- Divorce Rate: 5.6 per 1,000 married people – lowest since 1973.
- Crude Divorce Rate: 1.1 per 1,000 total population.
- Total Divorces Granted: 42,933 – 25% drop from 2019 (thanks, COVID court closures).
- Average Marriage Duration at Divorce: 15.3 years.
- Lifetime Divorce Probability: ~38–40%.
- Peak Age Group for Divorce: 40–44 (but “grey divorce” 50+ declining slower).
Long-Term Trend
- Divorce rates have steadily declined since the 1990s peak of 12.7 per 1,000 married people.
- Decline driven by fewer people marrying and an aging married population.
What Percentage of Canada Marriages End in Divorce?
| Principle | Description | Example/Application |
|---|---|---|
| Clarity | The message must be clear, unambiguous, and easy to understand. Avoid jargon, complex sentence structures, and vague language. | When assigning a task, specify what needs to be done, by whom, and when it is due. |
| Completeness | The message should contain all necessary information that the receiver requires to respond or act appropriately. | Include background context, purpose, and all relevant data points in a report. |
| Conciseness | The message should be brief and to the point, eliminating unnecessary words or repetition without sacrificing clarity. | Instead of writing, “Due to the fact that we have a tight deadline…”, write, “Because we have a tight deadline…” |
| Correctness | All facts, figures, and data presented must be accurate and error-free. The language and grammar must also be correct. | Double-check statistics, names, and dates before sending an official document. |
| Consideration | The sender must take the receiver’s viewpoint, education level, emotions, and cultural background into account. | Use language and examples appropriate for the audience’s knowledge base. |
| Concreteness | The message should be supported by specific facts, figures, and concrete details rather than vague generalizations. | Instead of saying, “Sales improved,” say, “Sales of Product X increased by 15% in the third quarter.” |
| Courtesy | The message should be respectful, polite, and friendly. Maintain professionalism and use polite phrasing. | Use phrases like “Please review this document” and “Thank you for your time.” |
What Is the Average Length of Marriage Before Divorce in the Canada?
The average Canadian marriage now lasts a little over 15 years before calling it quits – a modest improvement from the early 1980s, when marriages tapped out closer to 12.5 years. So yes, marriages are technically lasting longer, though not exactly hitting “till death do us part.”
The latest StatsCan data (2020) shows a mean duration of 15.3 years, but the median sits at 12.8 years, which tells a more honest story: plenty of marriages end earlier and drag the midpoint down. Most divorces still cluster in the 10-to-20-year danger zone, and with people marrying around age 31, they naturally end up divorcing later too – usually in their mid-40s.
Overall, Canada’s divorce timeline boils down to this: many couples split well before the 15-year average, while others hang on long enough to fuel the rise of “grey divorce.” Basically, whether early or late, marriages are finding their own creative ways to end.
Are Divorce Rates Falling in the Canada? (2022–2025)
Canada’s divorce rate has been sliding downward for decades, and despite a few pandemic-era plot twists, that long-term trend hasn’t changed. Fewer people are getting married in the first place, those who do marry are older and generally better prepared for it, and an aging population means more couples are in age groups that historically don’t divorce as often. In short: fewer weddings, fewer breakups.
The big statistical hiccup came in 2020, when the divorce rate dropped to a 50-year low thanks to court closures and paperwork bottlenecks. It wasn’t that marriages suddenly got stronger; it was that the legal system was closed for business. After 2020, experts expected a brief rebound as the backlog cleared, and some data points suggest that did happen – but it doesn’t change the broader picture. The long-term direction continues to point downward.
The only group stubbornly refusing to follow the national trend is older couples. “Grey divorce” is rising as people in their 50s and beyond decide they’d rather spend the rest of their lives happy than merely committed. Longer lifespans, greater financial independence, and a no-nonsense approach to personal fulfillment mean this demographic is pushing the divorce numbers in its own direction.
Divorce Statistics for Men vs Women
| Statistic / Outcome | Women | Men | Key Insight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who Initiates Divorce | More Likely (Studies suggest women initiate divorce in most heterosexual couples.) | Less Likely | Women are generally more often the filer of the divorce application. |
| Average Age at Divorce (2017) | 44.5 years | 47.0 years | Women tend to divorce at a slightly younger age, primarily because they generally marry at a younger age than men. |
| Divorce Rate by Age Group | Higher in younger adult groups (e.g., ages 20–34) | Lower in younger adult groups | Reflects the general age difference at marriage and divorce. |
| Financial Impact Post-Divorce | Greater long-term decline in household income and a higher risk of poverty. | Smaller long-term financial impact; more likely to maintain higher income and wealth. | Women often face disproportionate economic costs, especially due to greater childcare responsibilities and historical wage gaps. |
| Sole Physical Custody | More Common: Sole physical custody awarded to mothers in about 56% of court orders (2018–2019). | Less Common: Sole physical custody awarded to fathers in about 7% of court orders. | Sole custody for mothers remains the most frequent arrangement, although Shared/Joint Custody is rising significantly. |
| Joint/Shared Custody | Shared physical custody was awarded in about 31% of court orders (2018–2019). | Shared physical custody was awarded in about 31% of court orders (2018–2019). | Shared parenting time is increasingly common and is the single fastest-growing custody arrangement. |
Factors Influencing Divorce Rate in Canada
- People Are Marrying Later (and Smarter). Canadians are tying the knot closer to age 30, which generally means more maturity, more stability, and fewer impulsive “sure, why not” marriages. Older couples divorce less often, and an aging married population pushes the overall rate down. Meanwhile, common-law relationships keep rising, and since breakups don’t count as “divorces,” the official numbers look rosier than reality.
- Money Still Ruins Everything. Financial problems remain one of the top marriage killers. Debt, job instability, clashing spending habits, and the joy of paying Canadian housing prices all pile stress onto relationships. Couples with higher education and stronger financial footing, unsurprisingly, tend to stay together more often. Lower-income households face the opposite trend.
- Relationship Issues Don’t Magically Fix Themselves. Poor communication, resentment, infidelity, and emotional or physical cruelty still top the list of reasons people call it quits. Commitment issues and “we grew apart” are the classics. And while overall divorce rates are falling, older couples are bucking the trend – “grey divorce” is rising as people 50+ decide they don’t want to spend retirement tolerating someone they stopped liking in 1998.
- Laws Make Divorce Easier (or Slower, Depending on the Year). Canada’s no-fault divorce system means one year of separation and you’re basically done. This simplicity keeps the process accessible. On the flip side, events like COVID-19 showed how court backlogs can temporarily tank the annual divorce numbers, only for them to bounce back once judges return to work.
- Modern Life Loves Adding Stress. Technology isn’t doing marriages any favors. Social media, online distractions, and constant connectivity create new opportunities for jealousy, emotional distance, and good old-fashioned cheating. Combine that with shifting social values and reduced stigma, and it’s easier than ever for unhappy couples to say, “Yeah, I’m out.”