Divorce Rates in the UK Over the Last 5 Years: A Trend, or Just a Bumpy Ride?

Divorce in the UK is one of those topics that always sparks debate. Some people think it is rising fast. Others believe fewer people are ending their marriages than ever before. But when you look at the last five years of official data, the picture is far from simple.

The biggest lesson from recent divorce statistics is that the numbers have moved around a lot, but not always for the reasons people assume. In England and Wales, there were 107,599 opposite-sex divorces in 2019, 103,592 in 2020, 113,505 in 2021, 80,057 in 2022, and 102,678 in 2023. Those figures show clear ups and downs rather than one steady trend.

At first glance, the huge drop in 2022 looks dramatic. It was the lowest number of divorces in England and Wales since 1971. But that does not necessarily mean marriages suddenly became stronger. The Office for National Statistics said the fall was heavily influenced by the introduction of no-fault divorce in April 2022, which changed both the process and the timing of divorces being finalised.

The years before that were also unusual. In 2019, the ONS said the increase was partly linked to divorce centres clearing a backlog from 2018. In 2020, COVID-19 disrupted family courts, which likely pushed some cases back. Then in 2021, divorce numbers rose again as delayed cases moved through the system.

That is why divorce statistics need context. They do not simply reflect how many relationships broke down in a particular year. They also reflect how quickly cases were processed, whether courts were delayed, and whether the legal system had changed.

So, what is the real takeaway?

Over the last five years, divorce in the UK has been shaped by disruption more than by a straightforward social trend. The pandemic affected court operations, and no-fault divorce changed the legal timetable. By 2023, divorce levels in England and Wales had largely returned to something closer to pre-pandemic patterns.

In other words, the last five years do not show divorce spiralling out of control, and they do not show it disappearing either. They show a system adjusting to extraordinary events. Contact us help or advice.