Recent figures released by the Office for National Statistics reveal that in 2009 the divorce rate in England and Wales decreased by 6.3% to 10.5 divorcing people per thousand married population, compared with 11.2 in 2008. The 2009 divorce rate is the lowest since 1977, when there were 10.3 divorcing people per thousand married people.
Compared with 2008, divorce rates in England and Wales fell across all age groups in 2009 for both men and women. However, for the fifth consecutive year, men and women in their late twenties (25 - 29) had the highest divorce rates of all age groups.
The average age at divorce increased for both men and women in 2009, rising to 44.0 years for men and 41.5 years for women. Since 1999 the average age at divorce for both men and women has increased by 3.1 years, from 40.9 years for men and 38.4 years for women.
The median duration of marriage for divorces granted in 2009 was 11.4 years, a very slight decrease from 11.5 years in 2008 and an increase from 10.5 years in 1999.