One in three of all births in Northern Ireland is now outside marriage, figures released today.
The figures also showed over half of all new babies in Belfast are born to unmarried parents.
With more people deciding to live together, the marriage rate in the North is falling, while divorces grow in popularity.
Mr Robin McRoberts of relationship counselling organisation, Relate, said there were a number of reasons why the number of children born outside marriage had reached an all-time high.
He said: "A lot of it is down to changing attitudes in society. "Much of the stigma associated with living together and having children outside marriage has been forgotten".
The number of children born to unmarried mothers varies greatly between urban and rural areas, with more than 50 per cent in Belfast, but only 18 per cent in Magherafelt, Co Derry.
Mr McRoberts said the expense of marriage and property was also forcing many couples to live together rather than get married.
The number of divorces granted in Northern Ireland has also continued to rise, from 100 per year in the early 1960s to around 2,300 in each of the past 10 years.
PA