Australia' s Divorce Rate Falls to Record Five Decade Low

Marriage Stability on the Rise in Australia as Divorce Rates Hit Five-Decade Low

By Kwedu News

Fewer Australians are getting married, but those who do are staying together longer, new national statistics reveal.

Australia is witnessing a major shift in relationship patterns, with divorce rates falling to their lowest levels in 50 years, according to fresh data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).

As reported by The Guardian (Australia), the figures suggest that marriage is becoming more enduring, even as fewer people choose to tie the knot.

The ABS’s 2024 Marriages and Divorces report, released on Wednesday, confirms a continuing trend, stating that while both marriage and divorce rates have declined over the past two decades, the unions that do happen tend to last longer.

Back in 2004, there were 7.1 marriages per 1,000 Australians aged 16 and over.

A decade later, that number dropped to 5.5 in 2024, unchanged from the year before.

Despite the overall decline in weddings, the median length of marriage before divorce increased to 13.2 years in 2024, up from 13 years in 2023 and 12.1 in 2020.

The national divorce rate also dropped, falling from 2.3 per 1,000 people in 2023 to 2.1 in 2024.

The total number of divorces granted decreased by 3% year-on-year.

The median age of newlyweds continued to rise, reflecting broader societal changes.

In 2024, men typically married at 32.8 years of age, while women did so at 31.2.

For those ending marriages, the median age for divorce was 47.1 for men and 44.1 for women.

Interestingly, while divorces among younger couples are becoming less common, separations among those aged 60 and over are on the rise.

Older couples also tend to stay married longer, which influences the overall increase in marriage duration.

Same-sex and non-binary unions are also contributing to the evolving landscape.

In 2024, the number of marriages increased by 2% overall, but rose by 4.1% for same-sex and gender-diverse couples.

Female same-sex partners were more likely to marry,band divorce, than their male counterparts.

Divorces among same-sex and non-binary couples rose slightly from 1.4% of all divorces in 2023 to 1.6% in 2024.

The data also reflects lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Lockdowns and restrictions from 2020 to 2022 caused sharp drops and surges in marriage numbers, while 2021 saw a spike in divorce filings.

These fluctuations continue to influence relationship trends today, the report says.

Lauren Moran, head of Health and VitalSstatistics at the ABS, described the recent decline in divorces as part of “a complex picture.”

She pointed out that court processing systems can significantly impact divorce counts, but noted that fewer marriages overall naturally lead to fewer breakups.

“We’re seeing fewer divorces among younger couples, but more among older ones,” she said.

“During the pandemic, the sharpest fall in marriage rates was among younger Australians.”

Moran added that there’s still too little data to draw firm conclusions about divorce trends among same-sex couples, calling the increases “small numbers” without a clear pattern.

Supporting the ABS’s findings, the Australian Institute of Family Studies earlier this year also reported the lowest divorce rate since the introduction of the Family Law Act in 1975.

Dr Jan Kabatek, a senior research fellow at the Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research, believes the trend reveals a more discerning attitude toward marriage.

“People are more selective. Those who marry today are often older, more experienced, or guided by stronger religious or personal commitments," he said.

Dr. Kabatek added that the pandemic acted as a natural filter that many couples who might have separated in 2023 or 2024 had already done so during the height of COVID.

Those who remained married are likely more resilient, he said, which skews the average duration upward.

He also noted that certain symbolic dates carry their own risks. For instance, 1,773 couples wed on the visually appealing date of 24 February 2024.

His research suggests that marriages on such dates are 25% more likely to end in divorce.