According to the 2020 UNIDOMO questionnaire, Portugal clearly led the list of European countries with the highest divorce rate per 100 marriages. With 91.5 divorces the Portuguese Republic led the list, followed by Spain and Luxembourg. All three countries boast a significantly higher share than the other European countries, each reporting a divorce rate over 80 divorces.

A different way to look at Portugal

While Portugal clearly has the most divorces per 100 marriages, looking at divorce rates per 1.000 inhabitants in other European countries alters the picture of the country as one unsettled by significant numbers of divorces. With nearly 1.7 divorces per 1,000 inhabitants Portugal has roughly the same divorce rate as Germany and the Netherlands. Interesting is furthermore that although marriages in Portugal tend to result in divorce lightly more often as in Luxembourg (80.3%), the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg experienced a 0.6 point higher divorce rate.

What about the rest of the World?

While compared with Latin American countries like Guatemala or Peru, ranked among the countries with the lowest divorce rates in the world, Luxembourg’s divorce rate seems excessive. However, when compared with divorce rates (per 1.000 inhabitants) of countries like the United States (2.7) or China (3.5) divorce rates from Luxembourg and Europe are not out of the ordinary.

As of 2025, Sri Lanka had the lowest divorce rate in the world, with 0.15 divorces per 1,000 population. Vietnam and Guatemala followed with 0.2 divorces per 1,000 inhabitants.

In 2020, Latvia, Denmark, and Lithuania had the highest divorce rates among countries in the European Union, at 2.7 divorces per 1,000 population. By contrast, Malta had the lowest divorce rate at 0.5 divorces per 1,000 population.

As of 2023, the divorce rate in China decreased to *** divorces per 1,000 inhabitants. Before 2020, this number had been constantly increasing since 2002. Divorce rate in Asian countries The divorce rate in China soared from around **** divorces per 1,000 people in 2000 to **** divorces in 2019. This is a quite high value compared to the divorce rate of countries in the Asia Pacific region. However, China shares the fate of a growing divorce rate with many other developing countries, while in most developed countries, the number of divorces per 1,000 inhabitants is either stable or falling. For example, the divorce rate in Singapore has been manly stable at *** divorces per 1,000 inhabitants in the last ten years and the divorce rate in South Korea has fallen from *** in 2009 to *** in 2023. In comparison, the U.S. divorce rate has been falling since 1992 from *** divorces per 1,000 people to *** divorces in 2022. Dating scene in China For the younger generations, dating and marriage happens (if at all) at a much later life stage compared to their parents. The fact that China has the highest working hours in the region does not ease the dire situation for singles in China, most of them being employed as professionals or employed in the media sector, where long working hours and high work pressure are quite common.

China Population: Divorce Rate data was reported at 0.256 % in 2023. This records an increase from the previous number of 0.204 % for 2022. China Population: Divorce Rate data is updated yearly, averaging 0.097 % from Dec 1978 (Median) to 2023, with 46 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 0.336 % in 2019 and a record low of 0.018 % in 1978. China Population: Divorce Rate data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by National Bureau of Statistics. The data is categorized under China Premium Database’s Socio-Demographic – Table CN.GA: Population: No of Marriage and Divorce.

Albania Vital Statistics: Divorces: per 100 Marriages data was reported at 15.800 % in 2021. This records a decrease from the previous number of 24.400 % for 2020. Albania Vital Statistics: Divorces: per 100 Marriages data is updated yearly, averaging 13.972 % from Dec 1990 (Median) to 2021, with 32 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 26.100 % in 2019 and a record low of 5.900 % in 1997. Albania Vital Statistics: Divorces: per 100 Marriages data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Institute of Statistics. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Albania – Table AL.G003: Vital Statistics.

In 2023, 6.5 marriages were registered per 1,000 inhabitants in Russia, compared to 4.7 divorces per 1,000 population. The marriage rate in the country saw an increase compared to the previous year. In 2011, 9.2 marriages were registered per 1,000 Russians, which was the highest number recorded over the period under consideration. What do marriage and divorce rates mean? The crude marriage rate refers to the number of marriages per one thousand population, according to the United Nations Population Division. In total, around 946,000 marriages were registered in Russia in 2023, while the country’s population was estimated at 146.3 million in that year. Another indicator relevant to Russian demographics is the crude divorce rate, which is the number of divorces recorded in a year per 1,000 population, as defined by the United Nations Population Division. In total, nearly 684,000 divorces were registered in Russia in 2023. What do Russians think of marriage? In every age category, most Russians believed that being married and living in a family was most preferable in the society. However, the share of family and marriage supporters was the lowest among 18-to-24-year-olds, measuring at 60 percent. Both for men and women, the ideal age to get married was considered in a person’s twenties.

Armenia Vital Statistics: Year to Date: Crude Divorce Rate: per 1000 Population data was reported at 1.500 Person in Jun 2023. This stayed constant from the previous number of 1.500 Person for Mar 2023. Armenia Vital Statistics: Year to Date: Crude Divorce Rate: per 1000 Population data is updated quarterly, averaging 1.300 Person from Dec 2012 (Median) to Jun 2023, with 43 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 1.700 Person in Jun 2014 and a record low of 1.000 Person in Jun 2020. Armenia Vital Statistics: Year to Date: Crude Divorce Rate: per 1000 Population data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Statistical Committee of the Republic of Armenia. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Armenia – Table AM.G003: Vital Statistics.

Despite public opinion that divorce is becoming more frequent in the United States, the divorce rate actually seems to be declining, with Nevada being the top state for divorce in 2022, with a rate of *** divorces per 1,000 of the population, followed by Oklahoma, Arkansas, Idaho, and Wyoming. Marriage and divorce in Nevada Nevada has one of the highest marriage rates in the country, and Las Vegas is a popular wedding destination. Nevada is one of the few states in the U.S. that allows couples to get a marriage license and get married immediately afterwards. In addition, Nevada is a no-fault divorce state, which means that couples do not need to address the reason behind the divorce. Divorced couples in the U.S. In recent years, the number of divorced individuals over age 50 in the U.S. seems to have surpassed the number of those who were under the age of 30, but whether the younger generation remains married longer than generations past is yet to be seen. Additionally, far more children of divorced parents lived with a female single parent, rather than a male single parent.

Cambodia Population Distribution: Divorced data was reported at 1.800 % in 2021. This records an increase from the previous number of 1.700 % for 2020. Cambodia Population Distribution: Divorced data is updated yearly, averaging 1.750 % from Jun 2020 (Median) to 2021, with 2 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 1.800 % in 2021 and a record low of 1.700 % in 2020. Cambodia Population Distribution: Divorced data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by National Institute of Statistics. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Cambodia – Table KH.G001: Population: Cambodia Socio-Economic Survey (CSES).

In 2020, the number of divorces in France was of 57,437. France had a divorce rate of 55 per 100 marriages in 2020. A number which was not one of the highest in Europe but that emphasizes the fact that in recent years, divorce is a phenomenon with a significant impact on Western countries. The characteristics of French divorces Despite a record number of 152,020 separations in 2005, the number of divorces in France remained stable since the mid-2000s and has also been declining by a rate of 8 percent between 2004 and 2014. Since then, the number of divorces remained almost the same in the country, even though an decrease has been seen between 2016 and 2017. In 2019, the majority of divorces in France were pronounced by mutual consent. Most of divorces pronounced in France concerned marriages which lasted between 4 years and 7 years. Unions in France The number of marriages in France is decreasing since 2004 and reached 220,000 in 2021, compared to 236,826 ten years before. Same-sex marriage was legalized in France since 2013, but civil partnerships are the type of unions that increased in recent years. More than 205,000 civil partnerships were contracted in 2010 in France. Implemented in 1999, civil unions in France are established between two individuals regardless of gender.

In 2023, the divorce rate in Poland amounted to *** per **** people. It is a slight decrease compared to the previous year. The highest divorce rate per **** people in Poland was recorded in 2006 at ***. Marriages in Poland In 2023, the number of marriages in Poland amounted to *******, marking a decrease compared to the previous year. The lowest number of marriages was recorded in 2013 at ***** thousand. In 2023, marriage rate per 1,000 inhabitants was measured at *** — thus, an increase compared to 2020. At its highest, this indicator was set in 2008, when it amounted to ***. The number of divorces in Poland has been systematically decreasing since 2011, reaching ****** cases in 2023. For a broader perspective, the figures have increased by over ** percent since 1995. The highest number of divorces in the country happened in 2006 (******). On the other hand, the number of marriages concluded over the same period has decreased by nearly ** percent. Government support program for families "500 plus" Family 500+ program is a systemic support for Polish families. From 1 July 2019, all children up to the age of 18 are entitled to the benefit regardless of income received by the family:- the program offers support for every family, also for single-parents.- the funds are paid out regularly, every month until the child completes 18 years of age. In 2018, the government in Poland spent over ** billion zlotys under the "Family 500+" program, of which the most funds were transferred to families in the Mazowieckie Voivodeship. This program enjoys the support of almost half of the society in Poland. The funds transferred to the families in 2019 were most often spent on clothes and shoes, art articles for school, and additional extracurricular activities. A measurable effect of this assistance was the possibility to develop children's interests by participating in extra activities.

Albania Vital Statistics: Divorces data was reported at 3,113.000 Unit in 2021. This records a decrease from the previous number of 4,267.000 Unit for 2020. Albania Vital Statistics: Divorces data is updated yearly, averaging 3,486.000 Unit from Dec 1990 (Median) to 2021, with 32 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 5,860.000 Unit in 2019 and a record low of 1,430.000 Unit in 1997. Albania Vital Statistics: Divorces data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Institute of Statistics. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Albania – Table AL.G003: Vital Statistics.

Portugal was the European country with the highest divorce rate in 2020, counting almost 92 divorces per 100 marriages. However, in 2023, the divorce-marriage ratio decreased to 47 percent. In 2020, the ratio peaked because of the drop in marriages during the coronavirus (COVID-19) related lockdown. Pandemic years registered the lowest numbers of marriages and divorces since 2010 Until 2019, the annual divorce rate in Portugal had been relatively stable at around two divorces per 1,000 residents. Nevertheless, during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the lowest divorce rate so far was recorded at 1.7, which may be explained by the restrictions imposed by lockdowns and the delays in administrative and bureaucratic services. Still, and due to the same reasons, the number of marriages also suffered a steep decline in 2020 to around 18,900, more than doubling in 2022 and surpassing 2011 figures. First marriages and motherhood occur later in life in Portugal The mean age on first marriage of both men and women in Portugal has been increasing at an almost constant pace for years. 2021 marked an inversion of this tendency, with the mean age of men when marrying for the first time decreasing to 34.3 years of age and the mean age of women decreasing to 32.9 years. However, the rising trend in age was quickly reestablished, as 2022 recorded the highest mean age on first marriage for both sexes. Under the same inclination is the average age of women when giving birth to their first child, which was at 30.9 years in 2021, increasing two years of age in relation to 2010.

In 2022, the divorce rate in the United States stood at *** per 1,000 of the population. Divorce in the U.S. Divorce is the termination of a marital union. In the United States, as in most other countries, it is a legal process in which a judge or another legal authority dissolves the bonds of matrimony existing between two persons. The process of divorce also normally involves issues surrounding distribution of property, financial support of the former spouse, child custody and child support. A divorce also allows a person to marry again.In the United States, divorce is, like marriage, a matter for state governments, not the federal government. Although divorce laws vary from state to state, for example on which terms a divorce can be arranged, a divorce must be certified by a court of law to become effective. A declining divorce rate Over the last couple of years, both the marriage rate and the divorce rate have been declining in the United States. As of 2009, the average length of a first marriage in the U.S. was ***** years, while the average length of a second marriage was about ** years.

In 2020, Germany had aproximately ******* divorces taking place, which was the highest in the European Union. France had the second highest number of divorces at *******.

Population: Number of Divorces: Hainan data was reported at 21,028.000 Case in 2023. This records an increase from the previous number of 15,244.000 Case for 2022. Population: Number of Divorces: Hainan data is updated yearly, averaging 9,330.000 Case from Dec 1995 (Median) to 2023, with 29 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 22,970.000 Case in 2020 and a record low of 2,769.000 Case in 1995. Population: Number of Divorces: Hainan data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by National Bureau of Statistics. The data is categorized under China Premium Database’s Socio-Demographic – Table CN.GA: Population: No of Marriage and Divorce.

In the legal year 2021/2022, the total number of divorces in Tunisia stood at ******. This represented a decrease compared to the previous year. However, an increasing trend in divorce cases could be observed in the country between 2013 and 2019. In contrast, the total number of marriages decreased constantly between 2015 and 2020.

China Population: Number of Marriages data was reported at 7,682,141.000 Case in 2023. This records an increase from the previous number of 6,834,972.000 Case for 2022. China Population: Number of Marriages data is updated yearly, averaging 9,210,923.500 Case from Dec 1978 (Median) to 2023, with 46 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 13,469,267.000 Case in 2013 and a record low of 5,978,171.000 Case in 1978. China Population: Number of Marriages data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by National Bureau of Statistics. The data is categorized under China Premium Database’s Socio-Demographic – Table CN.GA: Population: No of Marriage and Divorce.

Annual UK and constituent country figures for births, deaths, marriages, divorces, civil partnerships and civil partnership dissolutions.