Number of divorces

IBISWorld forecasts the number of divorces to rise by 3.0% in 2024-25 to 52,846. Climbing consumer and business confidence, supported by rising discretionary incomes, has enabled separated couples to afford legal fees surrounding divorce, boosting the rate of divorce in the current year.

According to the ABS, in 2023 (latest data available), there was one divorce for every 1.4 marriages that were registered. The crude divorce rate in Australia, which is the number of divorces each year per 1,000 people, has remained stable at 2.3 over the past decade. The median duration of marriage to divorce was 13.0 years in 2023, having risen from 11.8 years in 2001. The median age at divorce has also risen over the ten years through 2022-23 to 47.1 years for males and 44.1 years for females. This is a symptom of people getting married later, with the median age at marriage reaching 29.9 for men and 27.6 for women. The reasons for this are primarily cultural and economic with more people focusing on careers, choosing to live together without being married and a general decline in the traditional expectations of marriage whereby people are opting for more individual autonomy.

Historically, females were more likely to file for divorce than males, but since 2011, the number of couples that jointly file for divorce has become the largest of the three groups. Females are also likely to be younger than males in a divorce, which matches marriage statistics showing a two to three-year age gap between females and males.

The number of divorces has risen over the past five years. This can largely be attributed to the Marriage Equality Act that was passed in late 2017, which legalised same-sex marriage. As a result of this act, the pool of total individuals eligible for marriage increased, which expanded the pool of individuals eligible for divorce. Further shaping the number of divorces has been volatile consumer sentiment, largely attributable to the COVID-19 pandemic, along with lockdowns directly impacting the nature of time spent together, which tested many relationships. However, these factors had a delayed effect on marriage status, as couples often postpone divorces until they can afford legal fees. Therefore, improving economic conditions over 2021 enabled many of these couples to apply for a divorce over the year, causing a sharp rise in the number of divorces. Further growth in the number of marriages has contributed to a higher rate of divorce. IBISWorld forecasts the number of divorces to rise at an annualised 1.3% over the five years through 2025.