You may have heard that putting off marriage can help to make that marriage more stable. For instance, divorce odds are highest for those who get married very young, such as at 18 or 19. For every year after that, the divorce odds drop by 11%. So you are far less likely to get divorced if you procrastinate getting married until you are in your mid-20s.
But should you continue doing that long-term? Some couples believe that the longer the delay, the better. They may believe that the relationship will be more stable if they don’t get married until they’re in their late 30s or even their 40s. But is this true?
The divorce rate goes up again
It doesn’t quite work this way, because the divorce rate is a curve. It does decline by 11% per year after someone turns 18. But this only continues until the person turns 32. After that point, the divorce rate starts going back up again. The odds increase by 5% every year, meaning that someone who gets married at 40 has drastically higher odds of divorce.
One thing to note, though, is that second marriages are often included in this statistic. Many people getting divorced in their 40s or 50s are on their second marriage, which is statistically more likely to lead to divorce. That could increase the divorce odds for the 32+ age group, as they will not all be on their first marriages.
Regardless, it is interesting to consider the link between marriage age and divorce. It’s also very important for couples who are splitting up to look into their legal obligations and their rights during divorce.