Relationship breakups affect more than couples: in the U.S., an estimated 3.2 million children were affected by divorce in 2014. Across large surveys, divorce-related stress is also tied to worse mental-health outcomes, including higher psychological distress and greater mental health service use. We’ll walk through key patterns by gender, family circumstances, and how pathways to care can include telehealth.
Key Takeaways
- 40% of marriages in the United States in 2009 are expected to end in divorce, according to an estimate based on marriage cohorts
- For women in the United States in 2009–2010, about 1 in 6 (≈16.7%) had ever experienced a marriage ending in divorce (survey data)
- For men in the United States in 2009–2010, about 1 in 7 (≈14.3%) had ever experienced a marriage ending in divorce (survey data)
- 15.2% of U.S. adults reported that their mental health was 'not good'—a measure found to be higher among those experiencing relationship stress including breakup (BRFSS-based association)
- 5.4% of U.S. adults report severe psychological distress (Kessler K6) (SAMHSA/NCHS via national survey)
- 10.3% of adults with major depressive episode reported attempting suicide at least once (CDC/NCHS; relationships are linked via distress pathways in cohort studies)
- $5.1 billion paid in child support in the U.S. in 2021 (federal annual report total collections)
- The economic cost of divorce in the U.S. is estimated at roughly $112 billion annually (economic analysis estimate)
- In the U.S., divorce-related healthcare costs are higher; one analysis estimated an additional ~$1,000 per year per affected adult (health economics study)
- 1 in 3 U.S. adults have used therapy at some point in their lives (survey-based; 2022)
- 14% of U.S. adults reported using an online therapy service in the past 12 months (survey estimate)
- Approximately 48% of people seeking counseling choose telehealth modalities (telehealth adoption survey estimate)
Around 40% of US marriages may end in divorce, affecting millions and raising mental health distress.
Related reading
01 · Category
Industry Trends11 stats
01
40% of marriages in the United States in 2009 are expected to end in divorce, according to an estimate based on marriage cohorts
02
For women in the United States in 2009–2010, about 1 in 6 (≈16.7%) had ever experienced a marriage ending in divorce (survey data)
03
For men in the United States in 2009–2010, about 1 in 7 (≈14.3%) had ever experienced a marriage ending in divorce (survey data)
04
3.2 million children were affected by divorce in the United States in 2014 (population-based estimate)
05
63% of divorces involve child custody arrangements that require court involvement (survey-based legal/administrative estimate)
06
53% of adults in the United States who cohabited at least once reported at least one relationship breakup (General Social Survey measure of cohabitation dissolution experiences)
07
In Canada, the divorce rate in 2022 was 1.9 divorces per 1,000 population (Statistics Canada)
08
In Canada, there were 53,749 divorces in 2022 (Statistics Canada)
09
For the U.S., 1 in 2 marriages is projected to end in divorce by year 30 of marriage (study projection using cohort life table methods)
10
In a U.S. study, 24% of adults reported experiencing at least one breakup in the previous year (survey-based; N=1,000+)
11
In a U.S. study, 10% of adults reported a breakup followed by a period of increased loneliness scores (longitudinal)
Interpretation
Industry Trends Interpretation
Industry Trends point to how widespread relationship disruption is, with an estimated 40% of U.S. marriages expected to end in divorce and 63% of those divorces involving child custody court involvement, showing the real-world ripple effects go well beyond the couple.
02 · Category
Performance Metrics24 stats
01
15.2% of U.S. adults reported that their mental health was 'not good'—a measure found to be higher among those experiencing relationship stress including breakup (BRFSS-based association)
02
5.4% of U.S. adults report severe psychological distress (Kessler K6) (SAMHSA/NCHS via national survey)
03
10.3% of adults with major depressive episode reported attempting suicide at least once (CDC/NCHS; relationships are linked via distress pathways in cohort studies)
04
In the UK, individuals separated/divorced have a higher risk of depression compared with married people, with an odds ratio of 1.9 in one meta-analysis
05
In a longitudinal study, relationship dissolution predicted a mean increase of about 0.3 standard deviations in depressive symptoms among affected adults
06
In a large meta-analysis, effect sizes for loneliness increased by about 0.3 SD after relationship loss/breakup compared with controls
07
In a national U.S. survey, 25% of adults report 'stress' as a top life problem; relationship conflict is a commonly cited driver in stress checklists used in the survey
08
43% of people reported that breakups caused 'emotional suffering' lasting more than 1 month in a survey by the American Psychological Association's research summaries
09
In a study of romantic relationship instability, 58% of individuals reported at least one breakup event; breakup frequency correlated with higher anxiety scores (r=0.29)
10
In a meta-analysis, relationship dissolution had a pooled risk ratio of 1.2 for developing depressive symptoms compared to continuing relationships
11
In a cohort study, the incidence of clinically diagnosed depression increased from 6.1 to 7.4 per 100 person-years after separation/divorce (age-adjusted)
12
In Denmark registry research, divorce was associated with higher mortality, with hazard ratio 1.2 over follow-up
13
In a cohort meta-analysis, relationship dissolution increased risk of cardiovascular mortality by about 15% (pooled HR ~1.15)
14
In the U.S., suicide rates were about 13.5 per 100,000 in 2022; studies link elevated risk to acute relationship stress episodes including breakups
15
In a large study, bereavement/relationship loss was associated with increased emergency psychiatric visits by 1.4x in the period following loss
16
In a U.S. longitudinal study, financial strain after divorce increased by about 0.4 SD relative to married controls
17
In a systematic review, effect sizes show that relationship instability is associated with about 0.2 SD higher anxiety symptoms on average
18
In a meta-analysis, relationship dissolution is associated with about a 1.3x increased odds of alcohol misuse
19
In a cohort, divorce was associated with increased smoking initiation, with relative risk around 1.1 compared to staying married
20
In a meta-analysis, relationship breakup was associated with an average reduction in life satisfaction of about 0.2 SD
21
In a study of relationship loss, acute grief symptoms peaked at about 2 weeks after breakup for most participants (survey diary study)
22
In the Netherlands, divorce increased risk of unemployment by about 10% in the 1–2 years after divorce (registry-based study)
23
In a U.S. panel study, hardship (food insecurity) increased by 8.3 percentage points for families after divorce/separation
24
In a U.S. study, the share of custodial mothers receiving public assistance increased by 12 percentage points after divorce
Interpretation
Performance Metrics Interpretation
Overall, the performance metrics point to a consistent mental health hit after relationship breakup, with depressive or distress measures rising by roughly 0.3 standard deviations in longitudinal and meta-analytic findings and with specific population rates as high as 15.2% reporting not good mental health among U.S. adults and 5.4% experiencing severe psychological distress.
More related reading
03 · Category
Cost Analysis15 stats
01
$5.1 billion paid in child support in the U.S. in 2021 (federal annual report total collections)
02
The economic cost of divorce in the U.S. is estimated at roughly $112 billion annually (economic analysis estimate)
03
In the U.S., divorce-related healthcare costs are higher; one analysis estimated an additional ~$1,000per year per affected adult (health economics study)
04
One study estimated that divorce increases utilization of mental health services by about 30% in post-divorce years
05
In a U.S. analysis, custodial mothers' average per-capita spending dropped by about 15% after divorce
06
In a UK study, average housing costs for families increased by £120–£250 per month following divorce/separation (budget analysis)
07
U.S. child support enforcement collections totaled $28.6 billion in FY 2022 (Office of Child Support Enforcement annual report)
08
In the U.S., the median cost of divorce litigation (including attorney fees) is about $12,900(survey median)
09
In a U.S. study, the average direct cost of divorce for women was $7,500in the year of divorce (administrative and survey estimate)
10
In a U.S. study, bankruptcy filings increased by about 0.7 percentage points after divorce among affected adults (panel study)
11
In a U.S. report, 32% of separated/divorced households reported difficulty paying bills within 12 months (survey estimate)
12
In a randomized trial of relationship counseling, costs per participant were reduced by about 25% when delivered via group sessions compared with individual sessions (program cost analysis)
13
In a U.S. adoption of divorce coaching program pilot, average out-of-pocket cost per client was $900–$1,200 for a multi-session package (program budget)
14
In the U.S., spending on mental health services was $225.0 billion in 2022 (SAMHSA; includes mental health treatment pathways relevant to breakup-related distress)
15
$88.3 billion U.S. spending on mental health services in 2022 for treatment (SAMHSA spending component)
Interpretation
Cost Analysis Interpretation
From a Cost Analysis perspective, divorce and breakups impose wide-ranging financial strain in the hundreds of billions each year, with the U.S. estimated at about $112 billion annually plus added healthcare costs around $1,000 per affected adult per year, while support payments and family expenses also rise or shift like the 15% drop in custodial mothers’ spending and the UK’s £120 to £250 monthly housing increase.
04 · Category
User Adoption19 stats
01
1 in 3 U.S. adults have used therapy at some point in their lives (survey-based; 2022)
02
14% of U.S. adults reported using an online therapy service in the past 12 months (survey estimate)
03
Approximately 48% of people seeking counseling choose telehealth modalities (telehealth adoption survey estimate)
04
In 2021, 60% of U.S. adults with mental health concerns used telehealth at least once (survey estimate)
05
In a national U.S. survey, 72% of people considering counseling said they would consider online options (choice-based survey)
06
In a consumer survey, 33% of respondents reported using relationship podcasts/online courses during a breakup (survey estimate)
07
In a survey of app users, 18% reported using a relationship/recovery app after a breakup (app usage survey)
08
In a U.S. survey, 26% of adults reported they would seek help from a therapist for relationship issues (preference survey)
09
In a consumer study, 29% of breakup support seekers used self-help content (books/videos) (survey estimate)
10
In a U.S. survey, 58% of people used informal social support (friends/family) after relationship breakup (survey estimate)
11
In a study of online communities, 1,200,000 active users were recorded in relationship support forums (community analytics)
12
In a meta-analysis, about 70% of couples receiving structured relationship education showed improvements in communication or satisfaction immediately post-intervention
13
In an evaluation, 84% of participants completed at least one session in a relationship counseling program (program completion rate)
14
In a randomized trial, 65% of couples assigned to counseling attended at least 3 sessions (attendance rate)
15
In a U.S. trial of online couple therapy, 78% of participants completed post-treatment assessments (retention rate)
16
In a study of post-breakup support groups, 62% attended at least weekly for the first month (attendance rate)
17
In a national survey, 9% of U.S. adults used a self-guided breakup program (survey estimate)
18
In a platform report, 1.5 million users subscribed to relationship counseling content globally in 2023 (platform subscription report)
19
In a U.S. survey, 31% of people reported seeking help from therapists in response to relationship issues (survey estimate)
Interpretation
User Adoption Interpretation
For the User Adoption angle, the data shows that digital help is already mainstream, with 14% of U.S. adults using online therapy in the past year and roughly half of those seeking counseling choosing telehealth, while 72% of people considering counseling say they would also consider online options.
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
Lukas Bauer. (2026, February 13). Relationship Breakup Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/relationship-breakup-statistics
MLA
Lukas Bauer. "Relationship Breakup Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/relationship-breakup-statistics.
Chicago
Lukas Bauer. 2026. "Relationship Breakup Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/relationship-breakup-statistics.
Sources & references
64 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+40 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)