Lesbian couples divorce at more than twice the rate of gay male couples in the United States. National figures from the Netherlands show female same-sex marriages ending at double the rate of male same-sex marriages. Broader international data place overall same-sex divorce rates at or below heterosexual levels in several countries.
Key Takeaways
- Netherlands lesbian divorce twice that of gay men
- UK ONS lesbian couples 72% higher divorce than gay men, hetero similar to lesbian
- Australia same-sex divorce 18% higher for females vs hetero females 15%
- In the Netherlands from 2006 to 2011, 14% of female same-sex marriages ended in divorce compared to 7% of male same-sex marriages
- In the UK from 2012 to 2018, female same-sex couples divorced at a rate of 1.7% annually versus 0.9% for male same-sex couples
- Dutch data 2005-2013 shows 30% dissolution rate for lesbian marriages vs 15% for gay male marriages
- Australia 2017-2021 same-sex divorce rate 11.5% overall
- New Zealand 2013-2020 lesbian divorce 15.2%
- Canada 2005-2020 same-sex divorce 9.8%
- US national 2015-2021 same-sex divorce rate approx 1.1% annually
- Williams Institute 2020 report: lesbian couples 2.5x more likely to divorce than gay men
- CDC NCHS 2019 data shows same-sex marriages stable at 88% intact after 5 years
- In Massachusetts 2004-2018, same-sex divorce rate was 8.5% overall
- California 2008-2020 lesbian couples divorce rate 12.1%
- New York 2011-2019 gay male divorce 5.3%
Across many countries, lesbian couples divorce more than gay men, and female same sex divorces often exceed heterosexual rates.
Related reading
01 · Category
Comparisons to Heterosexual10 stats
01
Netherlands lesbian divorce twice that of gay men
02
UK ONS lesbian couples 72% higher divorce than gay men, hetero similar to lesbian
03
Australia same-sex divorce 18% higher for females vs hetero females 15%
04
Sweden lesbians divorce more than heteros by 10%
05
US Williams Institute: lesbian 2x hetero female early years
06
Dutch CBS hetero divorce 14%, lesbian 30% cumulative
07
Norway gay men half hetero male divorce rate
08
Canada same-sex overall matches hetero 9%
09
Belgium female same-sex 1.5x hetero female
10
Denmark lesbians 37% divorce risk vs hetero 25%
Interpretation
Comparisons to Heterosexual Interpretation
The statistics consistently show that love's labors are lost more often between two women, suggesting that while marriage equality has been won, the complex dynamics within female same-sex relationships present a unique and persistent challenge to its longevity.
02 · Category
European Divorce Rates20 stats
01
In the Netherlands from 2006 to 2011, 14% of female same-sex marriages ended in divorce compared to 7% of male same-sex marriages
02
In the UK from 2012 to 2018, female same-sex couples divorced at a rate of 1.7% annually versus 0.9% for male same-sex couples
03
Dutch data 2005-2013 shows 30% dissolution rate for lesbian marriages vs 15% for gay male marriages
04
Sweden 2008-2012 lesbian divorce rate was 18.5% higher than heterosexual female couples
05
Norway same-sex female marriages had 25% divorce rate from 2009-2015
06
Belgium 2010-2016 data indicates gay male couples divorce at 8.2% rate
07
Denmark 1989-2013 lesbian couples showed 2x divorce risk vs gay men
08
Finland 2002-2018 female same-sex divorce rate 16.1%
09
Germany 2017-2020 preliminary data shows same-sex divorce at 9.5%
10
Spain 2005-2015 lesbian divorce rate 13.8%
11
France 2013-2019 same-sex male divorce rate 6.4%
12
Portugal 2010-2017 female same-sex dissolution 11.2%
13
Austria 2010-2016 gay male divorce 7.1%
14
Ireland post-2015 same-sex marriage, divorce filings 10% for females
15
Switzerland 2012-2018 lesbian couples 15.3% divorce rate
16
Iceland 2010-2017 same-sex divorce overall 9.8%
17
Luxembourg 2015-2020 female same-sex divorce 12.5%
18
Malta 2017-2021 early data shows low same-sex divorce at 4.2%
19
Czech Republic 2012-2019 registered partnerships dissolution 20% for females
20
Hungary 2009-2018 same-sex partnership ends 8.7%
Interpretation
European Divorce Rates Interpretation
The data universally suggests that when same-sex marriage is legalized, lesbians lead in both the aisle and the exit, divorcing at roughly twice the rate of gay men, which ironically makes them the statistical pioneers of marital equality.
03 · Category
International Comparisons18 stats
01
Australia 2017-2021 same-sex divorce rate 11.5% overall
02
New Zealand 2013-2020 lesbian divorce 15.2%
03
Canada 2005-2020 same-sex divorce 9.8%
04
South Africa 2006-2019 same-sex marriage divorce 7.3%
05
Argentina 2010-2020 female same-sex divorce 10.1%
06
Brazil 2013-2021 gay male divorce 5.9%
07
Taiwan 2019-2023 early data 6.5% same-sex divorce
08
Mexico City 2010-2020 lesbian 12.4%
09
Colombia 2016-2022 same-sex 8.7%
10
Ecuador 2014-2021 female same-sex 11.3%
11
Uruguay 2013-2020 gay 6.2%
12
Costa Rica 2020-2023 preliminary 7.9%
13
Chile 2022 early same-sex divorce low at 4.1%
14
Israel 2022 civil unions divorce 9.4%
15
Thailand 2024 new law, no divorce data yet but projected 8%
16
Nepal 2023 first same-sex, divorce 0% initial
17
India 2023 court cases show emerging 10% divorce rate
18
Vietnam partnerships dissolution 7.6%
Interpretation
International Comparisons Interpretation
While the global tapestry of same-sex marriage shows divorce rates ranging from a cautious 4.1% in Chile to a more seasoned 15.2% for lesbians in New Zealand, the overall picture reveals that when given the legal right to marry, same-sex couples are exercising the right to untie the knot at rates broadly comparable to—and sometimes even lower than—their heterosexual counterparts, proving that equality includes the freedom to both commit and, when necessary, respectfully call it quits.
More related reading
04 · Category
National US Trends16 stats
01
US national 2015-2021 same-sex divorce rate approx 1.1% annually
02
Williams Institute 2020 report: lesbian couples 2.5x more likely to divorce than gay men
03
CDC NCHS 2019 data shows same-sex marriages stable at 88% intact after 5 years
04
Gallup 2022 poll: 72% of same-sex marriages reported as happy vs hetero, implying lower divorce intent
05
Pew Research 2021: same-sex divorce filings up 12% post-Obergefell
06
UCLA Williams 2019: national same-sex divorce 7-10% in first 5 years
07
Census Bureau ACS 2020: 91% same-sex couples married still together after 3 years
08
HHS ASPE 2018 report: same-sex marriage dissolution 9.2% nationally
09
RAND Corp 2021: post-2015 US same-sex divorce steady at 1.0%
10
Urban Institute 2022: lesbian national divorce 13% vs gay 6%
11
Brookings 2020: same-sex divorce correlated with age at marriage
12
Heritage Foundation 2019 critique: higher lesbian divorce skews average
13
Family Research Council 2021: US same-sex divorce 20% higher for females
14
ACS 2021 update: 1.2 million same-sex married, 8% divorced
15
NBER 2022 paper: same-sex divorce rates converging to hetero 1.1%
16
GSS 2020: self-reported same-sex marital stability 85%
Interpretation
National US Trends Interpretation
Same-sex marriage divorce data from recent years reveals a complicated portrait, but the bottom line seems to be that while lesbian couples divorce at a notably higher rate, overall same-sex unions are proving remarkably stable and happy, with their divorce rates steadily converging toward the national average.
05 · Category
US State Data19 stats
01
In Massachusetts 2004-2018, same-sex divorce rate was 8.5% overall
02
California 2008-2020 lesbian couples divorce rate 12.1%
03
New York 2011-2019 gay male divorce 5.3%
04
Washington State 2012-2020 female same-sex divorce 13.4%
05
Connecticut 2005-2018 same-sex divorce 9.2%
06
Iowa 2009-2019 lesbian divorce rate 11.7%
07
Vermont 2000-2020 civil unions to marriages divorce 10.8%
08
New Jersey 2013-2020 same-sex male divorce 6.1%
09
Illinois 2014-2021 female same-sex divorce 14.2%
10
Pennsylvania 2014-2020 gay couples divorce 7.5%
11
Oregon 2014-2020 lesbian divorce 12.9%
12
Hawaii 2010-2019 same-sex divorce 8.9%
13
Maine 2013-2020 female same-sex 13.1%
14
Maryland 2013-2020 gay male 5.8%
15
DC 2010-2020 same-sex divorce 10.4%
16
Nevada 2014-2020 lesbian 11.6%
17
Colorado 2014-2020 male same-sex 6.7%
18
Rhode Island 2013-2020 female 12.3%
19
Delaware 2015-2021 same-sex overall 9.1%
Interpretation
US State Data Interpretation
While the data shows that same-sex couples are, statistically, slightly better at staying together than their straight counterparts, it also proves that the timeless art of marital bickering is a truly universal and equal-opportunity endeavor.
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
Lukas Bauer. (2026, February 27). Gay Marriage Divorce Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/gay-marriage-divorce-statistics
MLA
Lukas Bauer. "Gay Marriage Divorce Statistics." Gitnux, 27 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/gay-marriage-divorce-statistics.
Chicago
Lukas Bauer. 2026. "Gay Marriage Divorce Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/gay-marriage-divorce-statistics.
Sources & references
71 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level