Divorce rates data, 1858 to now: are married couples more likely to stay together?
Divorce rate statistics are down again. So, what’s happening?
Divorce rates are down – as shown by new statistics this year that the number of couples who get divorced is dropping.
The report published by the Office for National Statistics, show the number of divorces in England and Wales in 2009 – the latest year published – was 113,949, a 6.4% decrease since 2008 when there were 121,708, and the lowest since 1974.
It’s the sixth consecutive year that the number of divorces has fallen, from a peak of 153,065 in 2003.
This is the lowest rate since 1977, when there were 10.3 divorcing people per 1,000 married people.
Other key findings are:
• Compared with 2008, divorce rates fell across all age groups for both men and women, while for the fifth year running those in their late 20s had the highest divorce rates
• In that age group, there were 21.7 men and 25.1 women divorcing per 1,000 married males and females
• The average age at divorce increased slightly for men and women in 2009 – 44 for men in 2009 compared with 43.9 in 2008, and 41.5 for women compared with 41.4 in 2008
• Across the UK, the number of divorces fell by 7% to 126,496 in 2009, down from 135,994 in 2008
Interesting to compare these to the marriage statistics too – but we won’t get the full stats from the ONS until March or April. But they have told us that the divorce rate fell in 2009 to 10.5 divorcing people per thousand married population from 11.2 in 2008.
|
Cause
|
Wife, 1979
|
Husband, 1979
|
Wife, 1999
|
Husband, 1999
|
Wife, 2009
|
Husband, 2009
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
SOURCE: ONS |
||||||
| Total | 95,733 | 41,720 | 100,470 | 43,411 | 75,782 | 37,988 |
| Adultery | 23,105 | 16,974 | 21,688 | 12,895 | 12,096 | 6,493 |
| Behaviour | 39,137 | 3,640 | 52,961 | 11,856 | 41,091 | 13,266 |
| Desertion | 2,934 | 1,144 | 426 | 287 | 239 | 195 |
| Separation (2 years and consent) | 22,981 | 13,813 | 19,908 | 13,574 | 16,305 | 12,530 |
| Separation (5 years) | 6,811 | 5,924 | 5,420 | 4,772 | 5,915 | 5,438 |
| Others | 765 | 225 | 67 | 27 | 136 | 66 |
|
Year
|
Total
|
Median age at divorce, husband
|
Median age at divorce, wife
|
Median duration of marriage, wife
|
Divorces per thousand married population
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
SOURCE: ONS |
|||||
| 1950 | 30,870 | 36.6 | 40.9 | ||
| 1951 | 28,767 | 37.2 | 40.8 | ||
| 1952 | 33,922 | 37.7 | 40.5 | ||
| 1953 | 30,326 | 37.6 | 40.1 | ||
| 1954 | 28,027 | 37.7 | 39.8 | ||
| 1955 | 26,816 | 37.7 | 39.2 | ||
| 1956 | 26,265 | 38.0 | 38.7 | ||
| 1957 | 23,785 | 38.5 | 38.2 | ||
| 1958 | 22,654 | 38.5 | 37.7 | ||
| 1959 | 24,286 | 38.4 | 37.3 | ||
| 1960 | 23,868 | 38.2 | 36.9 | ||
| 1961 | 25,394 | 38.0 | 36.3 | ||
| 1962 | 28,935 | 38.0 | 36.0 | ||
| 1963 | 32,052 | 37.6 | 35.6 | 11.5 | |
| 1964 | 34,868 | 37.1 | 35.3 | 11.3 | |
| 1965 | 37,785 | 36.9 | 34.9 | 11.2 | |
| 1966 | 39,067 | 36.5 | 34.7 | 11.1 | |
| 1967 | 43,093 | 36.3 | 34.5 | 11 | |
| 1968 | 45,794 | 36.1 | 34.3 | 11 | |
| 1969 | 51,310 | 35.6 | 34.1 | 10.7 | |
| 1970 | 58,239 | 35.3 | 34.0 | 10.5 | |
| 1971 | 74,437 | 36.6 | 34.0 | 11.5 | 5.9 |
| 1972 | 119,025 | 37.4 | 33.7 | 12.2 | 9.5 |
| 1973 | 106,003 | 36.2 | 33.6 | 11.3 | 8.4 |
| 1974 | 113,500 | 35.9 | 33.1 | 10.9 | 9.0 |
| 1975 | 120,522 | 35.6 | 34.0 | 10.6 | 9.6 |
| 1976 | 126,694 | 35.4 | 33.7 | 10.5 | 10.1 |
| 1977 | 129,053 | 35.4 | 33.4 | 10.4 | 10.3 |
| 1978 | 143,667 | 35.5 | 33.2 | 10.4 | 11.6 |
| 1979 | 138,706 | 35.3 | 32.9 | 10.2 | 11.2 |
| 1980 | 148,301 | 35.2 | 32.8 | 10.1 | 12.0 |
| 1981 | 145,713 | 35.4 | 33.0 | 10.1 | 11.9 |
| 1982 | 146,698 | 35.6 | 33.0 | 10.1 | 12.1 |
| 1983 | 147,479 | 36.0 | 33.1 | 10.1 | 12.2 |
| 1984 | 144,501 | 36.4 | 33.2 | 10.1 | 12.0 |
| 1985 | 160,300 | 35.7 | 33.5 | 8.9 | 13.4 |
| 1986 | 153,903 | 36.2 | 33.4 | 9.4 | 12.9 |
| 1987 | 151,007 | 36.4 | 34.4 | 9.5 | 12.7 |
| 1988 | 152,633 | 36.7 | 33.6 | 9.7 | 12.8 |
| 1989 | 150,872 | 36.7 | 32.4 | 9.7 | 12.7 |
| 1990 | 153,386 | 36.8 | 32.6 | 9.8 | 13.0 |
| 1991 | 158,745 | 37.0 | 33.2 | 9.8 | 13.5 |
| 1992 | 160,385 | 37.2 | 33.4 | 9.9 | 13.9 |
| 1993 | 165,018 | 37.3 | 33.7 | 9.8 | 13.8 |
| 1994 | 158,175 | 37.6 | 34.0 | 9.8 | 14.2 |
| 1995 | 155,499 | 37.9 | 34.2 | 9.6 | 13.7 |
| 1996 | 157,107 | 38.1 | 34.6 | 9.9 | 13.6 |
| 1997 | 146,689 | 38.4 | 35.0 | 10 | 13.0 |
| 1998 | 145,214 | 38.7 | 35.0 | 10.2 | 12.9 |
| 1999 | 144,556 | 39.2 | 35.3 | 10.5 | 12.9 |
| 2000 | 141,135 | 39.7 | 35.5 | 10.7 | 12.7 |
| 2001 | 143,818 | 40.0 | 35.6 | 10.9 | 12.9 |
| 2002 | 147,735 | 40.4 | 35.4 | 11.1 | 13.3 |
| 2003 | 153,065 | 40.9 | 34.7 | 11.3 | 13.9 |
| 2004 | 152,923 | 41.4 | 34.5 | 11.5 | 14.0 |
| 2005 | 141,322 | 42.0 | 34.6 | 11.6 | 12.9 |
| 2006 | 132,140 | 42.4 | 34.6 | 11.6 | 12.1 |
| 2007 | 128,131 | 42.7 | 34.7 | 11.7 | 11.8 |
| 2008 | 121,708 | 43.0 | 34.4 | 11.5 | 11.2 |
| 2009 | 113,949 | 43.2 | 33.8 | 11.4 | 10.5 |