45 per cent of marriages will end in divorce

According to a study published by Office for National Statistics (ONS) today, if current divorce rates continue around 45 per cent of marriages will end in divorce. It shows that almost half of these divorces will happen before married couples reach their tenth anniversary.

The study is published just a day after the ONS reported that marriage rates have fallen to the lowest level since records began.

According to the study, assuming that divorce rates and death rates remain unchanged from 2005, only around 10 per cent of married couples will celebrate their 60th wedding anniversary, with 45 per cent of marriages ending because of divorce and 45 per cent ending due to death.

The study, published today in the Spring issue of Population Trends, shows that the risk of divorce or death varies according to the duration of marriage. Once marriages survive for a decade, it is estimated that fewer than 31 per cent will end in divorce, and after 20 years, the proportion ending in divorce falls to almost 15 per cent. For marriages that survive to longer durations, divorce is rare.

More information can found on the Office for National Statistics' website: www.statistics.gov.uk.