Divorce rate reaches lowest point since peaking in 1980

Published October 17, 2025 2:01pm ET



The divorce rate in the United States has declined since it reached its peak in 1980, dropping just over 36% in the more than four decades since its summit.

The new analysis from the Pew Research Center shows the refined divorce rate, which studies divorces per 1,000 married women over age 15, dropped to 14.4 in 2023. At its peak in 1980, the rate was 22.6. In 2008, it sat at 20.5, meaning it has dropped by a sharper margin in recent years.

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