People are often interested in different factors that can predict whether or not they’ll get divorced. For instance, some studies show that couples whose own parents got divorced when they were children are more likely to get divorced themselves. Things like this can help to predict what may happen in the future, allowing people to plan in advance so that they are prepared.
In a similar vein, it can be helpful to consider the age at which you got married. Although every relationship is unique, there is a correlation between age and divorce rates.
How the curve progresses
The statistics show that the divorce rate is a curve. For those who get married very young, such as at 18 or 19 years old, divorce rates are incredibly high. Young marriages are notoriously unstable and many of them end quickly.
However, as couples get older, the divorce rate drops by 11% per year. So if a couple was thinking of getting married at 18 and they put it off for just five years, their divorce rate would already be dramatically lower. That decline would continue if they kept delaying the marriage.
The lowest rate
The lowest divorce rate that researchers find is for couples who got married at age 32. Couples who wait to get married in their early 30s tend to have greater stability, perhaps because they are more financially secure at this stage in their careers.
After that, though, the line starts curving upward again. For every year after age 32, divorce odds go back up by 5%.
Your legal options
Do you believe that you and your partner are moving toward divorce? If you are, be sure you know what legal options you have when dividing custody or splitting up marital assets.