How common is divorce in Canada and the US?
If you are going through a separation, it can help to know you are far from alone, and that the familiar statistics are often wrong. Here are the latest official figures, what each one actually measures, and why the numbers do not line up.
Every figure on this page comes from an official or academic source, linked beside it with its publication date. We read each source on October 22, 2026.
Canada
divorces granted in Canada in 2020, the lowest number since 1973. There were 56,937 in 2019.
Source: Statistics Canada, The Daily, released March 9, 2022
married people divorced in 2020, down from 7.5 in 2019 and 12.7 in 1991. Courts slowed during the pandemic, which likely pushed the 2020 figure down.
Source: Statistics Canada, The Daily, released March 9, 2022
marriages would end in divorce before their 30th anniversary if the divorce rates seen in 2019 held steady (338 per 1,000 marriages). Using 2020 rates the figure is 256 per 1,000.
Source: Statistics Canada, Table 39-10-0051-01, released November 14, 2022, read October 22, 2026
was the average length of marriages that ended in divorce in 2020, up from 12.5 years in 1980. The average age at divorce has been close to 46.
Source: Statistics Canada, The Daily, released March 9, 2022
of divorce applications in 2020 were filed jointly by both spouses, up from 4% in 1987.
Source: Statistics Canada, The Daily, released March 9, 2022
What these numbers miss
Divorce statistics only count legal divorces. They do not count married couples who separate without divorcing, or common-law couples who split up. Statistics Canada notes that common-law couples rose from 6% of all couples in 1981 to 21% in 2016, so divorce figures increasingly understate how many couples separate, especially in Quebec and the territories. Statistics Canada describes the 2019 and 2020 figures as preliminary, and 2020 is the latest year in its national divorce table as of October 2026.
United States
people in 2023, or 672,502 divorces and annulments, counting the 45 states and DC that report. The rate was 4.0 in 2000. Figures are provisional.
Source: CDC, National Center for Health Statistics, FastStats page last reviewed March 17, 2025
married women divorced in 2024, about the same as 14.4 in 2023. That is 986,810 women.
Source: NCFMR, Bowling Green State University, Family Profile 25-31, 2025, using American Community Survey data
per 1,000 married women: the range between the state with the lowest rate (Maine) and the highest (Oklahoma) in 2024.
Source: NCFMR, Family Profile 25-31, 2025
per 1,000 women aged 15 and over: the fall in the divorce rate between 2012 and 2022, while the marriage rate held steady at about 16.6 to 16.7.
Source: US Census Bureau, America Counts, published October 8, 2024
Why the US numbers look so different
Each source divides by something different. The CDC rate is divorces per 1,000 people of all ages in the states that report; for 2023, California, Hawaii, Indiana, Minnesota and New Mexico are not included. The Census Bureau rate counts women aged 15 and over who divorced in the past year, from a survey. NCFMR uses the same survey but counts only married women, the people who could actually divorce. None of them is a lifetime chance of divorce.
What about "half of all marriages end in divorce"?
You will often hear that half of marriages end in divorce. The official figures above do not say that. In Canada, Statistics Canada's own estimate based on 2019 rates is about one in three marriages ending before the 30th anniversary. In the US, the official sources publish yearly rates rather than a lifetime figure, and those yearly rates have been falling.
More importantly, a national average says little about any one family. If you are thinking about separating, what matters is your situation, your children and your options.
General information, not advice for your situation
This tool is
- A plain summary of official divorce statistics for Canada and the US, with sources and dates.
- An explanation of why different sources give different numbers.
This tool isn't
- A prediction about your own relationship.
- Legal information. For what separation or divorce involves where you live, see the guides below or talk to a professional.
Rules differ between provinces, territories and states, and they change. Before you rely on anything here, check it with a family lawyer, mediator or other qualified professional in your province or state.
Where this comes from
Official sources we checked on October 22, 2026.
- Statistics Canada, The Daily: A fifty-year look at divorces in Canada, 1970 to 2020 Released March 9, 2022.
- Statistics Canada, Table 39-10-0051-01: Number of divorces and divorce indicators Released November 14, 2022. DOI 10.25318/3910005101-eng.
- CDC, National Center for Health Statistics: FastStats, marriage and divorce Last reviewed March 17, 2025.
- CDC/NCHS: National marriage and divorce rate trends, 2000 to 2023 (PDF) Provisional figures.
- US Census Bureau: How does your state compare with national marriage and divorce trends? October 8, 2024.
- NCFMR, Bowling Green State University: Refined divorce rate in the U.S., geographic variation, 2024 (Family Profile 25-31) 2025.
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