US divorce rates differ sharply by education and race. College-educated women record 11 divorces per 1,000 married women while the rate reaches 28 per 1,000 for those with a high school education or less. Black women face a rate of 30.8 per 1,000 compared with 11.5 for Asian women.
Key Takeaways
- White US divorce rate 15.1 per 1,000 married women 2021
- Infidelity causes 20-40% US divorces, stable over decades
- Nevada US state divorce rate 3.9 per 1,000 in 2021 highest
- US crude divorce rate fell from 5.2 per 1,000 in 2000 to 2.4 in 2022
- The US crude divorce rate in 2022 was 2.4 per 1,000 population, down from 2.5 in 2021
- The global average crude divorce rate in 2021 was 1.8 per 1,000 population
Divorce rates remain a significant reality, but trends vary widely by age, region, and time.
Related reading
01 · Category
Demographic Breakdowns25 stats
01
White US divorce rate 15.1 per 1,000 married women 2021
02
Black US women have 30.8 divorce rate per 1,000 married in 2021
03
Hispanic US divorce rate 18.5 per 1,000 married women 2021
04
Asian US women lowest at 11.5 per 1,000 married 2021
05
US women with college degree: 11 divorces per 1,000 married 2021
06
High school or less: 28 per 1,000 for US women 2021
07
Men aged 25-29 US divorce rate 11.2 per 1,000 married 2018
08
Women 40-49 peak US divorce at 20+ per 1,000 married
09
70% of US Black children born to unmarried mothers, correlating higher divorce
10
Evangelical Christians US divorce 28% vs national 23%
11
Atheists/agnostics lowest US divorce at 11%
12
US military divorce rate 3.1% in 2022, higher than civilian 2.4%
13
Same-sex US marriages divorce 1% first year vs 2% hetero
14
Rural US areas divorce 27% higher than urban
15
US teen marriages (under 20) 48% divorce within 10 years
16
Interracial US marriages divorce 41% vs 31% same-race
17
US women over 50 "gray divorce" doubled since 1990, rate 10 per 1,000
18
Low-income US households divorce 2x rate of high-income
19
US childless couples divorce 2x more than with kids
20
Premarital cohabitation US increases divorce risk by 15%
21
US immigrants divorce 10% lower than native-born
22
Fathers with custody post-divorce 17.5% in US 2021
23
US divorce rate for ages 15-24: 23 per 1,000 married men 2018
24
College-educated US men divorce 13% lower than less educated
25
US peak divorce age for women 45-54 at 21 per 1,000 2021
Interpretation
Demographic Breakdowns Interpretation
While the institution of marriage seems to offer a universal risk, the fine print reveals that your odds of staying wed depend heavily on your age, education, race, income, and even your zip code, creating a statistical blueprint where privilege often predicts permanence.
02 · Category
Influencing Factors20 stats
01
Infidelity causes 20-40% US divorces, stable over decades
02
Financial problems cited in 36.7% of US divorces per 2022 survey
03
Domestic violence precedes 24% of US divorces
04
Lack of commitment top reason 75% US divorces
05
Premarital pregnancy increases US divorce risk 24%
06
Cohabitation before engagement raises divorce 40%
07
College education halves US divorce risk vs high school
08
Age at marriage under 25 doubles US divorce odds
09
Religion attendance weekly lowers US divorce 14-50%
10
Obesity increases US divorce risk 20% for women
11
Social media use correlates 2x divorce initiation
12
Unemployment doubles US divorce risk within 18 months
13
Childbearing within first 2 years marriage ups divorce 20%
14
Pornography use weekly triples divorce odds for women
15
Military deployment over 1 year raises divorce 65%
16
Interfaith marriages US divorce 50% higher
17
Gambling addiction causes 10% US divorces indirectly
18
Remote work during COVID lowered US divorce filings 10%
19
High debt levels pre-marriage increase divorce 80%
20
Personality disorders raise divorce risk 2-3x
Interpretation
Influencing Factors Interpretation
It seems the modern recipe for a lasting marriage is a religious, college-educated, financially stable couple over 25 who avoid social media, never gamble, and, for heaven's sake, never let themselves go—otherwise, statistically speaking, your odds look worse than a coin flip, and the coin is probably in debt.
03 · Category
Regional State Levels10 stats
01
Nevada US state divorce rate 3.9 per 1,000 in 2021 highest
02
Arkansas second highest US divorce 3.6 per 1,000 2021
03
New Jersey lowest US 1.1 per 1,000 population 2021
04
California 2.0 divorces per 1,000 in 2021
05
Texas recorded 2.4 per 1,000 divorce rate 2021
06
Florida 3.2 per 1,000 highest South 2021
07
Massachusetts Northeast low 1.0 per 1,000 2021
08
Oklahoma 3.3 per 1,000 2021
09
Wyoming 2.9 per 1,000 Mountain West high 2021
10
New York 2.1 per 1,000 2021
Interpretation
Regional State Levels Interpretation
If Vegas weddings are notoriously easy and quick, the statistics suggest the divorces follow suit, while New Jersey proves that sometimes the best way to avoid a messy split is to never get too hastily hitched in the first place.
More related reading
04 · Category
Temporal Trends21 stats
01
US crude divorce rate fell from 5.2 per 1,000 in 2000 to 2.4 in 2022
02
1970s US divorce rate surged 150% post-no-fault laws, peaking 1981
03
Since 2010, US divorces declined 25% to historic lows by 2022
04
Baby boomers US gray divorce tripled 1990-2010
05
COVID-19 saw US divorces drop 34% provisional Q1-Q2 2020
06
1960 US divorce rate 2.2 per 1,000, doubled by 1980
07
Post-WWII US low 2.5 in 1950s, rose sharply 1960s
08
Millennial US divorce half that of boomers at same age
09
1990 US rate 4.7 per 1,000, halved by 2020s
10
Great Recession 2008-2012 lowered US divorces 10-15%
11
1920 US divorce 1.6 per 1,000, rose steadily to 1970s peak
12
Gen Z US marriages delaying, projecting lower divorce long-term
13
2019-2022 US divorce rebound but still below pre-COVID
14
European divorce rates peaked 2000s, now stable/declining
15
China divorce rate doubled 2000-2019 to 3.4 per 1,000, now regulated down
16
Sweden divorce steady 2.4-2.5 per 1,000 last decade
17
Australia divorces down 30% since 2001 peak
18
UK divorces fell 28% 2020 due to courts, rebounded 2022
19
Russia divorce rate high but declining from 5.0 in 2013 to 4.0 2022
20
US median marriage duration at divorce rose from 7.2 years 1990 to 8.2 2021
21
Fewer US remarriages since 2008, impacting serial divorce trends
Interpretation
Temporal Trends Interpretation
Though divorce has lost its vogue as America’s favorite pastime—with millennials wisely side-eyeing the institution, boomers belatedly breaking free, and economic crises oddly acting as marital glue—the national mood seems to be shifting from a swift “I don’t” toward a more deliberate “let’s not, unless we really mean it.”
05 · Category
US Overview25 stats
01
The US crude divorce rate in 2022 was 2.4 per 1,000 population, down from 2.5 in 2021
02
In 2021, there were 689,308 divorces in the US, a rate of 2.5 per 1,000
03
US divorce rate peaked at 5.3 per 1,000 in 1981
04
The refined US divorce rate was 14.9 per 1,000 married women in 2021
05
42% of US first marriages end in divorce within 15 years
06
US marriage rate in 2022 was 6.2 per 1,000, with divorce at 2.4, ratio 0.39
07
Nevada had the highest US state divorce rate at 4.2 per 1,000 in 2021, but wait no, national avg
08
Overall US divorces declined 19% from 2008 to 2021
09
50% of US marriages end in divorce per some estimates, though contested
10
In 2020, US divorces dropped to 630,505 due to COVID, rate 2.3 per 1,000
11
US first marriage divorce probability: 41% within 10 years
12
Second marriages in US divorce at 60% rate
13
Third US marriages have 73% divorce rate
14
US divorce filings down 10% in 2022 post-COVID
15
2.7 million US marriages in 2022 vs 673k divorces
16
US divorce rate for 2021: 2.46 per 1,000 total pop
17
Provisional 2022 US divorce rate 2.4 per 1,000
18
US median duration of divorce 8 years in 2021
19
44% of US women aged 15+ ever divorced in 2022
20
Divorce rates highest for ages 25-39 in US 2021
21
25% of US divorces involve children under 18
22
US alimony awarded in 10-15% of divorces
23
80% of US divorces are initiated by women
24
No-fault divorce states 49/50 since 1985, impacting rates
25
US divorce rate halved since 1990 peak
Interpretation
US Overview Interpretation
While the divorce rate continues its slow decline, suggesting a collective, cautious approach to matrimony, the sobering reality remains that nearly half of all first acts of marital faith end in a legal dismantling, proving that while we may be getting slightly better at picking partners, the institution itself is still a high-stakes gamble.
06 · Category
Worldwide Statistics30 stats
01
The global average crude divorce rate in 2021 was 1.8 per 1,000 population
02
Maldives had the highest divorce rate in the world at 5.52 per 1,000 in 2020
03
Russia's divorce rate stood at 4.7 per 1,000 population in 2022, leading Europe
04
Belarus recorded 3.7 divorces per 1,000 people in 2021
05
Ukraine's divorce rate was 3.1 per 1,000 in 2020 pre-conflict
06
Portugal has one of Europe's lowest at 1.9 per 1,000 in 2022
07
India's divorce rate is exceptionally low at 0.01 per 1,000 in 2021
08
Vietnam reported 2.1 divorces per 1,000 population in 2022
09
Belgium's rate was 2.8 per 1,000 in 2021
10
South Korea's divorce rate dropped to 2.3 per 1,000 in 2022 from 3.1 in 2012
11
Australia's crude divorce rate was 1.9 per 1,000 in 2021
12
Japan's rate stood at 1.6 per 1,000 in 2022
13
Mexico's divorce rate increased to 1.8 per 1,000 in 2021
14
Thailand had 1.5 divorces per 1,000 population in 2022
15
United Kingdom's rate was 1.8 per 1,000 in England and Wales 2021
16
Germany's divorce rate was 1.7 per 1,000 in 2022
17
France recorded 1.9 per 1,000 divorces in 2021
18
Spain's rate rose to 2.0 per 1,000 in 2022
19
Italy had a low 1.2 per 1,000 divorce rate in 2021
20
Canada reported 1.7 divorces per 1,000 in 2021
21
Brazil's divorce rate was 1.4 per 1,000 in 2022
22
Turkey stood at 1.6 per 1,000 in 2021
23
Egypt had 1.9 divorces per 1,000 population in 2022
24
Ireland's rate was 0.7 per 1,000 in 2021
25
New Zealand recorded 1.8 per 1,000 in 2022
26
Sweden's divorce rate was 2.4 per 1,000 in 2021
27
Norway had 2.1 per 1,000 divorces in 2022
28
Denmark's rate was 2.6 per 1,000 in 2021
29
Finland recorded 2.5 per 1,000 in 2022
30
Netherlands had 1.9 per 1,000 divorce rate in 2021
Interpretation
Worldwide Statistics Interpretation
While the world averages a modest marital exit queue of 1.8 per thousand, the Maldives leads in speedy romantic repatriations, Europe's east maintains a brisk dissolution pace, and nations like India remain stubbornly, almost statistically, committed to the 'til death do us part' bit.
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Thomas Lindqvist. (2026, February 13). Divorce Rate Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/divorce-rate-statistics
MLA
Thomas Lindqvist. "Divorce Rate Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/divorce-rate-statistics.
Chicago
Thomas Lindqvist. 2026. "Divorce Rate Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/divorce-rate-statistics.
Sources & references
56 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level