Divorce has become commonplace both in the United States and around the world. According to divorce statistics, an estimated 40 to 50 percent of first marriages end in divorce in the United States. In some countries, divorce rates for first marriages exceed 50 percent. Second and third marriages in the United States have even higher divorce rates. According to statistics, second marriages fail at a rate of 60-67 percent, and third marriages fail at a rate of 73-74 percent.

Divorce statistics show that there are various reasons why marriages fail. According to divorced couples, the number one reason a marriage fails is due to miscommunication or miscommunication. The second most cited reason for divorce is martial conflicts and arguments. Third, many divorced couples say that the infidelity led to the divorce. While these are the top reasons cited for divorce, statistics show that there are several underlying factors that contribute to these trends. These factors include, but are not limited to: age, education, income, religion, and cohabitation.

age

Statistics show that those who marry in their mid to late twenties are less likely to divorce than those who marry at a younger age, and that this age group tends to be more satisfied with marriage than couples who they marry later in life. For divorced couples under the age of 20, women are more likely to initiate the divorce; while for divorced couples over the age of 20, men are more likely to initiate the divorce.

education and income

Education and income play a role in divorce statistics. Data shows that a married couple with higher education and higher income are less likely to divorce than a couple with less education and lower income.

Religion

While various religious denominations show a slightly lower divorce rate of 21 to 34 percent, other data suggests that people with no religious affiliation have a lower divorce rate than people with reported religious affiliations. It has also been suggested that the pastors of local congregations, for various reasons, may not be aware of how many divorced couples are actually in or have been a part of their congregations.

Cohabitation

Reports suggest that between 40 and 85 percent of couples who lived together before getting married ended up getting divorced.

Divorce statistics indicate that about a quarter of adults in the United States have been divorced at least once in their lifetime. Characteristics of people who are more likely to divorce include:

or younger at the time of marriage

or less education

or have children from a previous relationship

or cohabitation before marriage

or sexual activity before marriage

Based on divorce statistics, it does not appear that only one factor contributes to a couple’s decision to divorce. Although divorced couples have identified three main reasons as the main causes of divorce, it appears that underlying factors can also contribute to these problems.