2008 divorce numbers lowest for 35 years
2008 divorces fall by 5 per cent on previous year
Article by: Susan Alexander, 5th February 2010
The number of divorces in England and Wales fell by 5 per cent in 2008 to 121,779 compared with 128,232 in 2007. This is the fifth consecutive year that the number of divorces has fallen, from a peak of 153,176 in 2003, and is the lowest number since 1975 when there were 120,522 divorces. The number of divorces was highest amongst men and women aged 40 to 44.
In 2008, the divorce rate in England and Wales decreased by 2.5 per cent to 11.5 divorcing people per 1,000 married population, compared with 11.8 in 2007. The 2008 divorce rate is the lowest since 1979, when there were 11.2 divorces per 1,000 married people.
Compared with 2007, divorce rates in England and Wales for both men and women fell across many age groups. However, rates increased for men aged up to 39 and over 60 and for women aged 20 to 34 and 50 to 59.
The mean age for men divorcing was 43.9 years in 2008, an increase from 43.7 years in 2007. For women this increased from 41.2 years in 2007 to 41.4 years in 2008. Since 1998, the mean age at divorce for both men and women has increased by 3.5 years from 40.4 years for men and 37.9 years for women.
The median duration of marriage at divorce granted in 2008 was 11.5 years, a decrease from 11.7 years in 2007 and an increase from 10.2 years in 1998. In 2008, twenty per cent of men divorcing and twenty percent of women divorcing had a previous marriage ending in divorce. These proportions have almost doubled since 1981 when they were 11 per cent. Out of all divorces in 2008, 69 per cent were to couples where the marriage was the first for both parties while the remaining 31 per cent were to couples where at least one of the party had been previously divorced or widowed.