New figures from the Office for National Statistics show that couples who divorce are staying married for longer before separating.
In 2025, the typical opposite-sex marriage ending in divorce in England and Wales had lasted 13 years — the longest recorded since the ONS series began in 1963.
That compares with just 8.9 years in 1985, when the typical marriage ending in divorce was at its shortest recorded duration.
So what does that actually tell us?
How long does the typical marriage last before divorce?
The latest ONS figure is 13 years.
Technically, that is the median duration rather than the arithmetic mean. In simple terms, it means half of opposite-sex couples divorcing in 2025 had been married for less than 13 years and half for longer.
The ONS uses the median because marriage lengths at divorce are not evenly distributed, so it gives a better picture of a typical marriage than a simple mean average.
Divorce is often the end of a long decision
A 13-year marriage is a useful reminder that divorce is rarely something people decide on overnight.
By the time someone starts a divorce, they may already have spent months or even years questioning the relationship, discussing separation or worrying about what divorce would mean for their children, home and finances.
That is something we see regularly at Easy Online Divorce.
People often come to us after the emotional decision has largely been made. What they are then trying to understand is the practical side:
- How does the divorce process actually work?
- What happens to the house?
- What happens to pensions and savings?
- Can we agree everything between ourselves?
- How do we make that agreement legally binding?
- How long will the whole process take?
James Brien, Founder & Managing Director of Easy Online Divorce, said:
“People sometimes talk about divorce as though somebody wakes up one morning and decides their marriage is over.
“That is rarely what we see.
“For many people, the decision has been building for a long time. What can hold them back is uncertainty about everything that comes with divorce — the children, the house, pensions, money and what life will look like afterwards.
“The fact that the typical marriage ending in divorce now lasts 13 years is a useful reminder that separation is often the end of a long decision-making process rather than an impulsive one.”
Fewer marriages are ending within the first ten years
The new figures also show a striking change in how many marriages end within their first decade.
Among couples who married in 2015, 16.3% had divorced before their tenth wedding anniversary.
For couples who married in 1995, the figure was 24.7%. In 2005 it was 20.7%.
That means couples who married more recently have been less likely to divorce within their first ten years than couples marrying during the 1990s.
It does not necessarily mean modern marriages are happier or stronger. The figures tell us what happened, not why.
People marry at different ages, many couples live together before marriage, financial pressures have changed and family circumstances differ significantly between generations.
What we can say is that marriages which eventually end in divorce are generally lasting longer before reaching that point.
Does a longer marriage make divorce more complicated?
It can.
Over 13 years, a couple may have built up considerable financial ties.
That could include a home, mortgage, pensions, savings, investments, debts or a business. One spouse may also have reduced their earnings while caring for children or supporting the family in other ways.
That is why ending the marriage and sorting out the finances are two separate things.
Getting divorced does not automatically end the financial claims you and your former spouse may have against each other.
If you have reached an agreement about your finances, that agreement will normally need to be turned into a financial order and approved by the court if you want it to become legally binding.
For many couples who are able to agree, this can be dealt with without turning the separation into an adversarial dispute.
Are fewer people getting divorced?
There were 105,002 divorces in England and Wales in 2025.
That is broadly similar to recent years but well below the peaks seen in the 1980s, 1990s and early 2000s, when annual divorce numbers were around 150,000.
The divorce rate for opposite-sex couples was 8.4 divorces per 1,000 married people in 2025, compared with a peak of 14.2 per 1,000 in 1993.
So the latest figures do not show a population divorcing more rapidly.
If anything, they show a more complicated picture: divorce rates remain below their historic peaks, fewer recent marriages are ending within ten years, and marriages that do end are generally lasting longer before divorce.
What does the 13-year figure really tell us?
It does not mean the average couple spends 13 unhappy years together.
It does not tell us why individual marriages end.
And it certainly does not mean couples should stay together for a particular length of time before considering divorce.
What it does show is that divorce is often the culmination of a long relationship and, frequently, a long period of consideration.
That matters because divorce is sometimes portrayed as a quick or impulsive choice.
For many people, the reality is almost the opposite.
They have already spent a long time deciding whether the marriage can continue before they ever begin the legal process.
Thinking about divorce?
If you are considering divorce, you do not need to have every part of your future worked out before finding out where you stand.
Understanding the divorce process, your financial position and the options available to you can help you make a more informed decision about what happens next.
Easy Online Divorce is an SRA-regulated law firm helping couples across England and Wales with divorce and agreed financial orders.
Want to talk through your situation?
If you’re considering divorce and want to understand the process, your options and what happens with your finances, you can book a free 15-minute call with us.
