Christy Bieber has a JD from UCLA School of Law and began her career as a college instructor and textbook author. She has been writing full time for over a decade with a focus on making financial and legal topics understandable and fun. Her work has.
Christy Bieber, J.D. ContributorChristy Bieber has a JD from UCLA School of Law and began her career as a college instructor and textbook author. She has been writing full time for over a decade with a focus on making financial and legal topics understandable and fun. Her work has.
Written By Christy Bieber, J.D. ContributorChristy Bieber has a JD from UCLA School of Law and began her career as a college instructor and textbook author. She has been writing full time for over a decade with a focus on making financial and legal topics understandable and fun. Her work has.
Christy Bieber, J.D. ContributorChristy Bieber has a JD from UCLA School of Law and began her career as a college instructor and textbook author. She has been writing full time for over a decade with a focus on making financial and legal topics understandable and fun. Her work has.
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Jeffrey Johnson, J.D. Deputy Legal EditorJeffrey Johnson has written novels and movies in addition to legal analyses of eminent domain and immigration law. His experience in writing engaging fiction makes him uniquely capable of making the most dry and academic legal topics interesting (or.
Jeffrey Johnson, J.D. Deputy Legal EditorJeffrey Johnson has written novels and movies in addition to legal analyses of eminent domain and immigration law. His experience in writing engaging fiction makes him uniquely capable of making the most dry and academic legal topics interesting (or.
Jeffrey Johnson, J.D. Deputy Legal EditorJeffrey Johnson has written novels and movies in addition to legal analyses of eminent domain and immigration law. His experience in writing engaging fiction makes him uniquely capable of making the most dry and academic legal topics interesting (or.
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Updated: May 30, 2024, 5:33am
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Most people have heard that half of all marriages end in divorce, but is there more to the story? These divorce statistics shed more light on when and how marriages come to an end in the United States. Read on to find out the truth about who is dissolving their marriages.
In 2022, a total of 673,989 divorces and annulments occurred across the 45 U.S. states that report this statistic. [1] During that same year, 2,065,905 marriages occurred, making the U.S. marriage rate 6.2 per 1,000 people. [1]
Far more people get married over the course of each year than get divorced. These divorce statistics show what happens to marriages that end and when and how couples decide to end them.
So, what about the famous statistic that half of all marriages end in divorce? That’s a bit of an exaggeration when it comes to first marriages, only 43% of which are dissolved. [2] Second and third marriages actually fail at a far higher rate, though, with 60% of second marriages and 73% of third marriages ending in divorce. [3]
When marriages end, usually some time has passed since the wedding. In fact, the average length of a marriage prior to divorce is eight years. [4]
Divorces take time. Contested divorces usually take over a year to finalize—although simple divorces can be completed in as little as three months. [4] Divorce comes at a big cost, with couples spending an average of $7,000 to dissolve their union. [5]
Fewer people are remarrying after divorce than did so in the past. In 2008, there were 48.9 remarriages per 1,000 previously married males and 25.2 remarriages per 1,000 previously married females. Those numbers fell to 32.0 remarriages per 1,000 males and 17.2 remarriages per females. [6]
When considering the divorce rate, it is helpful to understand there are two different measures used.
The refined divorce rate is often believed to be more accurate. When measuring on a per-population basis, changes in marriage trends could affect the data on rates of divorce. However, as a growing number of same-sex couples marry, divorce statistics based solely on divorces per married women may become less relevant. [7]
Trends in divorce have changed over time, with the number of people dissolving their unions decreasing.
Both the marriage and divorce rates have declined over time.
In 2000, a total of 944,000 divorces and annulments occurred. The crude divorce rate was 4.0 per population during that year. By 2022, it had fallen to 2.4 per 1,000, with just 673,989 people divorcing that year.
The marriage rate has declined, too, dropping from 8.2 per population in 2000 to 6.2 per population in 2021. [1]
Many people accept it as fact that half of all marriages end in divorce, but as mentioned above, this applies only to first marriages. Those who wed multiple times face a far higher rate of divorce. In fact, 67% of second marriages end, and 73% of third marriages are dissolved. [3]
Most marriages (60%)—are first marriages for both partners. But, as many as 20% of unions involve one person who has been married before, while another 20% are repeat marriages for both parties. [8]
Divorce is a final legal end to a marriage, but divorce statistics show that couples sometimes want to be married again to each other after formally dissolving their union.
In fact, a total of 6% of divorced couples get remarried to each other. When this occurs, the odds of future success are high. A full 72% of reunited couples remain married after reuniting. [9]
Divorce can have surprising—and long-lasting—consequences. One of those consequences is an increased risk of early death. Sadly, the mortality rate is 1,363 per 100,000 for divorcees compared with 779 per 100,000 for married couples.
Divorced men bear the brunt of this increased risk, with mortality rates of 1,772 per 100,000 compared to divorced women, with mortality rates of 1,095 per 100,000. [10]
Gray divorce is a term used for those who end a marriage at age 50 or older. When these late divorces occur, women pay a heavier price.
Women experienced a 45% decline in their living standards after a gray divorce, with living standards defined by comparing income to needs. By contrast, men experienced just a 21% decline.
Women are more likely to pay a financial price when a marriage ends because they are more likely to compromise or limit their careers due to homemaking responsibilities or to support their partner's ambitions. Because of the gender wage gap, women also make less than men on average, even in comparable roles. [11]
Decisions about the family home are some of the most contentious when a marriage ends and a property settlement is determined. This is a common issue that must be resolved, as 53.4% of people divorced in 2022 owned their own homes. Just 46.6% were renters. [12]
Living together prior to marriage is one predictor of the likelihood of divorce. Among those who lived together before engagement, 34% of marriages ended in divorce. By contrast, just 22% of couples who waited until after marriage or engagement to cohabitate ended up dissolving their union. [13]
Many factors could explain this, including the fact that couples with stronger religious beliefs may be both less likely to live together before marriage and less likely to divorce.
The marital stability within a couple's social network also plays a role in whether their union lasts. Couples who have friends who divorce have a 75% increase in the risk of their marriage ending. Even couples with two degrees of separation from divorce still have a 33% greater risk. [14]
Because of this link, some sociologists believe divorce is a social contagion.
Couples report many different reasons for ending a marital relationship. However, these are the most common explanations cited by divorcing couples.
Marriage is not always easy, so success requires both spouses to be dedicated to their union and serious about making it last. That’s why it is not surprising that a lack of commitment could spell disaster for a couple.
In fact, 75% of individuals and couples cited lack of commitment as the reason for their divorce. This was the most common cause of a marriage ending, exceeding even infidelity. [15]
Infidelity is another leading cause of divorce, with 60% of couples citing a partner’s unfaithfulness as a reason their union ended. When a marriage is supposed to be monogamous, and one party fails to fulfill this obligation, trust can be lost, and the marriage may be irretrievably broken.
Domestic abuse is a serious crime. It is also common among couples who are divorcing. Nearly a quarter of divorces—24% in total—cite domestic abuse as a cause of divorce. [15]
When a couple ends a marriage for this reason, the divorce process may look different. An uncontested divorce arranged through a mediator may not be the best approach, despite its benefits in ordinary situations, due to the difficulties of an abuse victim negotiating a settlement with an abusive partner.
Couples divorce for many other reasons as well. Other than a lack of commitment or infidelity, here are three of the top causes of divorce. [15,16]
Often, there is not just one factor resulting in a marriage ending. Couples may face many problems, as these divorce statistics show.
But, even when there are a variety of issues, people who dissolve their unions usually report there is one “final straw” or tipping point that pushes them over the edge and causes them to make the final decision to divorce. In fact, 69% of divorcing couples report this is the case.
When there was a final straw, infidelity was the most common issue that ultimately prompted divorce, with 24% of couples reporting this as their final straw. Domestic violence was the ultimate cause of divorce for 21% of couples, and 12% said substance abuse was the deciding issue.
Interestingly, couples often disagree on the final straw that led to their marriage’s end. In fact, not a single couple reported the same deciding issue as the ultimate reason for the end of their marriage. [15]
When a marriage ends, there is often plenty of blame to go around. However, many people believe they did all they could to save their marriage while believing their spouse should have worked harder. In fact, just 32% of men and 33% of women believe they should have made more of an effort to prevent divorce. [15]
A lack of knowledge about what marriage entails is one of the leading contributing factors to divorce. In fact, 72% of couples reported they didn’t fully understand the commitment involved in marriage before they tied the knot. Many divorced people said they were surprised their partner changed over their marriage and were unable to cope with new problems that arose over time personally. [15]
Divorce rates are not the same from one state to the next. Here are the states with the highest and lowest rates of divorce.
Nevada has the highest divorce rate of any U.S. State. There are 4.5 divorces per 1,000 marriages in Nevada. One reason why more divorces may occur in Nevada is the state’s reputation for having lax rules regarding both getting married and ending a marriage. [17]
In sharp contrast to Nevada, Louisiana has a divorce rate of just 0.7 divorce per 1,000 marriages.17 The divorce rate was unusually low in Louisiana in 2022, falling from a rate of 2.2 per 1,000 residents the year prior. [17]
The United States has a higher divorce rate than most parts of the world, but it is far from the country with the most divorces.
In fact, the U.S. crude divorce rate is 2.4 [1] , while the worldwide average crude divorce rate is just 1.6. [18]
Some countries have more than double the average divorce rate. This includes the Maldives, with a crude divorce rate of 5.52, Kazakhstan, with a rate of 4.6 and Russia, with a rate of 3.9. [19]
By contrast, other countries have far lower divorce rates than the global average. The countries with the lowest rate of divorce include India, with a divorce rate of 0.01, Mozambique with a divorce rate of 0.04, and Kenya, with a divorce rate of 0.06. [19]
These low divorce rates may be explained by strict laws limiting when a marriage can be dissolved. For example, India only introduced no-fault divorces in 2023, [20]. while this more lenient approach has been the norm in the U.S. for decades
In some countries, it is not possible to divorce at all. Neither The Republic of the Philippines nor Vatican City permits divorce. [19]
Divorce statistics show that a person’s job can affect the likelihood of their marriage ending. Here’s which professions have the highest and lowest rates of marriage dissolution.
There are several professions where the divorce rate exceeds 50%. These include gaming managers, who have a divorce rate of 52.9%, and bartenders, who have a divorce rate of 52.7%. These professions tend to involve working long hours outside of normal business hours, which can strain a relationship. [21]
You can see below which other professions have a high rate of divorce.
The divorce rate is far lower in certain professions—less than half of the often-cited 50% divorce rate. Actuaries, for example, have the lowest rate of divorce at just 17%. The table also shows other professions for which divorces tend to be less common. [21]
When looking at the divorce rate on an industry-by-industry basis, architects and engineers stand out for their low rates of marriage dissolution, as do the other professions shown below. [21]
In stark contrast to the architecture and engineering industries, the office and administration industry has a divorce rate of 40.6%. The table below also shows other professions for which there is a higher rate of marriages ending. [21]
Money is a leading cause of marital conflict, so unsurprisingly, couples with lower incomes face a higher likelihood of divorce. But just how high do the divorce statistics show?
As couples’ incomes increase, divorce rates tend to decrease—but only to a certain point. Once a couple has a household income of around $200,000, divorce rates remain steady at around 30%. The rate of divorce does not decline again until household income reaches $600,000, at which point it drops closer to 25%. However, once income exceeds $600,000, the divorce rate again begins to climb back up to 30% steadily. [21]
This suggests that increasing income can reduce the risk of divorce, but once income climbs too high, a different set of complications can threaten the stability of a marriage.
Living below the poverty level can cause enormous stress, which can have consequences for a marriage. One study found as many as 46% of adults ages 18 to 55 who live below the poverty level have divorced.21 The American Community Survey conducted by the U.S. Census also revealed that 12% of men and 19% of women who lived below the poverty line were divorced in 2022. [12]
When one partner does not work, this can impact the chances of a marriage surviving. This is true regardless of whether a male or a female partner remains at home. In 2022, for example, 21% of divorces involved men not in the labor force, and 22% of divorces involved women who were not working. [12]
Divorce statistics show that each partner’s age at the time of marriage can also impact how likely the union will last. Couples on both the older and younger end of the spectrum tend to face higher divorce rates.
As people grow older, the chance of ending a marriage increases. 42% of people between ages 45 and 54 have been divorced. This makes sense as it takes time to get married and the union to fail. [12]
Many couples have chosen to delay marriage—often for financial reasons or due to changing cultural norms. In fact, in 2022, the median age of marriage was 30.5 for men and 28.6 for women. [22]
By contrast, in 2012, the average age for women marrying was 27.1 and the average age for men was 29.1. These older marriages could potentially increase the divorce risk if couples wait too long to tie the knot and face increased difficulties in learning to cohabitate and merge their lives. [22]
As Baby Boomers enter retirement, their divorce rate is creeping up. In fact, here's what the data shows about couples within this age range.
Understanding divorce rates by gender is helpful—especially as this can shed more light on the accuracy of the refined divorce rate. This is the divorce rate measured relative to the number of married women, while the crude divorce rate looks at the number of divorces relative to the population.
Women are far more likely than men to initiate divorce. In fact, nearly 7 in 10 marriage dissolutions are initiated by the female partner. This is based on research involving heterosexual couples. [23]
Women often carry more of the mental load in a relationship and also take on a primary caregiving role for children. The added burden they face—especially when they feel their support system is lacking—could help to explain why they are more likely to initiate divorce.
In 2021, 6.9 per 1,000 women over age 15 divorced. This is a substantial decrease from 9.7 new divorces per 1,000 women 15 and over, which was the number of divorces among women in 2011. [23]
This reflects a sharp decrease from 2011, when there were 16.3 new marriages for every 1,000 women. Fewer women are marrying as there are more career options available for women and more acceptance of choices beyond becoming a wife and mother. [23]
Divorce rates also vary by race. Many factors could explain these discrepancies, including differing cultural norms surrounding the institution of marriage as well as systemic biases that undermine family structures in certain communities.
Here’s what the data shows about both divorce and marriage rates by ethnicity.
Education level affects the chances of a marriage succeeding, with those who have attained more education experiencing a reduced likelihood of divorce.
One particular demographic group has the highest likelihood of a long-lasting marriage: College-educated women.
Earning a degree significantly decreases the chances of a woman divorcing. However, the benefits apply only when the degree is earned. Women who attend some college but who do not graduate are far less likely than their credentialed counterparts to remain married over the long term.
In fact, while 78% of women with a bachelor’s degree have a marriage that lasts at least 20 years, just 49% of women with some college education reach this milestone. And just 40% of women with a high-school education or less have a marriage that lasts 20 years or more. [27]
Many religions discourage the practice of divorce. However, this does not necessarily mean their followers adhere to these tenets. Here’s how religion affects the divorce rate.
While 60% of the Hindu population is married, just 5% of members of this demographic group are divorced. [28]
Evangelical Protestants divorce at a higher rate than any other religious group. While 55% of this population is married, 14% are divorced. This is more than double the percentage of divorced Hindus. [28]
Those not affiliated with any religion are less likely to marry and more likely to divorce than individuals with religious beliefs. Just 37% of the unaffiliated population is married, while 11% are divorced. [28]
Children can place strain on a marriage due to the added caregiving burden. When children are involved, the divorce process also becomes more complicated as issues related to child custody and child support must be addressed.
While there’s a long-held belief that mothers are favored in custody proceedings, this is no longer necessarily true. In 2023, only 5.8% of children under 18 lived exclusively with their mother following a divorce. [29]
Shared custody has become the norm as societal views on parenting have shifted and courts and parents increasingly recognize the importance of a child continuing to build a relationship with both parents post-divorce.
While living alone with a mother is no longer the default, even fewer children live independently with their father. Just 1.6% of all children under 18 reside exclusively with their father following a divorce. [29]
The majority of single fathers were never married, with just 38% of men fitting this description finding themselves with children post-divorce. When a child is born out of wedlock, it may be important for a father to assert his paternity rights to protect his claim to his child if it is in dispute. [30]
While there are a substantial number of never-married single fathers, the number of never-married single mothers is even higher at 51%. By contrast, just 29% of single mothers are divorced. [30]
The good news for parents who want large families is that more kids do not increase the risk of divorce. While 17% of couples with two children experienced divorce, this number dropped to 13% of couples with three children. [31]
Divorce statistics can shed light on how common divorce is, as well as on what is likely to happen when a marriage ends. Couples can reach a settlement when their union is dissolved. This settlement will address issues such as property division, child custody, alimony and child support.
Couples can negotiate on these issues with the help of an experienced divorce attorney or can go to court where their attorney can help them make a persuasive case to the judge for their preferred outcome.
Divorces are more complicated when high-net-worth individuals dissolve their marriages, as there is much more property to be distributed.
The most expensive divorce in U.S. history was the end of the marriage of Bill and Melinda Gates, which involved an estimated $76 billion in property. Jeff Bezos and Mackenzie Scott had the second most expensive settlement at a more modest $38.3 billion.
The process of divorce is far simpler when married couples have a prenuptial agreement in place. As long as this premarital contract is enforceable, it provides clarity on key issues in the divorce. Couples can agree on these issues before marriage when they are still able to work together easily to come to a consensus.
Despite the benefits of a prenuptial agreement during the divorce process, only 20% of married couples report signing this type of agreement. [34]
It’s not surprising such a small number of couples have premiums when only half of U.S. adults indicate they somewhat support their use. [34]
Many couples view prenuptial agreements with skepticism because they don’t want to go into a marriage contemplating its end. But, these documents can provide crucial protection for assets and are also important in situations where either spouse enters the relationship with a substantial amount of debt.
Younger generations are more open to embracing prenuptial agreements, with 41% of Gen Z and 47% of millennials who are engaged or have been married indicating they have entered a prenup. [34] With so many members of this younger generation growing up at a time when divorce was the norm, it’s also not surprising they are more willing to prepare for the potential end of a marriage.
Those who choose not to use a prenup need to make certain they find a qualified divorce attorney to help protect their rights during the dissolution of their marriage. An attorney can also provide guidance during the drafting of a prenuptial agreement to help ensure the contract is fair and enforceable in the future.
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ContributorChristy Bieber has a JD from UCLA School of Law and began her career as a college instructor and textbook author. She has been writing full time for over a decade with a focus on making financial and legal topics understandable and fun. Her work has appeared on Forbes, CNN Underscored Money, Investopedia, Credit Karma, The Balance, USA Today, and Yahoo Finance, among others.
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