Moments that matter

How old were you when you had your first kiss? Got your first job? Passed your driving test? Moved out?

Did you grow up quicker than the average Brit? Or have you always been more of a late bloomer?

Click on your region below to see how you compare.

Scotland

The grafters

The Scots get their first pay-packet younger than the English or Welsh.

They’re also the quickest of the British countries to move out.

They’re in no rush to have a wee baby though, waiting an average of 6½ years between moving out and “silvering the baby” (the longest gap out of all British regions).

11% start work before the age of 14 (the highest percentage for that age in Britain)

7 months earlier than English homeowners, Scots climb the property ladder by selling their first home at the age of 31

4 days is all that lies between the average age of a Scottish newlywed and the overall British average.

Scotland Skyline

Life events in Scotland

Event Age
First kiss 15.5
First job 16.4
First relationship 19.7
Left education 20.5
Moved out of parents 20.9
Driving test 22.6
Engaged 23.9
Marriage 26.4
First house 27
First child 27.4
Sold first home 31

Life events in Scotland by age

Age

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Scotland Skyline
Event Age Event Age
First kiss 15.5 Engaged 23.9
First job 16.4 Marriage 26.4
First relationship 19.7 First house 27
Left education 20.5 First child 27.4
Moved out of parents 20.9 Sold first home 31
Driving test 22.6

North East

The lovebirds

North Easterners are the youngest to kiss for the first time and the youngest to get serious in a relationship.

They seemingly do it all without the pull of a car though, recording the oldest average age for passing the practical driving test at 23 (a year later than the national average of 22).

Just a couple of months after turning 26, Brits in the North East buy their first home (the youngest regional average)

29 years and 7 months into life, North Eastern homeowners sell their first house (the youngest regional average recorded)

15% have their first kiss before the age of 13 (5% more than the national average for that age group)

The North East Skyline

Life events in the
North East

Event Age
First kiss 14.6
First job 16.6
First relationship 19.3
Left education 19
Moved out of parents 21.1
Driving test 22.9
Engaged 24.1
Marriage 26
First house 26.3
First child 27.1
Sold first home 29.6

Life events in the North East by age

Age

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The North East Skyline
Event Age Event Age
First kiss 14.6 Engaged 24.1
First job 16.6 Marriage 26
First relationship 19.3 First house 26.3
Left education 19 First child 27.1
Moved out of parents 21.1 Sold first home 29.6
Driving test 22.9

North West

The settlers

Folk in the North West walk down the aisle, and snuggle their first baby, younger than those from any other British region.

In fact, the gap between their first kiss and their firstborn is just 11 years (a whole year ahead of the national average).

26 marks the age for new parents (the youngest regional average in Britain)

2 months before their 15th birthday, those in the North West have their first kiss (1 of just 2 regions to record an average age below 15 for this – along with the North East)

On average, 4 months after they turn 25, people in the North West tie the knot (the youngest regional average for newlyweds by over 6 months)

The North West Skyline

Life events in the
North West

Event Age
First kiss 14.9
First job 16.6
First relationship 19.5
Left education 19.4
Moved out of parents 21.1
Driving test 22.3
Engaged 23.7
Marriage 25.3
First house 26.9
First child 26.1
Sold first home 33

Life events in the North West by age

Age

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The North West Skyline
Event Age Event Age
First kiss 14.9 Engaged 23.7
First job 16.6 Marriage 25.3
First relationship 19.5 First house 26.9
Left education 19.4 First child 26.1
Moved out of parents 21.1 Sold first home 33
Driving test 22.3

Yorkshire and the Humber

The buyers

Yorkshire and the Humber is 1 of just 3 regions seeing people buy their first home before tying the knot (Yorkshire, East Midlands, and London).

They’re also quick to buy into “the one” – as it takes just 4 years from a Yorkshireman’s first kiss to their first serious relationship (the joint shortest kiss-to-serious-relationship gap).

68% of lads and lasses buy their first home before the age of 31 (1 of just 3 regions recording such a high percentage for that age group – shared with the North and South East)

5 years is the longest gap between the first serious relationship and the first (successful) proposal – shared with London

11% wait until their 30s to leave education (the highest percentage for graduates over 30 across Britain)

The Yorkshire and the Humber Skyline

Life events in
Yorkshire and the Humber

Event Age
First kiss 15.5
First job 16.7
First relationship 19.6
Left education 20.2
Moved out of parents 21.2
Driving test 22.3
Engaged 24.7
Marriage 26.9
First house 26.4
First child 27
Sold first home 31.3

Life events in Yorkshire by age

Age

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Yorkshire Skyline
Event Age Event Age
First kiss 15.5 Engaged 24.7
First job 16.7 Marriage 26.9
First relationship 19.6 First house 26.4
Left education 20.2 First child 27
Moved out of parents 21.2 Sold first home 31.3
Driving test 22.3

Wales

The romantics

The Welsh are the youngest in Britain to get on one knee.

There are just 8 years between a first kiss and the “she said yes” moment in Wales. Plus it takes less than 4 years for this moment to arrive from the day Welsh folk get into their first serious relationship.

3 years and 8 months is all it takes between their first serious relationship and a proposal (the shortest time gap of its kind across all regions)

25 years and 11 months is the average age for getting married in Wales (making it the only British country to record an average below 26)

3% wait until their 40s to have kids (the highest percentage for new parents older than 40 across Britain)

Wales Cardiff Skyline

Life events in Wales

Event Age
First kiss 15.4
First job 16.4
First relationship 19.7
Left education 20
Moved out of parents 21.3
Driving test 22.4
Engaged 23.5
Marriage 25.9
First house 27.7
First child 27.6
Sold first home 29.9

Life events in Wales by age

Age

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Wales Cardif Skyline
Event Age Event Age
First kiss 15.4 Engaged 23.5
First job 16.4 Marriage 25.9
First relationship 19.7 First house 27.7
Left education 20 First child 27.6
Moved out of parents 21.3 Sold first home 29.9
Driving test 22.4

East Midlands

The bright sparks

East Midlanders are the youngest to ditch the ‘L’ plates and the youngest to get a job.

They tend to live it up at their parents’ home while they’re making money though, recording the longest gap between first job and moving out across all regions (joint with the East of England at just over 5 years).

47% of East Midlanders pass their driving test before the age of 19 (at least three years younger than the national average)

66% get their first job by the age of 16 (the only region to record an average of under 16 years of age)

34 months lie between the first engagement and the first wedding for those in the East Midlands (the longest gap across all regions)

East Midlands Skyline

Life events in the
East Midlands

Event Age
First kiss 15.2
First job 15.9
First relationship 19.8
Left education 19.5
Moved out of parents 21.1
Driving test 21.4
Engaged 23.8
Marriage 26.6
First house 26.3
First child 27
Sold first home 30.9

Life events in the East Midlands by age

Age

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East Midlands and Nottingham Skyline
Event Age Event Age
First kiss 15.2 Engaged 23.8
First job 15.9 Marriage 26.6
First relationship 19.8 First house 26.3
Left education 19.5 First child 27
Moved out of parents 21.1 Sold first home 30.9
Driving test 21.4

West Midlands

The steadfast

People of the West Midlands track closer to the national average than those from elsewhere.

In fact, the region’s average age falls within 4 months of the national average for every single life event that we recorded.

26¼ years is the average age for getting married here (just 3 months ahead of those living in East Midlands)

30% buy their first home before the age of 25 (compared to just 17% in London)

77% get their first wages by the age of 18 (compared to 67% in London)

West Midlands and Birmingham Skyline

Life events in the
West Midlands

Event Age
First kiss 15.3
First job 16.7
First relationship 19.9
Left education 20.2
Moved out of parents 21.2
Driving test 22.4
Engaged 24.2
Marriage 26.4
First house 26.7
First child 27.4
Sold first home 32

Life events in the West Midlands by age

Age

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West Midlands and Birmingham Skyline
Event Age Event Age
First kiss 15.3 Engaged 24.2
First job 16.7 Marriage 26.4
First relationship 19.9 First house 26.7
Left education 20.2 First child 27.4
Moved out of parents 21.2 Sold first home 32
Driving test 22.4

East of England

The homebirds

On average, those from the East of England don’t move out of Mum and Dad’s until they’re at least 21½ – the only region outside of London to record such a high average.

Before the age of 26, they’re having their first dance on their wedding day – 6 months earlier than the national average.

20% wait until after their 31st birthday to have a child (the highest percentage for 31+ parents in Britain)

10 years is the shortest gap between a first kiss and marriage (more than 2 years shorter than the gap for Londoners)

6% wait 21 years or more for their first kiss (1 of just 2 regions recording more than 6% in that age group – the other being London)

East of England Skyline

Life events in the
East of England

Event Age
First kiss 15.6
First job 16.3
First relationship 19.8
Left education 19.5
Moved out of parents 21.5
Driving test 22.4
Engaged 23.8
Marriage 25.9
First house 26.9
First child 27.5
Sold first home 30.6

Life events in the East of England by age

Age

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The East of England Skyline
Event Age Event Age
First kiss 15.6 Engaged 23.8
First job 16.3 Marriage 25.9
First relationship 19.8 First house 26.9
Left education 19.5 First child 27.5
Moved out of parents 21.5 Sold first home 30.6
Driving test 22.4

South West

The independents

The home of cider and cream tea is also home to the Brits who move out the youngest.

It takes an average of 4¼ years from their first payday to the first housewarming party here (the shortest timeframe for this across Britain).

7 years is the longest gap on average between moving out and actually buying a home

33% move out of Mum and Dad’s before the age of 19 (the highest percentage within this age group)

It’s not until the age of 33 that South Westerners sell their first home (the oldest average age for this across all regions)

South West and Bristol Skyline

Life events in the
South West

Event Age
First kiss 15.3
First job 16.2
First relationship 19.4
Left education 19.7
Moved out of parents 20.4
Driving test 21.6
Engaged 23.7
Marriage 26.1
First house 27.7
First child 26.7
Sold first home 33.4

Life events in the South West by age

Age

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The South West and Bristol Skyline
Event Age Event Age
First kiss 15.3 Engaged 23.7
First job 16.2 Marriage 26.1
First relationship 19.4 First house 27.7
Left education 19.7 First child 26.7
Moved out of parents 20.4 Sold first home 33.4
Driving test 21.6

South East

The homemakers

In the South East, a higher percentage of people buy their first home before turning 31 than in any other British region outside of the North East (the two regions share the joint highest percentage at 68%).

It’s 1 of just 2 places in which homeowners wait an average of more than 6 years before selling their first home (also happens in the North West).

Only 5% say the words “I do” before the age of 21 (the smallest percentage outside of London)

4 years is the shortest first-kiss-to-first-serious-relationship gap in Britain (shared with Yorkshire and the Humber)

19% of South Easterners wait until the ages of 18-20 for their first kiss (the highest percentage for that age group)

South East and Portsmouth Skyline

Life events in the
South East

Event Age
First kiss 15.6
First job 16.4
First relationship 19.7
Left education 19.7
Moved out of parents 20.9
Driving test 21.7
Engaged 24.5
Marriage 26.8
First house 26.8
First child 27.3
Sold first home 33.1

Life events in the South East by age

Age

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The South East and Portsmouth Skyline
Event Age Event Age
First kiss 15.6 Engaged 24.5
First job 16.4 Marriage 26.8
First relationship 19.7 First house 26.8
Left education 19.7 First child 27.3
Moved out of parents 20.9 Sold first home 33.1
Driving test 21.7

London

The laid-back

Contrary to what you might expect, London is home to perhaps the most patient members of society.

Londoners wait the longest to have their first kiss, leave education, get a job, move out, find “the one”, get engaged, have a baby, buy a house, and finally tie the knot.

28 years is the highest average age for marriage (2 years later than the national average)

36% of Londoners wait until their 20s to start a serious relationship (the highest percentage for that age group by at least 8%)

9 months on from welcoming their firstborn into the world, Londoners get married, which on average is 4 months after their 28th birthday (it’s the only region where babies come before marriage on average)

London Skyline

Life events in London

Event Age
First kiss 15.7
First job 17.5
First relationship 21
Left education 20.9
Moved out of parents 22.1
Driving test 21.6
Engaged 26.3
Marriage 28.4
First house 28
First child 27.7
Sold first home 30.6

Life events in London by age

Age

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London Skyline
Event Age Event Age
First kiss 15.7 Engaged 26.3
First job 17.5 Marriage 28.4
First relationship 21 First house 28
Left education 20.9 First child 27.7
Moved out of parents 22.1 Sold first home 30.6
Driving test 21.6

Compare Your Region

Swipe left with your finger to see more of this table

County First Kiss First Job First Relationship Left Education Moved Out of Parents Driving Test Engaged Marriage First House First Child Sold First Home
Scotland 15.5 16.4 19.7 20.5 20.9 22.6 23.9 26.4 27 27.4 31
North East 14.6 16.6 19.3 19 21.1 22.9 24.1 26 26.3 27.1 29.6
North West 14.9 16.6 19.5 19.4 21.1 22.3 23.7 25.3 26.9 26.1 33
Yorkshire and the Humber 15.5 16.7 19.6 20.2 21.2 22.3 24.7 26.9 26.4 27 31.3
Wales 15.4 16.4 19.7 20 21.3 22.4 23.5 25.9 27.7 27.6 29.9
East Midlands 15.2 15.9 19.8 19.5 21.1 21.4 23.8 26.6 26.3 27 30.9
West Midlands 15.3 16.7 19.9 20.2 21.2 22.4 24.2 26.4 26.7 27.4 32
East of England 15.6 16.3 19.8 19.5 21.5 22.4 23.8 25.9 26.9 27.5 30.6
South West 15.3 16.2 19.4 19.7 20.4 21.6 23.7 26.1 27.7 26.7 33.4
South East 15.6 16.4 19.7 19.7 20.9 21.7 24.5 26.8 26.8 27.3 33.1
London 15.7 17.5 21 20.9 22.1 21.6 26.3 28.4 28 27.7 30.6
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Press Enquiries: If you would like to get in touch about this project and the data behind it, send your email to: marketing@shawbrook.co.uk

This data is based on a 2,000 respondent OnePoll survey of 30+ year olds based throughout Great Britain ‐ conducted in August 2018 by Latitude Digital Marketing and Shawbrook Bank.

For each life event, at least 75 respondents per region provided their average age.

The data collated for those selling their first home was reinforced by a supplementary poll of homeowners (excluding first time buyers) in London, North East, and Wales ‐ as to provide enough volume from which to draw a reasonable view of the average age in each region.

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Prudential Regulation Authority (Financial Services Register number: 204574).

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