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There were 105,961 legal partnership dissolutions in England and Wales in 2025, according to the latest figures, comprising 105,002 divorces and 959 civil partnership dissolutions.
The number of dissolutions was broadly similar to 2023 and 2024, but remained below the levels recorded during the 1980s, 1990s and early 2000s, when around 150,000 divorces took place each year.
The divorce rate for opposite-sex couples was 8.4 per 1,000 married people in 2025. This was similar to the rates recorded in 2023 and 2024, but substantially below the peak of 14.2 per 1,000 recorded in 1993.
For same-sex marriages, the divorce rate was 19.5 per 1,000 married people in 2025. This was similar to 2024, with the rate appearing to stabilise following increases between 2015 and 2021.
The figures also show that the majority of divorces and civil partnership dissolutions were granted under the no-fault divorce legislation introduced in 2022. In 2025, 94.2% of all legal partnership dissolutions were granted under the new legislation.
Of the cases granted under the new legislation, 74.1% were sole applications and 25.9% were joint applications.
The duration of legal partnerships ending in divorce or dissolution also increased for most partnership types in 2025.
The median duration of marriages ending in divorce among opposite-sex couples was 13.0 years, the longest recorded since the time series began in 1963. Record median durations were also recorded for same-sex civil partnerships, at 13.7 years for male couples and 13.6 years for female couples.
Analysis by year of marriage shows that an estimated 16.3% of couples who married in 2015 had divorced before reaching their 10th wedding anniversary. This compares with 24.7% of couples who married in 1995 and 9.9% of those who married in 1965.
Among couples who formed a civil partnership in 2015, 14.4% had dissolved their partnership before reaching their 10th anniversary.
To view the statistics in full, click here.
