Civil partnerships have been five times more popular than expected since they became legal in 2005, the Government has revealed.
More than 100,000 gay men and women have had one in the past seven years and the ceremony's popularity is still increasing annually.
Experts had predicted that only between 11,000 and 22,000 gay people would have entered civil partnerships by the end of 2010.
But figures from the Office for National Statistics show that there have been 53,417 civil partnerships registered between December 2005, when the law was changed to permit them, and the end of 2011.
That means there are now 106,834 civil partners in total in the UK, which is 'much higher than anticipated'.
This is likely to increase pressure on the Government to press ahead with the introduction of full gay marriage rights.
It came as statisticians also revealed a 6.4 per cent increase in civil partnerships in England and Wales last year with 6,795 homosexual couples forming a legal union.
The number of partnerships being dissolved was 672, a 28.7 per cent rise on the previous year, although that partly reflects the higher number of gay couples in civil partnerships.
Westminster was the local authority carrying out the most civil partnerships last year, with 219 male and 56 female ceremonies, followed by Brighton and Hove.
London accounted for a quarter of all civil partnerships last year with 1,731 formed in the capital.
A Home Office spokesperson said the figures were good news and civil partnerships could be converted under the Government's gay marriage plans.
'This government believes society is stronger when couples commit to each other, which is why it is so encouraging to see more same-sex couples entering civil partnerships,' the spokesman said.
'We now want to make it possible for all couples, regardless of their gender, to get married.'
Love is popular...
Love is popular...
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