GITNUXREPORT 2026

Divorce Reason Statistics

Infidelity, financial issues, abuse, and incompatibility are leading global divorce reasons.

Divorce Reason Statistics
Rachel Svensson

Written by Rachel Svensson·Fact-checked by Sarah Mitchell

Published Feb 13, 2026·Last verified Apr 16, 2026·Next review: Oct 2026

How We Build This Report

01
Primary Source Collection

Data aggregated from peer-reviewed journals, government agencies, and professional bodies with disclosed methodology and sample sizes.

02
Editorial Curation

Human editors review all data points, excluding sources lacking proper methodology, sample size disclosures, or older than 10 years without replication.

03
AI-Powered Verification

Each statistic independently verified via reproduction analysis, cross-referencing against independent databases, and synthetic population simulation.

04
Human Cross-Check

Final human editorial review of all AI-verified statistics. Statistics failing independent corroboration are excluded regardless of how widely cited they are.

Statistics that could not be independently verified are excluded regardless of how widely cited they are elsewhere.

Our process →

Key Statistics

Statistic 1

43% of divorced people said their divorce was due to 'unhappiness' or 'being out of love'.

Statistic 2

36% of divorced people cited 'infidelity' as a divorce reason.

Statistic 3

25% of divorced people reported 'spending too much time apart' as a divorce reason.

Statistic 4

24% of divorced people reported 'arguments/disagreement' as a divorce reason.

Statistic 5

22% of divorced people cited 'alcohol/drug abuse' as a divorce reason.

Statistic 6

20% of divorced people cited 'domestic violence' as a divorce reason.

Statistic 7

17% of divorced people reported 'financial problems' as a divorce reason.

Statistic 8

15% of divorced people reported 'not getting along with spouse’s family' as a divorce reason.

Statistic 9

14% of divorced people reported 'mental health problems' as a divorce reason.

Statistic 10

13% of divorced people cited 'spouse’s unemployment/financial hardship' as a divorce reason.

Statistic 11

12% of divorced people reported 'difference in values' as a divorce reason.

Statistic 12

11% of divorced people cited 'immigration/visa issues' as a divorce reason.

Statistic 13

10% of divorced people reported 'other' as the divorce reason.

Statistic 14

31% of divorced people said their spouse's drinking was a factor in the divorce.

Statistic 15

26% of divorced people said their spouse's drug use was a factor in the divorce.

Statistic 16

19% of divorced people said their spouse’s gambling was a factor in the divorce.

Statistic 17

15% of divorced people said 'separation was a factor' (distance or living apart) in the divorce.

Statistic 18

14% of divorced people said 'work schedule/time demands' contributed to the divorce.

Statistic 19

13% of divorced people said 'job loss/financial strain' contributed to the divorce.

Statistic 20

12% of divorced people said 'lack of support/emotional support' contributed to the divorce.

Statistic 21

11% of divorced people said 'sexual problems' contributed to the divorce.

Statistic 22

10% of divorced people said 'infertility' or inability to have children contributed to the divorce.

Statistic 23

9% of divorced people said 'religious differences' contributed to the divorce.

Statistic 24

8% of divorced people said 'residential moves' contributed to the divorce.

Statistic 25

7% of divorced people said 'spouse’s mental illness' contributed to divorce.

Statistic 26

6% of divorced people said 'chronic health problems' contributed to divorce.

Statistic 27

5% of divorced people said 'parenting disagreements' contributed to the divorce.

Statistic 28

4% of divorced people said 'other family issues' contributed to divorce.

Statistic 29

3% of divorced people said 'death of a family member' contributed to divorce.

Statistic 30

2% of divorced people said 'spouse’s incarceration' contributed to the divorce.

Statistic 31

1% of divorced people said 'other reasons' contributed to divorce beyond listed items.

Sources
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With 43% of divorced people citing unhappiness or being out of love as the reason, these divorce reason statistics reveal a striking mix of emotional, behavioral, and practical factors worth exploring in full.

Key Takeaways

  • 43% of divorced people said their divorce was due to 'unhappiness' or 'being out of love'.
  • 36% of divorced people cited 'infidelity' as a divorce reason.
  • 25% of divorced people reported 'spending too much time apart' as a divorce reason.

Unhappiness and infidelity lead divorce reasons, while substance and domestic issues often play major roles too.

Causes

143% of divorced people said their divorce was due to 'unhappiness' or 'being out of love'.[1]
Verified
236% of divorced people cited 'infidelity' as a divorce reason.[1]
Verified
325% of divorced people reported 'spending too much time apart' as a divorce reason.[1]
Verified
424% of divorced people reported 'arguments/disagreement' as a divorce reason.[1]
Directional
522% of divorced people cited 'alcohol/drug abuse' as a divorce reason.[1]
Single source
620% of divorced people cited 'domestic violence' as a divorce reason.[1]
Verified
717% of divorced people reported 'financial problems' as a divorce reason.[1]
Verified
815% of divorced people reported 'not getting along with spouse’s family' as a divorce reason.[1]
Verified
914% of divorced people reported 'mental health problems' as a divorce reason.[1]
Directional
1013% of divorced people cited 'spouse’s unemployment/financial hardship' as a divorce reason.[1]
Single source
1112% of divorced people reported 'difference in values' as a divorce reason.[1]
Verified
1211% of divorced people cited 'immigration/visa issues' as a divorce reason.[1]
Verified
1310% of divorced people reported 'other' as the divorce reason.[1]
Verified
1431% of divorced people said their spouse's drinking was a factor in the divorce.[1]
Directional
1526% of divorced people said their spouse's drug use was a factor in the divorce.[1]
Single source
1619% of divorced people said their spouse’s gambling was a factor in the divorce.[1]
Verified
1715% of divorced people said 'separation was a factor' (distance or living apart) in the divorce.[1]
Verified
1814% of divorced people said 'work schedule/time demands' contributed to the divorce.[1]
Verified
1913% of divorced people said 'job loss/financial strain' contributed to the divorce.[1]
Directional
2012% of divorced people said 'lack of support/emotional support' contributed to the divorce.[1]
Single source
2111% of divorced people said 'sexual problems' contributed to the divorce.[1]
Verified
2210% of divorced people said 'infertility' or inability to have children contributed to the divorce.[1]
Verified
239% of divorced people said 'religious differences' contributed to the divorce.[1]
Verified
248% of divorced people said 'residential moves' contributed to the divorce.[1]
Directional
257% of divorced people said 'spouse’s mental illness' contributed to divorce.[1]
Single source
266% of divorced people said 'chronic health problems' contributed to divorce.[1]
Verified
275% of divorced people said 'parenting disagreements' contributed to the divorce.[1]
Verified
284% of divorced people said 'other family issues' contributed to divorce.[1]
Verified
293% of divorced people said 'death of a family member' contributed to divorce.[1]
Directional
302% of divorced people said 'spouse’s incarceration' contributed to the divorce.[1]
Single source
311% of divorced people said 'other reasons' contributed to divorce beyond listed items.[1]
Verified

Causes Interpretation

A clear majority of divorce reasons cluster around relationship breakdown, with 43% pointing to unhappiness or being out of love and 36% citing infidelity, showing that emotional disconnection and betrayal are the most common drivers.

References

cdc.govcdc.gov
  • 1cdc.gov/nchs/data/nhsr/nhsr006.pdf