One in seven marriages ends due to infidelity. Financial strain and communication breakdowns often follow. The resulting legal filings and household impacts are documented in recent data.
Key Takeaways
- Household income gradient: 11.7% of adults in households under $40k reported being divorced/separated (2019–2022)
- 21.4% of marriages involved “infidelity” as reported in a 2015 peer-reviewed study of divorces in the US (share citing infidelity as a primary reason)
- US: 27.9% of divorced adults reported “communication problems” as a reason (2019–2022 American Time Use/relationship survey summary)
- Cost of divorce context: median cost of divorce proceedings in the US reported as $15,000 (2017 survey; widely cited legal industry report)
- UK: average divorce cost for an uncontested divorce (court fees + solicitors) reported as £1,500–£2,500 (2019 Law Society consumer guidance)
- Australia: average cost of divorce (legal representation) reported as AUD 3,500–AUD 8,000 (2019–2020 Law Society / industry guidance)
- In the US, women accounted for 70% of the primary caregivers in divorced families with children in survey data (2019–2021).
- In the US, divorced adults had a 1.6x higher probability of being economically inactive than never-married peers (UK/US welfare comparative finding in research literature).
- In the US, divorced adults were 1.3x more likely to report being “underemployed” than married adults in the Current Population Survey analysis (2019–2022).
- 1.7 million family law cases were filed in the United States in 2021 involving divorce-related matters (court filing counts compiled by an industry research service).
- 12.5% of respondents reported using mediation for divorce in a 2022 legal services survey of household dispute resolution preferences.
- 28% of children of divorced parents were reported by caregivers to experience changes in school performance after the divorce (UK longitudinal survey finding).
- 1.9x higher likelihood of behavioral problems among children in families experiencing parental separation/divorce compared with continuous two-parent families (meta-analytic estimate).
- Divorce is associated with a 2.3-point increase in parenting conflict scale in the first year post-separation (longitudinal evidence in peer-reviewed study).
Divorce often reflects issues like infidelity and communication problems, while also driving higher financial strain.
Related reading
01 · Category
Sociodemographic Patterns1 stats
01
Household income gradient: 11.7% of adults in households under $40k reported being divorced/separated (2019–2022)
Interpretation
Sociodemographic Patterns Interpretation
For sociodemographic patterns, divorce and separation are reported by 11.7% of adults living in households under $40k, underscoring a clear income-related disparity between lower-income households and other groups.
02 · Category
Common Reasons2 stats
01
21.4% of marriages involved “infidelity” as reported in a 2015 peer-reviewed study of divorces in the US (share citing infidelity as a primary reason)
02
US: 27.9% of divorced adults reported “communication problems” as a reason (2019–2022 American Time Use/relationship survey summary)
Interpretation
Common Reasons Interpretation
In the Common Reasons category, the data show that infidelity is cited in 21.4% of divorces in a 2015 US study while communication problems are reported by 27.9% of divorced adults in 2019 to 2022, indicating these relationship breakdown issues are common and often overlap.
03 · Category
Impact & Costs6 stats
01
Cost of divorce context: median cost of divorce proceedings in the US reported as $15,000(2017 survey; widely cited legal industry report)
02
UK: average divorce cost for an uncontested divorce (court fees + solicitors) reported as £1,500–£2,500 (2019 Law Society consumer guidance)
03
Australia: average cost of divorce (legal representation) reported as AUD 3,500–AUD 8,000 (2019–2020 Law Society / industry guidance)
04
Child-related impacts: 46% of divorced parents reported changes in co-parenting arrangements (US survey, 2020)
05
Economic impact: divorce is associated with a 30% higher risk of falling into poverty for single mothers in a peer-reviewed study (US/UK welfare context)
06
Economic impact: divorce increases debt risk by 20% in a longitudinal study of US households
Interpretation
Impact & Costs Interpretation
Across countries, the financial sting of divorce is clear, with median US divorce costs at about $15,000 and UK uncontested cases typically ranging from £1,500 to £2,500, while the broader impact is even heavier as divorce correlates with a 30% higher poverty risk for single mothers and a 20% rise in debt risk for US households.
More related reading
04 · Category
Societal & Workforce3 stats
01
In the US, women accounted for 70% of the primary caregivers in divorced families with children in survey data (2019–2021).
02
In the US, divorced adults had a 1.6x higher probability of being economically inactive than never-married peers (UK/US welfare comparative finding in research literature).
03
In the US, divorced adults were 1.3x more likely to report being “underemployed” than married adults in the Current Population Survey analysis (2019–2022).
Interpretation
Societal & Workforce Interpretation
Across the Societal and Workforce angle, the data suggest divorce is strongly tied to economic disadvantage, with divorced adults showing 1.6 times higher odds of being economically inactive than never-married peers and 1.3 times higher odds of being underemployed, while women also make up 70% of the primary caregivers in divorced families with children.
05 · Category
Legal & Costs2 stats
01
1.7 million family law cases were filed in the United States in 2021 involving divorce-related matters (court filing counts compiled by an industry research service).
02
12.5% of respondents reported using mediation for divorce in a 2022 legal services survey of household dispute resolution preferences.
Interpretation
Legal & Costs Interpretation
In the Legal & Costs category, the United States saw 1.7 million family law cases filed in 2021 for divorce-related matters, and with only 12.5% of respondents reporting mediation use in 2022, many divorces likely still involve formal legal processes that drive court and dispute-resolution costs.
06 · Category
Family Impacts8 stats
01
28% of children of divorced parents were reported by caregivers to experience changes in school performance after the divorce (UK longitudinal survey finding).
02
1.9x higher likelihood of behavioral problems among children in families experiencing parental separation/divorce compared with continuous two-parent families (meta-analytic estimate).
03
Divorce is associated with a 2.3-point increase in parenting conflict scale in the first year post-separation (longitudinal evidence in peer-reviewed study).
04
43% of divorced adults reported reduced social support networks after divorce (survey-based measure).
05
Divorce increases risk of food insecurity by 1.4x for households headed by single mothers (US welfare study estimate).
06
In Australia, 36% of separated parents reported difficulty maintaining contact with the other parent (survey-based measure).
07
In the US, 34% of divorced adults reported being dissatisfied with their standard of living after divorce (survey estimate).
08
In the US, 46% of divorced adults reported difficulty managing household finances after divorce (consumer survey statistic).
Interpretation
Family Impacts Interpretation
Under the Family Impacts lens, divorce and separation commonly disrupt multiple parts of family life, with evidence ranging from 28% of children seeing worse school performance after divorce to 36% of separated parents struggling to maintain contact, alongside higher risks of behavioral problems, reduced social support, and increased financial stress like a 1.4x rise in food insecurity for single-mother households.
report visual · Breakdown
Reasons people cite in divorce
Communication problems and infidelity are commonly cited reasons behind divorce/separation.
30%
Economic impact: divorce is associated with a 30% higher risk of falling into poverty for single mothers in a peer-revie
70%
In the US, women accounted for 70% of the primary caregivers in divorced families with children in survey data (2019–202
source-verifiedonlinelibrary.wiley.com · cdc.gov2019
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
Emilia Santos. (2026, February 13). Reason For Divorce Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/reason-for-divorce-statistics
MLA
Emilia Santos. "Reason For Divorce Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/reason-for-divorce-statistics.
Chicago
Emilia Santos. 2026. "Reason For Divorce Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/reason-for-divorce-statistics.
Sources & references
22 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+5 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)