Divorce Statistics and Facts | What influences the divorce rate in the United States? (2024)

If you spend enough time surfing the Internet, you will find no shortage of research, statistics, and facts about divorce.

There seems to be a study that examines almost every possible factor that can influence marriages and lead to divorce. These studies have revealed extremely interesting and – in some cases – downright shocking information about divorces in both the United States and the rest of the world.

We've compiled a nearly complete list of all the divorce statistics, research, and facts we could find. As we move into 2024, our...San Diego Divorce Lawyerteam has given you everything you need to know – and possibly more – about divorce.

Divorce statistics during the COVID-19 pandemic

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the various lockdowns in the US and around the world, divorce and marriage rates have dropped significantly in 2020.

According to the CDC, there were 630,505 divorces in 2020, at a rate of 2.3 per year. 1,000 people. That marks a drop of nearly 16 percent from 2019 – the largest single-year decline since at least 2000. While the number of divorces rose to 2.5 per year, 1,000 in 2021 (the last year with available data), the number is still considerably lower than in previous years.

American divorce rate

UNITED STATES. divorce and marriage rates per year

1. I 2021 (the latest available data), the marriage rate in the United States was 6.0 per 1,000 total residents.

2. In the same year, the divorce rate in the United States was 2.5 per 1,000 residents (with 44 states and DC reporting). This is known as the "crude divorce rate." Although useful for describing changes in divorce rates over time, the crude divorce rate does not provide accurate information about the percentage of first marriages that end in divorce.

3. As of 2021, both the marriage rate AND the divorce rate in the US are declining – with the marriage rate dropping from 8.2 per Recent studies have shown that millennials are choosing to wait longer to get married and stay married longer, and this is the main reason for the decline in both marriage and divorce rates in the United States.

US divorce rate per 1,000 married women

4. Currently, the divorce rate per 1000 married women is 16.9. Many experts believe that this is a much more accurate measure of the actual divorce rate than the raw rate.

5. The divorce rate per The number of married women at 1,000 is almost twice as high as in 1960, but is lower than the peak of 22.6 in the early 1980s.

6. Nearly 50 percent of all marriages in the United States end in divorce.

7. Researchers estimate that 41 percent of all first marriages end in divorce.

8. 60 percent of second marriages end in divorce.

9. 73 percent of all third marriages end in divorce.

10. The US has the sixth highest divorce rate in the world. Here is a chart of the top twenty:

Countries with the highest divorce rates in the world: Top 20

How common is divorce in the United States

(This information has been recalculated based on newly released CDC divorce rates for the year 2019. Actual numbers are likely higher as the publication only includes data from 44 reporting states)

11. There is one divorce every 42 seconds in America, that's 86 divorces per hour, 2,046 divorces per day, 14,364 divorces per week and 746,971 divorces per year

12. There is a marriage every 16 seconds in the United States, which amounts to 230 marriages per hour, 38,762 marriages per week, and 2,015,603 per year.

13. It takes almost three divorces in the time it takes a couple to say their wedding vows (2 minutes).

14. More than 172 divorces happen in the course of a typical romantic comedy (2 hours).

15,430 divorces occur during the average wedding reception (5 hours).

16. There are 5,975,768 divorces during an average first marriage that ends in divorce (8 years).

17. Over a forty-year period, 67 percent of first marriages end.

18. Of all Americans age 18 or older, whether married or not, 25 percent have experienced a marital breakdown.

19. Today, 15 percent of adult women in the United States are divorced, compared to less than one percent in 1920.

20 ofaverage first marriagethat ends in divorce takes about 8 years.

Median duration of first marriages ending in divorce:

Men: 7.8 years
Women: 7.9 years

Median duration on psecond marriage:

Men: 7.3 years
Women: 6.8 years

21. People wait an average of three years after a divorce before remarrying (if they remarry at all).

22. In 2011, only 29 out of 1,000 divorced or widowed women remarried.

Who gets divorced, when and why?

Who gets divorced?

23. The average age of couples going through their first divorce is 30 years old.

24. 60 percent of all divorces involve people between the ages of 25 and 39.

25. Women are the ones who most often file for divorce, an average of 66 percent. That number has risen to almost 75 percent in just a few years.

26. 5 Occupations with the Highest Divorce Rate:

• Dancers – 43
• Barman s- 38.4
• The massage therapist – 38.2
• Gaming cage workers – 34.6
• Gambling service employees – 31.3

27. 5 Companies with the Lowest Divorce Rates:

• Farmers – 7.63
• Podologen – 6.81
• Priesthood – 5.61
• Optometrist – 4.01
• Agricultural engineers – 1.78

Number of divorces in the US by occupation

Data come from the five-year American Community Survey.

*bonus: The divorce rate for law enforcement and police officers is 14.47, while the rate for corrections officers is 21.3.

28. For example, the groups with the most productive experience of marriages ending in divorce are small-scale adults (adults earning less than $20,000
per year) (39 percent), baby boomers (38 percent), people with a non-Christian faith (38 percent), African Americans (36 percent) and people who identify as
to be liberal on social and political issues (37 percent).

29. Among the population groups least likely to have divorced after marriage are Catholics (28 percent), Evangelicals (26 percent),
affluent adults (adults who earn more than $75,000 annually) (22 percent), Asians (20 percent), and those who identify as socially conservative and
political issues (28%).

30. Divorce Rate by Ethnicity (for Women):

Military separation

31. According to the Pentagon, the divorce rate among military personnel was 3.4 percent in fiscal year 2013. For military women, however, the rate was significantly higher: 7.2 percent.

32. The divorce rate among enlisted men was 3.8 percent. Among officers, the divorce rate was 1.9 percent.

33. The Air Force has the highest divorce rate among enlisted troops of any military branch at 4.3 percent.

34. The divorce rate in the US Navy Seals account for more than 90 percent.

Divorce rate in specific population segments

35. According to research from Bowling Green State University, the divorce rate among people aged 50 and older has doubled in the past twenty years.

36. The divorce rate among couples where one spouse spends a year or more in prison is 80 percent for men and almost 100 percent for women.

Same-sex divorce statistics

37. About 1 percent of married same-sex couples divorce each year, while about 2 percent of married heterosexual couples divorce.

38. According to figures fromThe British Office for National StatisticsLesbian couples are almost twice as likely to end a marriage or civil partnership than hom*osexual couples.

39. In the United States, the divorce rate is 3.1 per 1,000 people that allow same-sex marriage and 3.9 in states that ban it.

When do people get divorced?

40. The average length of a marriage that ends in divorce is eight years.

41. January is considered “divorce month”. People start looking for information before the new year, but they can only do much once the lawyers are back in the office. January 12-16 seems to be the magical week for job applications.

Why people divorce in the United States

42. According to a recent national survey, a lack of commitment is the most common reason couples divorce. Here are the reasons cited and their percentages:

• Lack of commitment 73%
• Arguing too much 56%
• Adultery 55%
• Married too young 46%
• Unrealistic expectations 45%
• Lack of equality in the relationship 44%
• Lack of preparation for marriage 41%
• Domestic violenceor abuse 25%

(Respondents often mentioned more than one reason, which is why the percentages add up to much more than 100 percent)

What makes people more or less likely to divorce?

your age

43. 48 percent of those who marry before age 18 are likely to divorce within ten years, compared to 25 percent of those who marry after age 25.

44. 60 percent of married couples between the ages of 20 and 25 will end up in divorce.

45. Those who wait to get married until they are over 25 are 24 percent less likely to divorce.

If you or your partner have been married before

46. ​​​​​​If both you and your partner have had previous marriages, you are 90 percent more likely to divorce than if this had been the first marriage for both of you.

Religion and divorce

47. If someone has strong religious beliefs, the risk of divorce is 14 percent lower, and if you have no religious beliefs, the risk of divorce is 14 percent higher.

48. If you are an evangelical Christian adult who is married, there is a 26 percent chance that you are divorced – compared to a 28 percent chance for Catholics and a 38 percent chance for non-Christians.

49.According to Dr. Jennifer GlasOne of the strongest predictors of divorce rates (per 1,000 married couples) is the concentration of conservative or evangelical Protestants in that country. The connection can be seen in this figure: (insert image of divorce districts)

Education and intelligence

50. High school dropouts are 13 percent more likely to get divorced.

51. People who have a college education have a 13 percent lower risk of divorce.

52. Those with a “below average” IQ are 50 percent more likely to be divorced than those with an “above average” IQ.

Political affiliation

53. Political affiliation and its impact on divorce: Conservatives are the least likely to divorce:Conservatives 28 percent, liberals 37 percent, moderates 33 percent.

54. If you live in a red (Republican) state, you are 27 percent more likely to get divorced than if you live in a blue (Democratic) state.

Cohabitation – If you lived together with your partner before your marriage

55. 60 percent of cohabiting couples will eventually marry. But living together before marriage can increase the chance of divorce by as much as 40 percent.

56. If you're a female serial cohabitant—a woman who lived with more than one partner before your first marriage—you're 40 percent more likely to divorce than women who never did.

Where you met

57. According to this study, if you met your spouse in high school, college or university, you are at least 41 percent less likely to get divorced.

58. The other big difference was that couples who met in bars were 24 percent more likely to divorce than expected.

Your sexual history

59. Women who lost their virginity as teenagers are more than twice as likely to divorce in the first five years of their marriage than women who waited until they were 18 or older.

60. A 2011 study at the University of Iowa found that loss of virginity before the age of 18 in both men and women was correlated with a higher rate of divorce within the first ten years of marriage.

61. Compared to women who started sexual activity in their early 20s, girls who started sexual activity at age 13 or 14 were less than half as likely to be in a stable marriage by their 30s. – (in this study, a stable marriage was defined as a marriage of more than five years).

THE HARMFUL EFFECTS OF EARLY SEXUAL ACTIVITY AND MULTIPLE SEXUAL PARTNERS AMONG WOMEN

62. Women with six or more sexual partners before marriage are almost three times less likely to have a stable marriage.

Where you live affects the likelihood that you will get divorced

63.According to the CDC, the five states with the highest divorce rates are:

• Nevada at 5.6
• West-Virginia op 5,2
• Arkansas op 5.3
• Idaho op 4.9
• Oklahoma op 5,2

64. The five states with the lowest divorce rates are:

• Iowa at 2.4
• Illinois op 2,6
• Massachusetts on 2.7
• North Dakota at 2.7
• Pennsylvania op 2,8

65.Arkansas has the highest percentage of people who have been married three or more timesArkansas men and women are twice as likely to be married three or more times than the national average.

Your habits, your marriage

66. The risk of divorce would almost double – 97 percent higher – if the mother went to work but her husband made a "minimal contribution" to housework and childcare.

67. In 2011, Facebook was named as a major contributor to a third of divorce filings examined in a British study.

68. In a study from the University of Rochester, researchers said that watching romantic movies and having a conversation about them helps reduce the divorce rate from 24 to 11 percent in three-year marriages.

69. According to a recent study, p*rn addiction was cited as a factor in 56 percent of divorces.

Your parents' relationship

70. If your parents are happily married, your risk of divorce drops by 14 percent.

71. If your parents remarry after divorce, you are 91 percent more likely to divorce.

72. According to Nicholas Wolfinger in "Understanding the Divorce Cycle," the risk of divorce is 50 percent higher if one spouse comes home after a divorce, and 200 percent higher if both partners do so.

73. In addition, children of divorce are 50 percent more likely to marry another child of divorce.

74. Some studies have shown that daughters of divorced parents have a 60 percent higher divorce rate in marriages than children of non-divorced parents, while sons have a 35 percent higher rate.

Whether you have children or not

75. The divorce rate for couples with children is as much as 40 percent lower than for couples without children.

76. Half of all children in the United States will witness the end of a parent's marriage.

77. Of this half, almost 50 percent will also see a parent's second marriage fail.

78. If you have twins or triplets, your marriage is 17 percent more likely to end in divorce than if you have no more children.

79. If you have a daughter, you are almost 5 percent more likely to get divorced than if you have a son.

80. When there are as many as three daughters, the difference increases to 10 percent.

81. Fathers are significantly less likely – 3 percent – ​​to live with their children if they have daughters, compared to sons.

82. Having a child before marriage can increase the risk of divorce by 24 percent.

Your finances and their effect on divorce rates

83. An annual income of more than $50,000 can reduce the risk of divorce by as much as 30% compared to those with incomes of less than $25,000.

84. Feeling that one's partner has spent money foolishly increases the likelihood of divorce by 45 percent for both men and women.

85. Couples who argue about finances at least once a week are 30 more likely to divorce.

86. The same study also found that couples who had no assets at the beginning of a three-year period were 70 percent more likely to divorce by the end of that period than couples with $10,000 in assets.

Abuse, mental illness and divorce

87. Couples are an astonishing 76-95% more likely to divorce if only one of them smokes. The amount increases if the woman is a partner with the habit.

88. Although couples who both smoke fare slightly better, a 1998 study found that they are still 53% more likely to end their marriage than non-smoking couples.

89. Every liter of alcohol consumed increases the risk of divorce by 20%! Take into account the fact that the average American drinks 9.4 liters of alcohol per year, which increases the risk of divorce by 188%!

90. According to a nine-year study from the University at Buffalo, couples who have similar heavy drinking patterns (both are heavy drinkers or both are not) are more likely to stay together.

91. But if one partner is a heavy drinker and the other is not, the risk of divorce is 60 percent greater.

92. A multinational study on mental illness, marriage and divorce published in 2011 found that a sample of 18 mental disorders all increased the likelihood of divorce – ranging from a 20 percent increase to an 80 percent increase in the divorce rate. Addiction and major depression were the most important factors, with PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) also significant.

93. A recent survey of divorce filings found that nearly 15 percent of them cited video game addiction as a major factor in their decision to divorce.

Divorce, alimony and custody

94. 43 percent of children in the United States are raised without a father.

95. When parents are happily married, their children's risk of divorce drops by 14 percent.

96. 90% of divorced mothers have thatcustody of their children.

97. More than 79 percent of guardians receive onechild benefitsallocation, while just under 30 percent of guardians receive one.

98.65% of divorced mothers do not receive child benefits.

99. More than 46 percent of non-custodial mothers are in complete child support default, compared to only 27 percent of non-custodial fathers.

The influence of friends and relatives on divorce

100. If a close friend gets divorced, you are 147% more likely to get divorced and 33% more likely if a friend of a friend gets divorced.

101. Studies at the University of California and Brown University indicate that when a married person works with someone in the process of divorce, it increases the married person's chance of divorce by 75%.

102. The same studies also found that people with divorced sisters or brothers are 22% more likely to divorce than if their siblings are not divorced.

103. In a large-scale Canadian study, 19 percent of men reported a significant decrease in social support after divorce.

The financial consequences of a divorce

104. The average total cost of divorce in the United States is $15,000.

105. Families with children who were not poor before the divorce see their income drop by as much as 50 percent.

106. Nearly 50 percent of parents with children who experience a divorce end up in poverty after the divorce.

107. 27% of recently divorced women had less than $25,000 in annual household income compared to 17% of recently divorced men.

108. 60% of people below the poverty guidelines are divorced women and children.

The toll a divorce takes

109. A new study entitled 'Divorce and Death' shows that broken marriages can cause as many deaths as cigarette smoking. There are indications that the risk of death among divorced people is as much as 23 percent higher than among married people.

110. One researcher found that a single divorce costs state and federal governments about $30,000, based on things like increased use of food stamps and public housing, as well as increased rates of foreclosures and juvenile crime.

111. The nation's 1.4 million divorces in 2002 are estimated to have cost taxpayers more than $30 billion.

112. And article iNew York Timesstated that – of couples who seek marriage counseling – 38 percent divorce just two years later.

113. Only about five percent of divorces are settled in court. This means in 95 percent of divorce cases the parties and theirsfamily law lawyerscan resolve problems amicably or through mediation.

Bonus

The five most expensive divorces of all time

According to an article onDivorce help 360Here are the most expensive divorces of all time, as well as the most expensive celebrity divorces of all time:

• Harold as Sue Ann Hamm – $5.3 billion
• Rupert and Anna Murdoch – $1.7 billion
• Bernie and Slavica Ecclestone – $1.2 billion
• Adnan Khashoggi and Soraya Khashoggi – $875 million
• Craig and Wendy McCaw – $460 million

The Most Expensive Celebrity Divorces

• Mel and Robyn Gibson – $425 million
• Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver - $250-300 million
• Michael and Juanita Jordan – $168 million

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