Divorce rates in the U.S. are declining, recent statistics reveal

As Albuquerque Family Lawyer at Matteucci Family Law points out, going through a marital breakup is never a pleasant experience, and unfortunately, a lot of marriages end up in divorce. The simple truth is that sometimes divorce is the most sensible solution when a relationship stops functioning. 

There’s a common belief that divorce rates have been going up all over the world as people move further away from traditional values such as long-term commitment, marriage and forming a family. However, data provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other official sources paint a more nuanced picture, revealing some interesting insights into the realities of modern-day relationships in the U.S.

Statistics show that the divorce rate in America increased from the ‘60s until the ‘90s, but then entered a period of slow decline. If we compare figures from 2019 and 2020 to those ten years prior, the number of divorces is considerably lower, revealing a downward trend in divorce rates over the past decade. 

According to the CDC, there were 689,308 divorces registered across the 45 U.S. states in 2021, and 1,985,072 marriages, proving that the number of marriages far exceeds that of divorces taking place each year. It’s also interesting to note that during the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of couples filing for divorce in the U.S. dropped by nearly 12%. 

Although divorce rates have declined recently, so have marriage rates. The crude divorce rate fell from 4.0 in 2000 to 2.5 per 1,000 people in 2021. Marriage rates followed a similar trend, going from 8.2 in 2000 to 6.0 per 1,000 people in 2021.  

It is often said that half of marriages end up in divorce. This statement is contradicted by recent data which shows there’s a 40 to 50% chance of a marriage ending in divorce, meaning the likelihood of having a successful marriage is in fact higher than expected. However, the probability of divorce does increase with the number of marriages. People who remarry are more likely to divorce than those who are on their first marriage. Those who are already on their second or third marriage have a much higher divorce rate, of 67% and 73%. That’s 

As for the most common reasons for ending a marriage, lack of commitment is the most cited motive (75%), followed by infidelity (60%), constant conflicts (58%), marrying too young (45%), and financial problems (37%). In most cases, there is more than one reason prompting people to dissolve their marriage. 

Apart from the factors listed above, most couples (70%) cite not understanding the realities of marriage as a major contributor to divorce. According to the National Library of Medicine’s List of Major Reasons for Divorce by Individuals and Couples Who Participated in PREP, most respondents said they weren’t fully aware of the commitment involved in marriage when they took the step. Also, many divorcees stated that they were unable to deal with the changes and challenges that occurred over time in their relationship.