Over 11 thousand leap day birthdays

On 29 February 2020, 466 children who were born four years ago will be able to celebrate their birthday on Leap Day for the first time. In total, there will be more than 11 thousand leaplings in the Netherlands this year. Six of them will reach the age of 100 years.

Slightly fewer births on Leap Day

Leap day birthdays are special, as they occur only every four years. In a leap year, there are slightly fewer births on 29 February than on other similar weekdays that month. For example, on an average Monday in February 2016 there were 468 births, against 455 births on Monday 29 February. This discrepancy is also visible in earlier leap years.

Leap day weddings popular

In general, there are few weddings in February, but a special day like the 29th is popular. In 2016, 29 February was a Monday; 428 couples got married that day, versus 277 on an average Monday in the same month. In 2008, Leap Day was a Friday; no fewer than 486 couples tied the knot, i.e. double the average number on a Friday in February that year. In 2004, the 29th fell on a Sunday, a day with very few weddings in general. 29 February 2000 was a relatively popular wedding date, with nearly three times as many couples walking down the aisle compared to a normal Tuesday in February that year.

Over 2,200 couples celebrating their wedding anniversary

More than 2,200 couples are celebrating their leap year wedding anniversary on 29 February 2020. For most couples (378) it will be their 4th anniversary. On this year’s Leap Day, 300 couples will celebrate a ruby wedding anniversary (40 years), while 12 other couples will achieve their diamond wedding status (60 years).