Divorce Statistics UK

As per the records in the United Kingdom, there were 148,141 divorces in 2006 and this number decreased to 144,220 in 2007. Thus, there was a decrease of 2.6 percent. The value of 2007 was the least number since 1977 when there were 138,445 divorces. In 1993, there number of divorces reached a high value of 180,018 and further plummeted by 20 percent till 2007.

Divorce Statistics UK – England and Wales

In England and Wales, it was recorded that there were 11.9 divorcing persons per 1000 married persons in 2007. This was a slight decline from the 12.2 figure in 2006. In 2007, in the age group 25 to 29, there were 26.9 divorces amongst thousand married women and 26.6 divorces amongst thousand married men. This was the 5th consecutive year, when both women and men of this age group recorded the maximum divorce rates amongst all 5-year age groups.

In case of men, the average age for divorce was 40.2 years in 1997 and this increased to 43.7 years in 2007. Similarly, the average age for divorce of women was 37.7 years in 1997 which rose to 41.2 years in 2007.

In 1980, out of 10 men and women divorcing, one had a prior marriage ending in divorce. Within a span of 27 years, this value was doubled. Thus, in 2007, out of 5 men and women divorcing, one had a prior marriage ending in divorce. In the same year, 69 % of the total divorces were of couples whose marriage was the first one for both parties.

The wife was granted the divorce in 68 % of the total divorces. The most common fact proved amongst all the divorces granted to an individual was demeanor. The provisional number of divorces in 2007 were 0.128 million which were 3 percent less as compared with 2006.

Divorce Statistics UK – Scotland and Northern Ireland

In Northern Ireland, 2,565 provisional divorces were recorded in 2006 and this number rose to 2,913 in 2007. The scenario in Scotland during this period was the opposite. In 2006, 13,014 divorces took place and this number dropped to 12,773 in 2007.

Comparisons of Divorce Decrees in England and Wales

	2001	1991	1981
Absolute Decree granted to both	198	393	508
Absolute Decree granted to wife	98,992	113,947	102,170
Absolute Decree granted to husband	44,378	43,961	42,085
Decree of Nullity	250	444	950

Detailed Statistics of England and Wales

	2001 Number of Wives divorcing	2001 Number of Husbands divorcing	1991 Number of Wives divorcing	1991 Number of Husbands divorcing	1981 Number of Wives divorcing	1981 Number of Husbands divorcing
More than 60 years	3,693	6,580	3,199	5,454	3,748	5,440
50 to 59 age group	15,905	21,585	10,543	15,408	9,805	13,774
45 to 49 age group	15,501	18,048	13,607	16,896	9,902	12,767
40 to 44 age group	23,190	25,470	21,979	25,199	15,276	18,187
35 to 39 age group	31,164	31,322	25,661	27,957	22,459	24,688
30 to 34 age group	31,489	27,480	33,195	33,532	31,104	33,064
25 to 29 age group	18,231	11,713	35,582	27,753	33,299	29,114
20 to 24 age group	4,546	1,607	14,639	6,477	19,812	8,615
Less than 20 years	97	11	321	50	283	39

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