|
|
|
Comparative
Marriage and Divorce rates: UK, Europe and the USA |
| During
the last half a century in Britain, there has been a significant decline
in the number of marriages and also a considerable increase in the number
of divorces. This trend has been mirrored throughout continental Europe;
first in the North, but now also in the West and South. The recurring
theme of fewer marriages and more divorces has also been characteristic
of the United States over the same time period, although in the USA there
has not been as much fluctuation in the statistics as there has been in
the UK. The UK In 1950, there were 408,000 marriages in the UK. The peak number of marriages was in 1972 when there were 480,000 marriages, largely as a result of the post-war baby boom. This number then declined over subsequent years until 1999, when there was a low of 301,000 marriages. A telling statistic that underlines the decline in marriages in the UK is that in 2000 the number of first marriages was at only 180,000 in stark contrast to almost 390,000 first marriages during 1970. Between 2001 and 2002 there was a further increase in the number of divorces. The number of divorces granted in the UK in 2002 was 160,000. In 1961 the figure was just 27,000. The increasing trend in divorce can be clearly traced back to the 1960’s. The 1961 rate of 27,000 divorces doubled to 56,000 by 1969, and had again doubled to 125,000 divorces by 1972. The huge increase in divorces has been largely attributed to the introduction of the Divorce Reform Act of 1969. |
|
 |
|
| The
EU As for the rest of the EU, declining marriage rates and increased divorce rates have also been the norm. The marriage rate in the UK during the year 2000 was close to the EU average at 5.1 marriages for every 1,000 people. Denmark had the highest at a rate of 6.6 and Sweden was the lowest at 4.0. The 2000 divorce rate in the UK was above the EU average of 1.9 divorces per 1,000 people, with 2.6 divorces per 1,000. Belgium had the highest divorce rate at 2.9 per 1,000 people, and Italy and the Republic of Ireland the lowest rate at 0.7. |
|
 |
|
| The
USA Both marriage and divorce rates in the United States are higher than in the UK and Europe. There were 1,163,000 divorces granted in 1997, which translates to a rate of 4.3 divorces per 1,000 people. The National Centre for Health Statistics recorded in 1997 that there were 2,384,000 marriages, which is equivalent to 8.9 marriages per 1,000 people. |
|
 |
|
| Reasons
for Divorce Common demographic factors identified for couples in the UK as most likely to divorce have included: marrying younger than the average age of marriage, having a pre-marital birth, job stress, or having previously been divorced. The average length of marriage for UK divorces granted in 2002 was 11 years, with women most frequently relying on the fact of unreasonable behaviour and men most frequently relying on 2 years separation and consent. |
|
|
Given
the statistical evidence, it can be concluded that marriage is less common
than ever in the UK and also that divorce rates are not far off the record
number they reached in the early 1990’s. Currently the marriage
and divorce rate trends show no sign of abating. The reasons for divorce
vary but the general trend is still one of fewer marriages coupled with
higher divorce rates.
For
more information please contact: |
