Experts reveal the 'perfect age' to tie the knot to avoid the chance of divorce

Laura Hampson
·3-min read
A study has found the perfect age to get married to avoid a divorce. (Getty Images)
A study has found the perfect age to get married to avoid a divorce. (Getty Images)

Marriage is one of those big life milestones that so many people look forward to. What’s better than saying 'I do' to the love of your life?

Yet, nearly half (42%) of all British marriages end in divorce, which is why a new study has found the best age to get married to avoid it ending in separation.

Using their own internal data, law firm Irwin Mitchell has coupled this with figures from the Office for National Statistics to find the perfect age range to get married to avoid divorce later along the line.

It found that getting married between the ages of 28 and 32 was the sweet spot, and those who married in this age bracket has the highest chance of a successful marriage.

For marriages that do end in divorce, it found that the average time of being married is eight years, meaning couples who wed in 2023 may be on the verge of splitting by 2031.

This is a two-year increase from pre-pandemic figures, as Irwin Mitchell suspects that some people decided to delay their divorces due to lockdown.

wedding
The average age for Brits to get married is now 31. (Getty Images)

These new statistics come just 18 months after the no-fault divorce option was introduced in the UK in April last year, which has led to a 20% increase in the number of divorce applications, according to data from the Ministry of Justice.

The average age of getting married (for the first time, at least) is creeping up, as recent government statistics found that the average age for someone to get married in the UK is now 31.

Comparatively, the average age of marriage in the UK was 23 in 1970, and the number of marriages per year fell from 415,000 in 1970 to 241,000 in 2010.

A reason for this could be because 80% of couples now live together before marriage, a number that was as low as 33% in 1980.

A recent study found that one reason why people are getting married at an older age could be due to the financial implications of a wedding.

Research from 2023 commissioned by the Yorkshire Building Society found that 25% of Brits are delaying marriage until they feel financially stable enough for a wedding.

With the average price of a wedding now costing £18,400, it’s no wonder people are waiting a little before tying the knot.

Divorce: Read more

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