Divorce Statistics Europe

From 1950 to 2000, the trend in the United Kingdom was that the number of marriages decreased and the number of divorces increased. This tendency was then observed throughout Europe. Initially, such a drift took place in North Europe and later in the West and the South.

Divorce Statistics Europe for the year 1999

Nation	Divorce Rate per 1000 population
Switzerland	2.91
Finland	2.72
Scotland	2.66
England / Wales	2.66
Belgium	2.58
Hungary	2.54
Denmark	2.52
Sweden	2.39
Germany	2.32
Czech Republic	2.30

Nation	Divorce Rate per 1000 population
Austria	2.29
Netherlands	2.12
Norway	2.04
France	1.98
Portugal	1.79
Bulgaria	1.19
Poland	1.09
Spain	0.94
Greece	0.90
Italy (in 2000)	0.60

Statistics of the United Kingdom

Year	Number of Divorces
Year	Number of Divorces
1961	27,000
1969	56,000
1972	125,000
2002	160,000

In 1969, the Divorce Reform Act was introduced and this was followed by a speedy increase in divorces. During 2000, the divorce rate in this nation was 2.6 divorces per 1000 population.

In 2002, the average duration of marriage for divorces in this country was 11 years. A majority of men relied on 2 years separation and consent while a plethora of women relied on the base of unreasonable demeanor.

It was found that in the following conditions, couples were more likely to opt for divorce –

• Job stress
• Pre-marital birth
• A previous divorce

Divorce Statistics Europe – Other countries

The divorce rate in the European Union, excluding United Kingdom, was 1.9 divorces per 1000 population in the year 2000. During the same year, the country with the highest divorce rate in Europe was Belgium with 2.9 divorces per 1000 population. The least divorce rate in this continent was 0.7 divorces per 1000 individuals and this existed in the Republic of Ireland and Italy. The overall divorce rate in the European Union was 2 divorces per 1000 persons.

Why the divorce stats in Europe are low?

The Commission for European Family Law comprises of 22 countries. A majority of these nations –

• Have compulsory waiting periods prior to the finalization of a divorce
• Have compulsory counseling that must be experienced by the divorcing couple prior to finalization of the divorce

The above mentioned factors may have resulted in decrease of the divorce rate in Europe (relative to the United States). Additionally, a huge percentage of mainland Europe is Orthodox Christian or Catholic in their beliefs. These people are of the opinion the divorce is not a solution to a sequence of minor disagreements or a dissatisfied relation. Hence, such people look to divorce only as a final option. The cumulative effect of all the above factors is that the divorce rate in nations like Italy is historically lesser than the remaining countries in the continent.

Other divorce stats

From 1981 to 1990, the number of divorces in Europe increased by 140 percent and the separations increased by 120 percent. In 1950, 500 men and 1600 women made applications for separation in Spain. These statistics rose to 29,500 men and 52,000 women in 1970. These statistics further shot up to 134,040 men and 208,430 women in 1986.

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