Divorce demography is the study of divorce statistics in a population. There are three ratios used for divorce rate calculations: crude divorce rate, refined divorce rate, and divorce-to-marriage ratio. Each of these calculations has weaknesses and can be misleading[1].

Estimates of annual divorces by country

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The following are the countries with the most annual divorces according to the United Nations in 2009.[2][3]

Country Divorces
  China 1,893,000
  United States 1,106,670
  Russia 685,910
  Japan 257,475
  Germany 190,928

Divorce statistics by country/region (per 1,000 population / year)

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Country/region Continent Divorce rate Ratio Data Source Year
Marriage Divorce Refined Percent
  Albania Europe 8.1 1.7 4.76 20.99 (2018)[4]
  Algeria Africa 10.1 1.6 6.31 15.84 (2013)[5]
  Australia (more info) Oceania 4.6 2.0 2.3 43.48 (2017)[6]
  Austria Europe 5.3 1.8 2.94 33.96 (2018)[4]
  Azerbaijan Asia 9.7 1.5 6.47 15.46 (2011)[7][8]
  Bahamas North America 6.1 1.0 6.1 16.39 (2007)[7][8]
  Belarus Europe 6.1 3.7 1.65 60.66 (2023)[9]
  Belgium (more info) Europe 3.9 2.1 1.86 53.85 (2016)[4]
  Bermuda 10.6 2.7 3.93 25.47 (2009)[7][8]
  Bosnia and Herzegovina Europe 4.8 0.6 8 12.5 (2012)[4]
  Brazil South America 6.6 1.4 4.71 21.21 (2009)[10]
  Bulgaria Europe 4.1 1.5 2.73 36.59 (2018)[4]
  Canada (more info) North America 4.4 2.1 2.1 47.73 (2008)[7][8]
  Chile (more info) South America 3.3 0.7 4.71 21.21 (2009)[7][8]
  China (more info) Asia 7.2 3.2 2.25 44.44 (2018)[citation needed]
  Colombia South America 2.3 0.7 3.29 30.43 (2007)[11]
  Costa Rica North America 5.3 2.5 2.12 47.17 (2010)[7][8]
  Croatia Europe 4.9 1.5 3.27 30.61 (2018)[4]
  Cuba (more info) North America 5.2 2.9 1.79 55.77 (2010)[7][8]
  Cyprus Asia 6.8 2.2 3.09 32.35 (2017)[4]
  Czech Republic Europe 5.1 2.3 2.22 45.1 (2018)[4]
  Denmark Europe 5.6 2.6 2.15 46.43 (2018)[4]
  Dominican Republic North America 4.4 1.8 2.44 40.91 (2010)[7][8]
  Ecuador South America 5.6 1.1 5.09 19.64 (2006)[11]
  Egypt (more info) Africa 11.0 1.9 5.79 17.27 (2010)[7][8]
  El Salvador North America 3.5 0.8 4.38 22.86 (2006)[11]
  Estonia Europe 5.0 2.4 2.08 48 (2018)[4]
  European Union 4.4 2 2.2 45.45 (2017)[4]
  Finland Europe 4.3 2.4 1.79 55.81 (2018)[4]
  France Europe 3.7 1.9 1.95 51.35 (2016)[4]
  Georgia Asia 6.9 1.3 5.31 18.84 (2011)[7][8]
  Germany (more info) Europe 4.9 1.9 2.58 38.78 (2017)[4]
  Gibraltar 6.7 3.2 2.09 47.76 (2010)[7][8]
  Grenada North America 5.0 1.1 4.55 22 (2001)[11]
  Greece Europe 4.7 1.8 2.61 38.3 (2017)[4]
  Guatemala North America 3.8 1.2 3.17 31.58 (2008)[7][8]
  Hungary Europe 5.2 1.7 3.06 32.69 (2018)[4]
  Iceland Europe 4.9 1.8 2.72 36.73 (2010)[4]
  India (more info) Asia 10 0.1 100 1 ?[12]
  Iran (more info) Asia 11.2 1.6 7 14.29 (2017)[13]
  Iraq Asia Un­known 2.24 (2024)[14]
  Ireland Europe 4.6 0.7 6.57 15.22 (2017)[4]
  Israel (more info) Asia 6.5 1.8 3.61 27.69 (2009)[citation needed]
  Italy Europe 3.2 1.5 2.13 46.88 (2018)[4]
  Jamaica North America 7.5 1.5 5 20 (2011)[7][8]
  Japan (more info) Asia 4.8 1.7 2.82 35.42 (2019)[15]
  Jordan Asia 6.7 1.8 3.72 26.87 (2019)[16][17][18]
  Kazakhstan Asia 7.3 2.5 2.92 34.25 (2021)[19][20]
  Kuwait Asia 5.2 2.2 2.36 42.31 (2010)[7][8]
  Kyrgyzstan Asia 9.7 1.6 6.06 16.49 (2010)[7][8]
  Latvia Europe 6.8 3.1 2.19 45.59 (2018)[4]
  Lebanon Asia 9.5 1.6 5.94 16.84 (2007)[7][8]
  Libya Africa 10.8 2.5 4.32 23.15 (2008)[21]
  Liechtenstein Europe 5.0 2.4 2.08 48 (2010)[4]
  Lithuania Europe 7.0 3.1 2.26 44.29 (2018)[4]
  Luxembourg Europe 2.9 2.3 1.26 79.31 (2020)[4]
  Malaysia Asia 6.4 1.6 4 25 (2019)[22]
  Maldives Asia Un­known 5.52 (2024)[14]
  Malta (more info) Europe 5.8 0.7 8.29 12.07 (2018)[4]
  Mauritius Africa 8.2 1.4 5.86 17.07 (2010)[7][8]
  Mexico North America 5.2 0.9 5.78 17.31 (2009)[7][8]
  Moldova Europe 7.3 3.1 2.35 42.47 (2011)[7][8]
  Mongolia Asia 3.4 1.1 3.09 32.35 (2010)[7][8]
  Montenegro Europe 5.3 1.4 3.79 26.42 (2018)[4]
  Netherlands Europe 3.7 1.8 2.06 48.65 (2018)[4]
  New Zealand (more info) Oceania 4.8 2.0 2.4 41.67 (2008)[7][8]
  Nicaragua North America 4.5 0.8 5.63 17.78 (2005)[11]
  North Macedonia Europe 6.5 0.8 8.13 12.31 (2018)[4]
  Norway (more info) Europe 4.3 1.9 2.26 44.19 (2018)[4]
  Panama North America 3.7 1.0 3.7 27.03 (2010)[7][8]
  Poland (more info) Europe 5.1 1.7 3 33.33 (2018)[4]
  Portugal Europe 1.8 1.7 1.06 94.44 (2020)[4]
  Qatar Asia 3.3 1.1 3 33.33 (2011)[7][8]
  Romania Europe 7.4 1.6 4.63 21.62 (2018)[4]
  Russia Europe 5.3 3.9 1.36 73.58 (2020)[23][24]
  Saint Lucia North America 2.8 0.7 4 25 (2004)[11]
  Saint Vincent and the Grenadines North America 5.8 0.8 7.25 13.79 (2007)[7][8]
  San Marino Europe 6.1 2.5 2.44 40.98 (2011)[7][8]
  Saudi Arabia Asia 5.6 2.1 2.67 37.5 (2020)[25]
  Serbia Europe 5.2 1.4 3.71 26.92 (2018)[4]
  Seychelles Africa 17.4 1.9 9.16 10.92 (2011)[7][8]
  Singapore (more info) Asia 6.8 1.9 3.58 27.94 (2015)[26]
  Slovakia Europe 5.7 1.8 3.17 31.58 (2018)[4]
  Slovenia Europe 3.5 1.1 3.18 31.43 (2018)[4]
  South Africa (more info) Africa 3.5 0.6 5.83 17.14 (2009)[10]
  South Korea (more info) Asia 4.7 2.2 2.14 46.81 (2019)[27]
  Spain Europe 1.9 1.6 1.19 84.21 (2020)[4]
  Sri Lanka Asia ? 0.15 ?[28]
  Suriname South America 4.2 1.3 3.23 30.95 (2007)[7][8]
  Sweden Europe 5.0 2.5 2 50 (2018)[4]
   Switzerland Europe 4.8 2.0 2.4 41.67 (2016)[4]
  Syria Asia 10.6 1.3 8.15 12.26 (2006)[11]
  Taiwan Asia 5.7 2.3 2.48 40.35 (2018)[29]
  Tajikistan Asia 13.5 1.4 9.64 10.37 (2009)[7][8]
  Thailand Asia 5.5 1.4 3.93 25.45 (2005)[11]
  Tonga Oceania 7.1 1.2 5.92 16.9 (2003)[11]
  Trinidad and Tobago North America 6.3 2.2 2.86 34.92 (2005)[11][30]
  Tunisia Africa (2016)[31]
  Turkey Europe 6.8 1.7 4 25 (2018)[4]
  Ukraine Europe 4.06 2.88 1.41 70.94 (2020)
  United Arab Emirates Asia 2.8 0.7 4 25 (2005)[32]
  United Kingdom (more info) Europe 4.4 1.8 2.44 40.91 (2015)[4]
  United States (more info) North America 5.1 2.3 2.22 45.1 (2020)[33]
  Uruguay South America 3.2 ? (2010)[7]
  Uzbekistan Asia 7.8 1.1 7.09 14.1 (2006)[34][35]
  Venezuela South America 3.3 1.2 2.75 36.36 (2006)[7]
  Vietnam Asia 5.7 0.4 14.25 7.02 (2015)[7][8]

Metrics / statistics

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Crude divorce rate

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This is divorces per 1,000 population per year.[1] For example, if a city has 10,000 people living in it, and 30 couples divorce in one year, then the crude divorce rate for that year is 3 divorces per 1,000 residents.

 

The crude divorce rate can give a general overview of marriage in an area, but it does not take people who cannot marry into account. For example, it would include young children, who are clearly not of marriageable age in its sample. In a place with large numbers of children or single adults, the crude divorce rate can seem low. In a place with few children and single adults, the crude divorce rate can seem high.

Refined divorce rate

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This measures the number of divorces per 1,000 women married to men, so that all unmarried persons are left out of the calculation.[1] For example, if that same city of 10,000 people has 3,000 married women, and 30 couples divorce in one year, then the refined divorce rate is 10 divorces per 1,000 married women.

 

Divorce-to-marriage ratio

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This compares the number of divorces in a given year to the number of marriages in that same year (the ratio of the crude divorce rate to the crude marriage rate).[1] For example, if there are 500 divorces and 1,000 marriages in a given year in a given area, the ratio would be one divorce for every two marriages, e.g. a ratio of 0.50 (50%).

 

However, this measurement compares two unlike populations – those who can marry and those who can divorce. Say there exists a community with 100,000 married couples, and very few people capable of marriage, for reasons such as age. If 1,000 people obtain divorces and 1,000 people get married in the same year, the ratio is one divorce for every marriage, which may lead people to think that the community's relationships are extremely unstable, despite the number of married people not changing. This is also true in reverse: a community with very many people of marriageable age may have 10,000 marriages and 1,000 divorces, leading people to believe that it has very stable relationships.

Furthermore, these two rates are not directly comparable since the marriage rate only examines the current year, while the divorce rate examines the outcomes of marriages for many previous years. This does not equate to the proportion of marriages in a given single-year cohort that will ultimately end in divorce. In any given year, underlying rates may change, and this can affect the ratio. For example, during an economic downturn, some couples might postpone a divorce because they can't afford to live separately. These individual choices could seem to temporarily improve the divorce-to-marriage ratio.

References

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  1. ^ a b c d England, J. Lynn; Kunz, Phillip R. (February 1975), "The Application of Age-Specific Rates to Divorce", Journal of Marriage and the Family, 37 (1), Journal of Marriage and Family, Vol. 37, No. 1: 40–46, doi:10.2307/351029, JSTOR 351029
  2. ^ "United Nations Population Division | Department of Economic and Social Affairs".
  3. ^ UNPD WMD 2008 Divorces un.org
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am "Marriage and divorce statistics". Eurostat 2017.
  5. ^ "Office National des statistiques - Démographie Algérienne 2014" (PDF). Office National des Statistiques (ONS) 2013.
  6. ^ Australian Bureau of Statistic: Marriages and Divorces
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  8. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac "Divorces and crude divorce rates" (PDF). United Nations Statistical Division (UNSTAT). Retrieved 10 January 2013.
  9. ^ Брачность и разводимость в Республике Беларусь
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  12. ^ Divorce Rates in the World [Updated 2024]
  13. ^ BBC Persian "رکورد طلاق در ایران شکست؛ ثبت ۱۷۵ هزار جدایی در سال ۱۳۹۶", BBC, London, 9 April 2018. Retrieved on 28 November 2018.
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  15. ^ "令和婚ブームで2019年の婚姻数は7年ぶりの増加 : 初婚年齢、後ろずれの傾向". 24 June 2020.
  16. ^ 8 Registered Marriages by Age of Bride and Groom, 2019 (PDF). Department of Statistics. 2019.
  17. ^ Registered Divorces by Governorate, 2015-2019 (PDF). Department of Statistics. 2019.
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  19. ^ "Излюбленными месяцами молодожёнов в прошедшем году стали июль и август". ranking.kz.
  20. ^ "Бес в ребро? 13% пар, решивших развестись, провели в браке более 20 лет". ranking.kz.
  21. ^ UNESCWA Population Statistics
  22. ^ "Marriage and Divorce Statistics, Malaysia, 2019". Department of Statistics Malaysia.
  23. ^ Обновлено БРАКИ. Федеральная служба государственной статистики (Federal State Statistics Service). 2020. Archived from the original on 2022-03-31. Retrieved 2021-08-24.
  24. ^ Обновлено - 09.07.2021: РАЗВОДЫ. Федеральная служба государственной статистики (Federal State Statistics Service). 2020. Archived from the original on 2022-04-01. Retrieved 2021-08-24.
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  27. ^ "Statistics Korea".
  28. ^ "UNICEF:Sri Lanka Statistics". Archived from the original on 2018-08-30. Retrieved 2014-06-19.
  29. ^ "An average of 149 couples file for divorce per day in Taiwan in 2018: Data | Taiwan News | 2019-06-23 14:19:00". 23 June 2019.
  30. ^ United Nations Statistical Division (UNSTAT) 2010
  31. ^ "Data Development Hub".
  32. ^ UNESCWA Population Statistics
  33. ^ "Marriage and Divorce". National Center for Health Statistics. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 28 May 2019. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
  34. ^ "Gender: average marriage rate 2000-2006". UNDP CO in Uzbekistan, 2013. Archived from the original on 2013-10-17.
  35. ^ "Gender: average divorce rate 2000-2006". UNDP CO in Uzbekistan, 2013. Archived from the original on 2013-10-17.
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