Gitnux/Report 2026

Open Marriage Divorce Statistics

Even among people who want consensual non-monogamy, the gap between intention and lived experience shows up sharply, from 2.6% of married adults reporting non-monogamy to 9.8% of committed partners reporting it in the last year, while 61% still say jealousy is normal and 48% credit boundary conversations for less stress. Pair that tension with the real-world stakes of ending a marriage, where 40% of marriages end in divorce within 15 years and the financial and emotional logistics can be substantial, including mediation as a faster path in many cases.
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Open Marriage Divorce Statistics
Isabelle MoreauWritten by Isabelle Moreau·Edited by Priyanka Sharma·Fact-checked by Peter Sandoval
Last verified May 14, 2026
Verified via a 4-step process
01Source

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

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Next review Nov 2026
Nearly 40% of U.S. marriages end in divorce within 15 years, yet only about 5% of adults say they have ever been in an open relationship, creating a big gap between what people experience and what the public reports. Meanwhile, jealousy and boundaries still sit side by side with mental health supports, since 61% of adults view jealousy as normal and 48% say boundary communication eases stress. These statistics on Open Marriage Divorce do not just track endings, they show how non-monogamy, stigma, counseling, and co-parenting costs can shape what happens next.

Key Takeaways

  • 28% of adults with an STI in past year reported that they had sex with multiple partners in past year (survey-based).
  • 10% of non-monogamous individuals reported that concerns about sexually transmitted infection influence their relationship agreements (survey-based).
  • 40% of marriages in the U.S. end in divorce within 15 years, according to a historical analysis of divorce hazards.
  • 5% of adults report having had an open relationship at some point (survey-based estimate).
  • 8% of partnered adults in the U.S. reported non-monogamy experience in a population survey.
  • 9.8% of people who identified as in a committed relationship reported engaging in non-monogamous behavior in the last year (U.S. sample).
  • 61% of adults agree that jealousy is a normal feeling in relationships (survey-based).
  • 48% of adults report that communication about boundaries reduces relationship stress (survey-based self-report).
  • 17% of people in a non-monogamous relationship report experiencing higher-than-usual stress related to stigma (survey-based).
  • 86% of adults who received counseling report overall satisfaction with mental health services (survey-based).
  • 1 in 5 adults (20%) in the U.S. sought mental health services in 2022 (service utilization).
  • 63% of couples report that communication improves after counseling (self-report outcome from survey of therapy impact).
  • 45% of divorce cases involve property division that typically requires at least one expert appraisal (share estimate).
  • $1,500 average cost of one co-parenting communication/parenting plan session for divorcing parents (service pricing estimate).
  • 25% of divorce-related matters are resolved via mediation rather than litigation in jurisdictions that report mediation participation (share estimate).

Non-monogamy affects a minority of relationships, while most couples rely on communication and support, and divorce remains common.

Related reading

01 · Category

Health & Outcomes2 stats

01
28% of adults with an STI in past year reported that they had sex with multiple partners in past year (survey-based).
02
10% of non-monogamous individuals reported that concerns about sexually transmitted infection influence their relationship agreements (survey-based).
Interpretation

Health & Outcomes Interpretation

In the Health and Outcomes lens, 28% of adults with an STI in the past year reported multiple partners, and 10% of non-monogamous people said STI concerns shape their relationship agreements, suggesting that sexual health risk is both common and actively considered in open marriage dynamics.

02 · Category

Divorce Frequency1 stats

01
40% of marriages in the U.S. end in divorce within 15 years, according to a historical analysis of divorce hazards.
Interpretation

Divorce Frequency Interpretation

From a divorce frequency standpoint, the fact that 40% of U.S. marriages end in divorce within 15 years suggests divorce is a common outcome well within the first two decades of marriage.

03 · Category

Open Marriage Prevalence4 stats

01
5% of adults report having had an open relationship at some point (survey-based estimate).
02
8% of partnered adults in the U.S. reported non-monogamy experience in a population survey.
03
9.8% of people who identified as in a committed relationship reported engaging in non-monogamous behavior in the last year (U.S. sample).
04
2.6% prevalence of non-monogamy among married adults in a U.S. probability sample (survey estimate).
Interpretation

Open Marriage Prevalence Interpretation

For the open marriage prevalence angle, survey results suggest non-monogamy is not marginal, with estimates ranging from 2.6% of married adults to 8% of partnered adults, and even 5% of adults overall reporting that they have had an open relationship at some point.

04 · Category

Attitudes & Beliefs3 stats

01
61% of adults agree that jealousy is a normal feeling in relationships (survey-based).
02
48% of adults report that communication about boundaries reduces relationship stress (survey-based self-report).
03
17% of people in a non-monogamous relationship report experiencing higher-than-usual stress related to stigma (survey-based).
Interpretation

Attitudes & Beliefs Interpretation

In the attitudes and beliefs around open marriage, most adults normalize jealousy at 61% and believe boundary communication lowers stress at 48%, but only 17% report stigma-driven stress in non-monogamous relationships, suggesting belief in healthy relational dynamics is common even as a smaller group still feels stigma’s strain.

More related reading

05 · Category

Service & Intervention6 stats

01
86% of adults who received counseling report overall satisfaction with mental health services (survey-based).
02
1 in 5 adults (20%) in the U.S. sought mental health services in 2022 (service utilization).
03
63% of couples report that communication improves after counseling (self-report outcome from survey of therapy impact).
04
3% of adults in a nationally representative survey reported using support groups related to relationships/mental health (service utilization).
05
2.1x lower time-to-resolution for mediated divorce cases compared with litigated cases (relative time result).
06
6,000+ online divorce document services exist in the U.S. (count estimate from industry directory).
Interpretation

Service & Intervention Interpretation

Within the Service and Intervention frame, the data suggests counseling and structured supports can meaningfully help since 63% of couples report better communication after counseling and mediated divorce cases resolve about 2.1 times faster than litigated ones, even though only 20% of adults sought mental health services in 2022 and just 3% used relationship or mental health support groups.

06 · Category

Cost & Time3 stats

01
45% of divorce cases involve property division that typically requires at least one expert appraisal (share estimate).
02
$1,500average cost of one co-parenting communication/parenting plan session for divorcing parents (service pricing estimate).
03
25% of divorce-related matters are resolved via mediation rather than litigation in jurisdictions that report mediation participation (share estimate).
Interpretation

Cost & Time Interpretation

In the cost and time category of open marriage divorce, expenses can add up quickly, with 45% of cases involving property division that typically requires expert appraisal and the average co-parenting communication or parenting plan session costing $1,500, while only 25% of divorce-related matters are resolved through mediation instead of litigation.
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
Isabelle Moreau. (2026, February 13). Open Marriage Divorce Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/open-marriage-divorce-statistics
MLA
Isabelle Moreau. "Open Marriage Divorce Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/open-marriage-divorce-statistics.
Chicago
Isabelle Moreau. 2026. "Open Marriage Divorce Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/open-marriage-divorce-statistics.

Sources & references

23 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level

cdc.govncbi.nlm.nih.govjournals.sagepub.compsycnet.apa.orgapa.orgsamhsa.govamericanbar.orgdivorcemediation.comcourts.oregon.govg2.comgrandviewresearch.comalliedmarketresearch.comacf.hhs.gov

+10 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)