Divorce rates - will they rise with the advent of no fault divorce?

Each year, the Office of National Statistics provide updated statistics for divorce rates in the previous year. It was anticipated by the media and many professionals that the strains of lockdown restrictions would see a spike in divorce rates.

The Office of National Statistics have now provided their updated statistics for divorces during 2020 and confirmed that there were 103,592 divorces in England and Wales. This actually represents a 4.5% decline in the number of divorces compared with 2019. Whilst this may be a surprise given the added pressures of lockdowns on relationships, it actually follows the trend that divorce rates have been gradually declining since the turn of the century, having reached a relatively high plateau during the 1980s and 1990s.

So will divorce rates continue to fall? Possibly not. In January 2021, I wrote a blog about the potential increase in divorce rates as and when ‘no fault’ divorce provisions might be introduced.

These new laws were expected to be introduced in England and Wales in autumn 2021 but the reality is that they have been postponed until 6th April 2022. If there is going to be an increase in divorces following its introduction, it won’t show in the official statistics until their release in early 2024. However, looking at trends following the introduction of ‘no fault’ divorces in other countries, we may see a modest increase in divorce rates which may then level out in time.

If you are considering a divorce or dissolution, please contact our Family Law Team, who will be able to advise you on your individual circumstances.

For further background information, read Rebecca Laffan's update: How does no fault divorce work?