Top 10 countries by divorce rate
This ranking uses the crude divorce rate: the number of divorces in a year per 1,000 residents. It is an intuitive “per-population” indicator, but it is sensitive to differences in reference year, reporting coverage, the marriage rate itself, and small-population volatility.
How to interpret high ranks
A high crude divorce rate does not automatically mean “most marriages end in divorce.” It can also reflect a higher marriage stock, easier legal access to divorce, better registration systems, and timing effects (e.g., a post-pandemic catch-up in case processing).
Microstates can swing sharply year to year because a small number of cases changes the per-1,000 rate materially.
- Law and procedure: waiting periods, administrative vs. court processes, and recognition rules matter.
- Norms and cohabitation: where cohabitation replaces marriage, divorces per population can be lower even if relationship turnover is high.
- Age at marriage: earlier marriage tends to correlate with higher dissolution risk; later marriage can lower rates.
- Data coverage: some countries publish provisional or partial-year figures; the table flags the latest year shown.
Table 1. Highest crude divorce rates (latest available year)
Metric: divorces per 1,000 population per year. Years differ across sources; small-population countries can show higher volatility. For the United States, the rate is based on reporting states and D.C. in the referenced CDC series.
| Rank | Country | Divorce rate (per 1,000) | Reference year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Liechtenstein | 4.9 | 2023 |
| 2 | Moldova | 3.9 | 2023 |
| 3 | Belarus | 3.7 | 2023 |
| 4 | Georgia | 3.7 | 2023 |
| 5 | Chile | 3.6 | 2022 |
| 6 | Latvia | 2.8 | 2023 |
| 7 | Andorra | 2.7 | 2023 |
| 8 | Lithuania | 2.5 | 2023 |
| 9 | United States | 2.4 | 2023 (provisional) |
| 10 | Denmark | 2.2 | 2021 (latest in series) |
Note on a common data pitfall: some international compilations have circulated a mis-scaled 2023 figure for North Macedonia. The country’s statistical office reports 1,765 divorces in 2023; with a population around 1.8 million, that implies a crude rate close to 1.0 per 1,000, not ~10 per 1,000.
Figure 1. Top 10 crude divorce rates (per 1,000 people)
The bar chart mirrors Table 1. If the chart does not render, the table remains the primary reference.
Methodology, insights, and what this means
Methodology. The metric is the crude divorce rate: annual divorces per 1,000 mid-year population. EU-country values use Eurostat’s published divorce-rate series (latest available year shown per country). OECD context is taken from the “Marriage and divorce” discussion in Society at a Glance 2024. U.S. figures come from CDC/NCHS marriage-and-divorce rate tables (provisional 2023). Where microstates are not consistently covered by official cross-country tables, an international compilation is used and the year is explicitly labeled. Revisions can occur when statistical offices update registers or harmonize definitions.
Limitations. Countries differ in legal pathways (administrative vs. court), registration completeness, and timing. Crude rates also depend on how many people marry in the first place; two societies can have the same “marriage dissolution risk” but different crude divorce rates because their marriage rates differ.
Key insights. Three patterns stand out in the latest available data. First, the highest ranks often combine accessible legal procedures with mature marriage stocks, which mechanically raises divorces per population. Second, several high-rate countries are small (or have small resident populations), so year-to-year volatility is amplified. Third, within the EU, the upper end remains concentrated in a handful of countries: 2023 highs include Latvia and Lithuania, while the lowest rates are clustered in Slovenia, Croatia and Romania.
What this means for readers. Divorce-rate statistics are most useful as a context, not a prediction tool. For families, they hint at how common separation is in a given legal and cultural environment, which can affect demand for mediation, child-support enforcement, and housing transitions. For employers and policymakers, higher divorce prevalence often increases the share of single-parent households, raising the importance of childcare access, stable housing, and predictable maintenance enforcement.
Lowest divorce rates (legal divorce; latest available year)
Low crude divorce rates can reflect a mix of factors: later marriage, fewer marriages overall, stronger social norms around staying married, barriers to legal divorce, and differences in reporting coverage. The list below excludes places where divorce is not generally permitted for broad segments of the population.
EU snapshot (why year labels matter)
In the EU’s latest published snapshot for 2023, the highest crude divorce rates were reported in Latvia and Lithuania, while the lowest were in Slovenia and Croatia. Because some countries publish later than others, “latest year” is not uniform even within the same statistical system.
When comparing countries, treat the ranking as an indicator of broad differences, not a precise league table.
Table 2. Lowest crude divorce rates (latest available year)
Metric: divorces per 1,000 population per year. Countries are shown with the latest available figure used in the referenced statistical sources; years differ across entries.
| Rank | Country | Divorce rate (per 1,000) | Reference year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Colombia | 0.6 | 2022 |
| 2 | Malta | 0.9 | 2022 (latest in series) |
| 3 | Slovenia | 1.0 | 2023 |
| 4 | Croatia | 1.1 | 2023 |
| 5 | Romania | 1.2 | 2023 |
| 6 | Italy | 1.4 | 2023 |
| 7 | Netherlands | 1.4 | 2023 |
| 8 | Bulgaria | 1.4 | 2023 |
| 9 | Greece | 1.5 | 2023 |
| 10 | Slovakia | 1.5 | 2023 |
The crude divorce rate is a population-based indicator. For questions about relationship stability, complementary views include divorces per 1,000 marriages, cohort divorce probabilities, and survey-based measures of union dissolution.
Interpretation and policy takeaways
Divorce-rate rankings are a compact way to compare how frequently formal marital dissolutions occur across different legal and cultural settings. The most practical use is as a signal of how common family transitions are in a society—something that shapes housing demand, child-support caseloads, and the need for mediation and co-parenting infrastructure.
Impact on children: what research consistently highlights
Divorce itself is not a single “effect.” Outcomes depend heavily on household income changes, conflict levels before and after separation, and the stability of caregiving and housing. Policies and institutions that reduce financial shocks and support low-conflict co-parenting tend to mitigate most risks.
A population measure (divorces per 1,000) cannot capture the quality of parenting arrangements; it is best treated as context.
- Household structure: higher divorce prevalence usually increases the share of single-parent households and complexity of shared custody.
- Economic risk: poverty risk is higher when child support is delayed or unreliable and when childcare costs are high.
- Education and skills: average differences in outcomes exist, but are strongly mediated by income stability and conflict exposure.
- Buffers that help: predictable maintenance enforcement, affordable childcare, stable housing, and parenting programs.
FAQ: understanding the divorce-rate metric
Is the crude divorce rate the same as “chance of divorce”?
No. The crude divorce rate is divorces per 1,000 residents in a year. It depends on how many people are married, how many marry, and how divorce is recorded. A “chance of divorce” is closer to cohort-based probabilities (following marriages over time).
Why do microstates sometimes rank unusually high?
Small populations make the rate volatile: a modest change in the number of divorces can shift the per-1,000 figure noticeably. Microstates also often have highly international populations and administrative features that affect registration.
Can a country have a low divorce rate but still have many breakups?
Yes. If fewer people marry and more couples cohabit, a crude divorce rate can fall even when relationship turnover is high, because dissolutions of non-marital unions are not recorded as divorces.
Why do reference years differ across countries?
Vital statistics systems publish at different speeds, and not every country releases the same indicator each year. Some figures are provisional or based on partial coverage; the ranking keeps year labels visible for transparency.
Why is the United States figure labeled “provisional” and “reporting states”?
In the CDC/NCHS series, the divorce rate is calculated from reporting jurisdictions (states and D.C.) in the referenced year. Coverage can change when states update reporting practices, so it is important to read the accompanying technical notes.
What indicator should be used for “marriage stability” instead?
For stability questions, use a combination of: divorces per 1,000 marriages, cohort divorce probabilities, and survey-based measures of union dissolution. Each answers a different question than divorces per population.
What explains cross-country differences the most?
Legal access, norms and timing (age at marriage), economic stress, and how common marriage is in the first place. Differences in data registration and publication practices also matter, especially when comparing small places.
Sources and comparability notes
The ranking compiles the latest available crude divorce-rate figures and preserves year labels. For formal work, always use original datasets and their technical documentation.
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Eurostat (EU): Marriage and divorce statistics (2023 snapshot and country series).
https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php?title=Marriage_and_divorce_statistics -
Eurostat tables (Excel): Crude divorce rate series used for 2023/2021 country values.
https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/images/d/d4/Marriage_and_divorce_statistics_RY2023_v1.xlsx -
OECD: Society at a Glance 2024, “Marriage and divorce” (2022 range and context).
https://www.oecd.org/en/publications/society-at-a-glance-2024_918d8db3-en/full-report/marriage-and-divorce_63dd0a7d.html -
CDC/NCHS (United States): Marriage and divorce FastStats (provisional 2023 series).
https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/marriage-divorce.htm -
UN Demographic Yearbook: Definition and computation notes for crude divorce rates (per 1,000 population).
https://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic-social/products/dyb/ -
North Macedonia (data check): State Statistical Office release for 2023 divorces (used to validate scale).
https://www.stat.gov.mk/PrikaziSoopstenie_en.aspx?rbrtxt=11 -
Microstates / cross-check compilation: WorldPopulationReview country rows (used where official cross-country tables are incomplete).
https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/divorce-rates-by-country
Updated: February 24, 2026.
