What Is The Divorce Rate In The U.S.? Trends (2025)

What is the divorce rate in the U.S.? Learn how many married Americans get divorced and why the divorce rate matters within the legal system.

Sarah Edwards

Contributor

Reviewed By Adam Ramirez, J.D.

Editor

September 3, 2025 Read in 2 mins

Divorce Rate in the U.S. (2000–2023)

www.consumershield.com

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values%20in%20the%20dataset.%20Over%20the%20years,%20there%20is%20a%20general%20downward%20trend,%20with%20the%20rate%20decreasing%20to%202.3%20per%201,000%20in%202020,%20the%20lowest%20point%20recorded.%20In%202021%20and%202023,%20the%20rate%20slightly%20fluctuates,%20rising%20to%202.5%20and%20then%20decreasing%20to%202.4%20per%201,000%20respectively.%20The%20data%20highlights%20a%20consistent%20decline%20in%20the%20divorce%20rate%20over%20the%2022-year%20period.%22,%22title%22:%22Divorce%20Rate%20in%20the%20U.S.%20(2000%E2%80%932023)%22%7D

* Chart represents the number of divorces per 1,000 people in the total U.S. population.
* Some states are missing in certain years, and the exclusions change over time, so the data and trends are approximate.

Source: CDC Marriage and Divorce Trends

Data Share

Research

Analyzing Divorce Trends Over the Years
Recent Data for 2023 and a Different Metric
Factors Leading to Divorce
Legal Right to Obtain a Divorce
Learn More From ConsumerShield

What is the divorce rate in the U.S.? Quick Answer

According to 2023 data, the divorce rate in the U.S. stands at 2.4 per 1000 people.

The divorce rate in the United States provides a crucial perspective on evolving views of marriage. Divorce rates measure the number of divorces and annulments across the population. Exploring the divorce rate in America over a more than 20-year span can help you understand its impact on societal norms and the dynamic narrative of marital relationships throughout the country.

Analyzing Divorce Trends Over the Years

From 2000 to 2023, the divorce rate per 1,000 people in the U.S. gradually declined to a low of 2.3 in 2020 before slightly increasing to 2.4 in 2022 and 2023.

The most obvious reason for this trend is the decreasing marriage rate. Younger couples may forgo marriage, while many older married couples remain married until one of the spouses passes away.

Recent Data for 2023 and a Different Metric

Researchers account for the effects of declining marriage rates by counting the number of divorces per married couple rather than the entire population.

For example, suppose that you have eight single friends and two married to each other. If your married friends divorce, you have a rate of one divorce per ten people (10%) or one divorce per marriage (100%). Arguably, the second rate might more accurately reflect the group’s marital breakdowns.

Additional data considers a different metric. The number of divorces per married woman in the U.S. peaked in 1979 at 22.8. It declined steadily until stalling in the 2000s. The rate then dropped in the 2010s before rising slightly in the early 2020s. However, in 2023, the number fell again, with 14.4 married women filing divorce papers per 1,000 marriages.

Factors Leading to Divorce

The top reasons for divorce relate to incompatibility or strife between spouses, such as the following:

Cheating
Arguments
Financial difficulties
Substance abuse
Health problems
Domestic violence

These matters are often interrelated. For example, a spouse who suffers a serious injury in a car accident may experience resulting health problems that increase the risk of substance abuse and financial difficulties.

Legal Right to Obtain a Divorce

Many couples no longer view marriage as an unbreakable religious or moral bond. Instead, divorces often solve broken marriages. The law reflects this change in perception. Many states allow no-fault divorces, where a spouse alleges nothing more than their desire to end the marriage.

Learn More From ConsumerShield

What is the divorce rate in the U.S.? If you disregard the effects of a declining marriage rate, divorces currently sit at an all-time low.

When your marriage breaks down, ConsumerShield can provide you with educational resources and connect you with a divorce lawyer for guidance on how to get a divorce. Contact us today for a free case evaluation.

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