Australian Bureau of Statistics

Marriages and Divorces, Australia, 2021

Released at 11.30am (Canberra time) 10 November, 2022

Contents
Tables
1 Selected divorce indicators, 2001, 2011, 2017–2021
2 Age-specific divorce rates per married population, Census years 1976–2021
3 Duration of marriage to separation and divorce by age, 2021
4 Divorces involving children, age of youngest child and number of children of the marriage, 2021
5 Selected divorce indicators, state/territory of registration, 2021

More information available from the ABS website

Marriages and Divorces, Australia, 2021

Inquiries

Further information about these and related statistics is available from the ABS website www.abs.gov.au, or contact the Customer Assistance
Service on 1300 135 070.

© Commonwealth of Australia 2022

 Australian Bureau of Statistics
Marriages and Divorces, Australia, 2021
Released at 11.30am (Canberra time) 10 November, 2022

Table 1 Selected divorce indicators, 2001, 2011, 2017-2021(a)

2001 2011 2017 2018(k) 2019(k) 2020 2021

ALL DIVORCES
Divorces granted no. 55,330 48,935 49,032 49,674 48,582 49,510 56,244

Crude divorce rate(b) rate 2.9 2.2 2.0 2.0 1.9 1.9 2.2

Median Duration of marriage

To separation years 8.3 8.7 8.3 8.5 8.6 8.4 8.4
To divorce years 11.8 12.2 12.0 12.2 12.3 12.1 12.2

Divorces involving children(c)

Divorces no. 28,345 23,619 23,092 23,620 22,912 24,071 26,879
Proportion of all divorces % 51.2 48.3 47.1 47.6 47.2 48.6 47.8
Total number of children no. 53,396 43,867 42,146 43,012 41,592 44,155 48,432
Average number of children per divorce(d) no. 1.9 1.9 1.8 1.8 1.8 1.8 1.8

Relative birthplace of people granted divorce(e)

Both born in Australia no. 32,139 24,890 25,039 25,596 24,610 25,746 28,948
Both born in same overseas country no. 7,235 8,455 9,085 9,122 9,442 9,331 10,864
Born in different countries(f) no. 15,433 13,194 14,181 14,138 13,945 13,989 16,376

Type of applicant
Male no. 16,608 12,924 12,016 12,239 11,483 11,230 14,396
Female no. 26,035 17,439 15,375 15,489 14,091 14,190 14,106
Joint no. 12,687 18,572 21,641 21,946 23,008 24,090 27,739

MALES(l)
Age-specific divorce rates(g)
Age group (years)
16–24(h) rate 5.0 0.4 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2
25–29 rate 6.2 3.9 3.2 2.8 2.7 2.7 3.1
30–34 rate 12.4 7.3 6.7 6.6 6.2 6.3 7.0
35–39 rate 13.6 9.3 8.4 8.3 8.1 8.2 9.1
40–44 rate 13.3 10.3 9.2 9.2 9.0 9.2 10.3
45–49 rate 12.0 9.8 9.5 9.6 9.2 9.4 10.3
50–54 rate 9.8 8.8 8.4 8.8 8.5 8.4 9.7
55–59(i) rate 3.5 6.6 6.8 6.6 6.4 6.4 7.4
60–64 rate na 4.4 4.4 4.7 4.6 4.4 5.0
65 and over rate na 1.5 1.9 2.0 1.8 1.8 2.0

Median age of male

At marriage years 26.5 28.3 29.1 29.3 29.3 29.4 29.6
At separation years 38.4 41 41.8 42.0 42.0 41.7 41.9
At divorce years 41.8 44.5 45.5 45.9 45.9 45.6 45.9

FEMALES(l)
Age-specific divorce rates(g)
Age group (years)
16–24(j) rate 1.3 1.0 0.6 0.5 0.6 0.5 0.6
25–29 rate 10.0 6.0 4.9 4.5 4.2 4.3 5.0
30–34 rate 14.2 8.7 7.8 7.8 7.3 7.5 8.5
35–39 rate 13.8 10.1 9.1 8.9 8.8 8.7 9.9
40–44 rate 12.8 10.5 9.5 9.6 8.9 9.4 10.4
45–49 rate 10.5 9.5 9.2 9.4 9.0 8.9 10.1
50–54 rate 7.4 7.2 7.4 7.4 7.3 7.4 8.5
55–59(i) rate 1.8 4.6 4.9 4.9 4.9 4.8 5.6
60–64 rate na 2.8 3.0 3.2 3.0 3.0 3.4
65 and over rate na 0.6 0.8 0.9 0.9 0.9 1.0

Median age of female

At marriage years 24.0 25.8 26.8 26.9 27.0 27.2 27.3
At separation years 35.7 38.3 39.0 39.3 39.2 39.1 39.1
At divorce years 39.1 41.7 42.9 43.1 43.1 42.8 43

na not available

(a) The divorce statistics shown in this publication relate to divorces granted in a calendar year. See 'Scope and coverage of divorce
statistics' in Methodology.
(b) Crude divorce rates reflect the number of divorces granted during the calendar year per 1,000 estimated resident population as at
30 June for that year. See Glossary and 'Rates and rounding' in Methodology.
(c) Children are defined here as unmarried children of the marriage who were aged under 18 years at the time of application for
divorce. See Glossary for more information.
(d) Excludes divorces not involving children.
(e) Excludes divorces where country of birth for one or both persons was not stated.
(f) Includes divorces where one person was born in Australia and the other was born elsewhere.

(g) Age-specific divorce rates reflect the number of males or females in a specific age group who were granted a divorce during the
year, per 1,000 estimated resident population of males or females in the same age group, at 30 June for that year. There are a small
number of persons aged under 16 years included in divorces data, who were legally married overseas. These persons are included in
the 16-24 year age group when calculating rates. See 'Rates and rounding' in Methodology.
(h) For 2001, this rate represents a divorce rate for males aged between 18 and 24 years.
(i) For 2001, this rate represents a divorce rate for persons aged 55 years and over.
(j) For 2001, this rate represents a divorce rate for females aged between 16 and 24 years.
(k) Divorces data for 2018 and 2019 may differ to numbers previously published. See 'Considerations when interpreting data' in
Methodology for more information.
(l) Same sex couples could not be identified separately in divorces data for 2018, 2019 and 2020. As a result, for these years where
data are presented by sex, one person of the same-sex couple will be included in data of the opposite sex.

© Commonwealth of Australia 2022

 Australian Bureau of Statistics
Marriages and Divorces, Australia, 2021
Released at 11.30am (Canberra time) 10 November, 2022

Table 2 Age-specific divorce rates per married population, Census years 1976–2021(a)

Age groups (years)

24 and 65 and
under(b) 25-29 30-34 35-39 40-44 45-49 50-54 55-59 60-64 over Total
MALES
1976 17.9 31.6 28.9 24.0 21.2 18.6 15.0 11.1 7.5 3.5 18.9
1981 13.9 22.4 18.9 16.2 13.5 10.9 8.3 5.4 3.5 1.7 11.9
1986 12.4 19.3 17.5 15.2 13.7 11.5 8.6 5.6 3.5 1.5 11.0
1991 11.1 21.5 20.2 17.5 15.2 12.9 9.3 6.0 3.6 1.6 12.0
1996 14.2 23.1 22.4 20.0 17.4 15.1 11.7 7.8 5.0 2.1 13.4
2001 13.0 21.8 24.0 21.4 19.1 16.5 13.2 8.9 5.7 2.1 13.7
2006 12.2 18.4 19.5 19.0 18.1 16.5 13.5 9.5 6.3 2.2 12.2
2011 17.6 18.2 16.5 16.7 17.4 16.1 15.0 9.5 6.5 2.4 11.6
2016 9.6 16.0 13.9 13.8 14.7 15.3 13.5 10.1 6.5 2.6 10.2
2021 14.7 20.1 17.6 16.1 16.5 17.1 16.1 12.1 7.8 2.9 11.6
FEMALES
1976 22.7 31.5 26.9 22.1 19.3 16.0 12.6 8.8 5.6 2.8 18.8
1981 18.0 22.0 16.9 14.8 11.8 8.9 6.3 4.1 2.5 1.2 11.9
1986 16.3 18.9 16.2 14.0 12.2 9.8 6.2 3.7 2.3 1.0 10.9
1991 16.6 22.1 18.5 15.8 13.7 10.8 6.7 3.9 2.4 1.0 11.8
1996 19.0 24.6 21.1 17.9 16.0 12.9 9.2 5.2 3.5 1.3 13.2
2001 17.8 24.3 23.2 19.9 17.5 14.4 10.1 6.5 3.6 1.3 13.5
2006 15.3 20.4 19.5 18.1 17.2 14.8 10.8 7.1 4.2 1.4 12.0
2011 20.8 18.8 16.9 17.0 17.0 15.7 12.9 6.7 4.4 1.5 11.6
2016 15.1 16.0 14.4 14.3 15.0 14.8 11.7 7.9 4.6 1.7 10.2
2021 20.7 20.6 17.5 16.4 17.1 16.9 14.3 9.6 5.8 2.0 11.7

(a) This data is only available for Census years. Calculated as number of people granted divorce per 1,000 married population according to Census data for each reference year
respectively. See 'Rates and rounding' in Methodology.
(b) In the Census, people aged 14 years or younger are assumed to be unmarried therefore only married persons aged 15 years to 24 years have been included in the population
for this rate.

© Commonwealth of Australia 2022

 OFFICIAL: Sensitive #

Australian Bureau of Statistics

Marriages and Divorces, Australia, 2021
Released at 11.30am (Canberra time) 10 November, 2022

Table 3 Duration of marriage to separation and divorce by age, 2021

Age group (years)

65 and Total
16–24 25–29 30–34 35–39 40–44 45–49 50–54 55–59 60–64 over divorces(a)
Duration of marriage (years) no. no. no. no. no. no. no. no. no. no. no.

MALES
Age at separation
To separation
Under 1 319 742 612 312 np np 101 70 43 47 2,638
1 389 998 886 511 238 229 125 95 55 61 3,610
2 276 932 1,099 620 321 239 167 102 61 60 3,897
3 163 869 1,074 706 421 275 198 135 83 80 4,020
4 70 675 1,077 748 402 284 215 134 99 85 3,797
5-9 38 893 3,312 3,716 2,336 1,343 732 502 331 315 13,543
10-19 — 15 562 2,783 4,668 3,644 1,711 834 364 423 15,036
20-29 — — — 10 505 2,198 2,454 1,171 406 316 7,070
30 and over — — — — np np 320 781 673 672 2,455
Total(a) 1,258 5,125 8,622 9,408 9,103 8,371 6,024 3,824 2,115 2,059 56,095

Age at divorce
To divorce
1 np 97 89 47 32 18 10 9 np 11 332
2 76 444 536 304 145 102 86 53 37 50 1,843
3 104 581 786 480 219 151 116 68 55 52 2,623
4 62 565 907 644 292 179 160 100 69 71 3,065
5-9 35 1,142 3,620 3,918 2,271 1,426 928 654 451 511 15,001
10-19 np 8 618 3,047 4,955 4,162 2,457 1,252 np 791 18,001
20-29 — — — 10 445 2,389 3,511 2,109 863 680 10,029
30 and over — — — — — 8 449 1,406 1,418 1,885 5,182
Total(a) 295 2,839 6,556 8,451 8,363 8,439 7,719 5,652 3,561 4,052 56,095

FEMALES
Age at separation
To separation
Under 1 569 817 595 302 187 139 70 45 11 16 2,779
1 707 1,178 789 407 246 158 96 59 24 15 3,709
2 585 1,172 954 498 285 189 111 62 23 24 3,932
3 388 1,140 1,037 568 335 239 144 76 31 25 4,019
4 236 960 1,079 637 321 237 144 92 43 21 3,794
5-9 153 1,776 4,134 3,485 1,864 970 516 325 138 106 13,527
10-19 np np np 4,002 4,814 2,843 1,137 475 209 179 15,048
20-29 np np np 60 1,047 2,785 2,057 723 239 146 7,074
30 and over — — — — — 64 556 856 562 406 2,453
Total(a) 2,643 7,117 9,859 9,960 9,103 7,626 4,832 2,713 1,280 938 56,364

Age at divorce
To divorce
1 np 105 np 41 22 22 12 5 np np 340
2 205 580 544 260 137 103 62 42 16 19 1,974
3 238 789 781 390 206 139 83 52 22 13 2,727
4 203 812 935 481 234 167 98 73 27 28 3,070
5-9 150 2,141 4,408 3,593 1,931 1,100 739 491 216 170 15,033
10-19 np 62 1,365 4,449 5,172 3,524 1,763 782 np 358 17,986
20-29 np — — 58 1,030 3,302 3,293 1,428 532 np 10,033
30 and over — — np — — 60 883 1,565 1,360 np 5,182
Total(a) 843 4,491 8,121 9,274 8,735 8,422 6,936 4,439 2,598 2,230 56,364

np not available for publication but included in totals where applicable, unless otherwise indicated.
— denotes zero or rounded to zero.

(a) The total may be greater than the sum of its components as it includes divorces granted for which the age or the duration was not stated.

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Australian Bureau of Statistics

Marriages and Divorces, Australia, 2021
Released at 11.30am (Canberra time) 10 November, 2022

Table 4 Divorces involving children, age of youngest child and number of children of the marriage, 2021

Number of children of the marriage(a)

Total
1 2 3 4 5 or more divorces(b)
Age of youngest child (years)(a) no. no. no. no. no. no.

Under 1 16 30 np np np 68
1 150 142 50 17 4 363
2 475 389 114 34 22 1,034
3 677 647 230 70 20 1,644
4 742 885 266 79 38 2,010

5 731 997 325 90 26 2,169

6 688 972 358 77 26 2,121
7 641 993 349 90 20 2,093
8 550 962 354 76 22 1,964
9 521 903 323 77 16 1,840

10 508 878 320 57 6 1,769

11 468 863 266 37 4 1,638
12 494 861 205 np np 1,587
13 556 861 129 8 — 1,554
14 677 692 55 4 — 1,428
15 833 418 np np — 1,274
16 1,126 np np — — 1,244
17 1,042 np np — — 1,079

Total divorces(b) 10,895 11,645 3,387 743 209 26,879

np not available for publication but included in totals where applicable, unless otherwise indicated.
— denotes zero or rounded to zero.

(a) Children are defined here as unmarried children of the marriage who were aged under 18 years at the time of application for
divorce. See Glossary for more information.
(b) Total represents the number of divorces involving children.

© Commonwealth of Australia 2022

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 OFFICIAL: Sensitive #

Australian Bureau of Statistics

Marriages and Divorces, Australia, 2021
Released at 11.30am (Canberra time) 10 November, 2022

Table 5 Selected divorce indicators, state/territory of registration, 2021(a)

NSW Vic. Qld SA WA Tas. NT ACT(f) Aust.
ALL DIVORCES
Divorces granted no. 17,126 12,766 13,475 3,863 5,989 1142 461 1422 56,244

Crude divorce rate(b) rate 2.1 1.9 2.6 2.1 2.2 2.0 1.8 np 2.2

Median Duration of marriage

To separation years 7.9 8.1 8.9 9.2 8.5 9.7 7.5 9.1 8.4
To divorce years 11.4 11.8 13.1 13.2 12.5 13.6 11.2 12.7 12.2

Divorces involving children(c)

Divorces no. 7,888 6,008 6,704 1,896 2,941 507 195 740 26,879
Proportion of all divorces % 46.1 47.1 49.8 49.1 49.1 44.4 42.3 52.0 47.8
Total number of children no. 14,179 10,533 12,367 3,335 5,303 944 410 1361 48,432
Average number of children per divorce(d) no. 1.8 1.8 1.8 1.8 1.8 1.9 2.1 1.8 1.8

Applicant
Male no. 4,343 3,403 3,529 1,048 1,254 347 112 360 14,396
Female no. 4,164 3,327 3,336 1,023 1,539 328 89 300 14,106
Joint no. 8,619 6,036 6,610 1,792 3,193 467 260 762 27,739

MALES
Age-specific divorce rates(e)
Age group (years)
16–24 rate 0.3 0.1 0.2 0.2 0.1 0.2 0.1 np 0.2
25–29 rate 3.9 2.6 2.9 2.8 2.5 2.6 2.5 np 3.1
30–34 rate 7.4 6.1 8.0 6.8 6.5 5.0 5.6 np 7.0
35–39 rate 8.8 8.2 10.8 9.4 8.7 9.2 6.6 np 9.1
40–44 rate 9.6 8.9 12.8 11.3 9.7 9.3 8.4 np 10.3
45–49 rate 9.6 9.3 12.7 9.8 10.1 10.3 8.1 np 10.3
50–54 rate 8.9 9.0 11.9 9.7 9.3 9.4 7.2 np 9.7
55–59 rate 6.9 6.8 9.0 7.1 7.2 6.8 7.2 np 7.4
60–64 rate 4.8 4.3 5.7 5.3 5.3 5.4 4.2 np 5.0
65 and over rate 1.8 1.7 2.5 1.8 2.4 1.9 2.3 np 2.0

Median age of male

At marriage years 29.4 29.7 29.7 29.4 29.9 29.6 30.1 29.2 29.6
At separation years 41.3 41.8 42.4 42.4 42.4 43.9 40.6 41.5 41.9
At divorce years 45.1 45.7 46.7 46.5 46.3 48.0 44.4 45.4 45.9

FEMALES
Age-specific divorce rates(e)
Age group (years)
16–24 rate 1.0 0.5 0.4 0.6 0.4 0.4 0.4 np 0.6
25–29 rate 5.8 4.4 4.9 4.6 4.2 4.3 4.4 np 5.0
30–34 rate 8.5 7.5 9.9 8.3 8.4 7.1 6.3 np 8.5
35–39 rate 9.3 8.4 12.3 10.7 10.1 9.4 7.0 np 9.9
40–44 rate 9.9 9.3 12.5 10.9 10.0 10.4 8.1 np 10.4
45–49 rate 9.5 8.7 12.5 10.3 9.8 10.0 7.6 np 10.1
50–54 rate 7.9 7.7 10.3 8.1 8.3 8.1 8.4 np 8.5
55–59 rate 5.2 5.0 6.6 5.4 6.1 6.0 4.3 np 5.6
60–64 rate 3.3 2.9 3.9 3.8 3.7 3.7 2.8 np 3.4
65 and over rate 0.8 0.8 1.3 1.0 1.2 0.9 1.1 np 1.0

Median age of female

At marriage years 27.1 27.6 27.4 27.2 27.5 27.5 27.4 27.0 27.3
At separation years 38.6 39.1 39.6 39.8 39.3 40.6 37.5 38.9 39.1
At divorce years 42.3 42.7 43.7 43.7 43.2 45 41.7 42.4 43

np not available for publication but included in totals where applicable, unless otherwise indicated.

(a) Divorces are presented by the state or territory in which the court granting divorce was located, rather than the state or territory of usual residence of the applicants. This should
be considered when interpreting or comparing state and territory data.
(b) Crude divorce rates reflect the number of divorces granted during the calendar year per 1,000 estimated resident population as at 30 June for that year. See Glossary and 'Rates
and rounding' in Methodology.
(c) Children are defined here as unmarried children of the marriage who were aged under 18 years at the time of application for divorce. See Glossary for more information.
(d) Excludes divorces not involving children.

(e) Age-specific divorce rates reflect the number of males or females in a specific age group who were granted a divorce during the year, per 1,000 estimated resident population of
males or females in the same age group, at 30 June for that year. There are a small number of persons aged under 16 years included in divorces data, who were legally married
overseas. These persons are included in the 16-24 year age group when calculating rates. See 'Rates and rounding' in Methodology.
(f) Due to the large number of divorces granted in the Australian Capital Territory to usual residents of other states and territories, the crude divorce rate and age-specific divorce
rates of the ACT are not representative and are not presented in this publication.

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