10 years.

There were 27,936 civil and Muslim marriages registered last year, up from 27,258 the year before.

On the other hand, there were 7,241 divorces and annulments last year, a decrease from 7,604 previously, a first decline in the past eight years.

Figures from the Department of Statistics released on Wednesday also indicated that the median age first-time brides and grooms remained the same compared to 2011.

Last year, the median age of first-time grooms was 30.1 while the median age for first-time brides was 28 last year.