Relationship Statistics
Relationship statistics can sometimes be misleading. When relationship statistics try to cover too broad of an area, the information they are trying to convey can be lost in translation. When talking about relationship statistics, the way to make sure you are getting the truth is to know exactly what the statistics describe.
One of the biggest of all relationship statistics is about marriage. It is frequently claimed that approximately half of all marriages end in divorce. Of all relationship statistics, this figure is most often misunderstood, because many people make the mistake of applying this number to people instead of marriages.
Saying that half of all marriages end in divorce is not the same thing as saying half of all married people will get divorced. The marriage figure includes all marriages, and that means second, third, fourth marriages and so on. And the fact is, people who divorce once are more likely to do it again. This skews the statistic even further.
So let's get it straight with some clearly defined relationship statistics:
Relationship Statistics - Divorce Rates
• 41 percent of first marriages end in divorce
• 60 percent of second marriages end in divorce
• 73 percent of third marriages end in divorce
Relationship Statistics - Divorce Rates by Sex and Age
• 28 percent of divorced women were under 20 when they got married
• 12 percent of divorced men were under 20 when they got married
• 37 percent of divorced women were 20-24 years old when they got married
• 39 percent of divorced men were 20-24 years old when they got married
• 16 percent of divorced women were 25-29 years old when they got married
• 22 percent of divorced men were 25-29 years old when they got married
• 9 percent of divorced women were 30-34 years old when they got married
• 12 percent of divorced men were 30-34 years old when they got married
• 5 percent of divorced women were 35-39 years old when they got married
• 7 percent of divorced men were 35-39 years old when they got married
As these relationship statistics show, a person's age at the time of marriage has a major effect on whether or not they will get divorced. The divorce rate for both men and women who get married before they reach the age of 25 is significantly higher than for men and women who wait until they are a little bit older.
A couple more definitive relationship statistics show a more encouraging view of the state of marriage:
Relationship Statistics - Marriage
• 80 percent of all men that get married will never be divorced
• 78 percent of all women that get married will never be divorced
So you see, relationship statistics are not all bad news. In fact, once you get the details right relationship statistics can be fairly encouraging!