Divorces in England and Wales Last Longer Than Ever

Marriages that ended in divorce in England and Wales in 2025 had lasted a median of 13 years, the longest since records began in 1963. The Office for National Statistics published the figure on 23 September 2026 in its bulletin on divorces and dissolutions. The figure is up from a record low of 8.9 years in 1985, according to ONS figures reported by The Guardian.

Median means the middle point. Half of divorcing marriages lasted longer than 13 years, half lasted less time.

There were 105,002 divorces in England and Wales in 2025. Of those, 102,879 involved opposite-sex couples and 2,123 involved same-sex couples. The same-sex total was the highest since same-sex marriage was legalised in 2014. The bulletin also recorded 959 civil partnership dissolutions, the legal end of a civil partnership, involving 270 opposite-sex couples and 689 same-sex couples.

Totals are still well below past highs. Divorces peaked at 150,000 a year in the 1980s, 1990s and early 2000s, then eased. Greg Ceely, head of population life events at the ONS, said divorce rates have remained stable over the past few years but are lower than peak levels in the 1980s, 1990s and early 2000s.

The ONS bulletin puts the 2025 median at 13.0 years for opposite-sex couples, as set out in the ONS release. That compares with 12.7 years for opposite-sex couples in 2023. For same-sex couples in 2023, the median was 7.2 years for male couples and 6.3 years for female couples, reflecting in part the shorter period since legalisation and the age structure of those married groups.

Lawyers link timing in part to household budgets. Rebecca Aston-Jones, senior associate at Clarke Willmott, said financial pressure of establishing two households was discouraging people from pursuing divorce amid the cost of living crisis. Lisa Pepper, partner and divorce lawyer at Osbornes Law, said couples were hesitant to divorce and trying mediation, talks led by a neutral helper, or couples therapy because they could not afford to divorce. Housing costs, mortgage rates and the cost of running two homes make the maths of separation hard, so delay can follow.

The broader context here is that duration and number tell different stories, and both need care. A higher median does not by itself mean marriages are happier or more stable. It can reflect later marriage, fewer early divorces, effects from the legal process, or couples waiting until children are older or finances allow a clean split. Stable rates alongside longer durations point toward postponement rather than a rise in breakdown. For practitioners, that difference matters for caseloads, demand for mediation, and financial remedy work where asset division is tighter.

Looking at what this means for policy, affordability will shape how family justice is used. If couples stay legally tied longer for financial reasons, courts and advisers may see more complex asset pools, longer periods of living together after separation, and greater interest in non-court dispute resolution. The same-sex and civil partnership figures will also bear watching as those married populations mature and the duration data becomes more comparable over time.