Divorce rate in Australia
Australia: Divorce rate was 1.89 per 1,000 people in 2022. ▼ Falling
Divorce rate in Australia, 1970–2022
Source: OECD (2025) and other sources – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in per 1,000 people.
Analysis
In 2022, divorce rate in Australia stood at 1.89 per 1,000 people.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 14.1% on the previous year and down 14.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, divorce rate in Australia peaked at 2.9 per 1,000 people in 1982 and was at its lowest, 1 per 1,000 people, in 1970.
That places Australia 16th out of 43 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 44 years of available data.
Divorce rate in Australia, year by year
| Year | per 1,000 people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 1 per 1,000 people | — |
| 1980 | 2.7 per 1,000 people | +170.0% |
| 1981 | 2.8 per 1,000 people | +3.7% |
| 1982 | 2.9 per 1,000 people | +3.6% |
| 1983 | 2.8 per 1,000 people | -3.4% |
| 1984 | 2.8 per 1,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 2.5 per 1,000 people | -10.7% |
| 1986 | 2.5 per 1,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 2.4 per 1,000 people | -4.0% |
| 1988 | 2.5 per 1,000 people | +4.2% |
| 1989 | 2.5 per 1,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 2.5 per 1,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 2.6 per 1,000 people | +4.0% |
| 1992 | 2.6 per 1,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 2.7 per 1,000 people | +3.8% |
| 1994 | 2.7 per 1,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 2.8 per 1,000 people | +3.7% |
| 1996 | 2.9 per 1,000 people | +3.6% |
| 1997 | 2.8 per 1,000 people | -3.4% |
| 1998 | 2.7 per 1,000 people | -3.6% |
| 1999 | 2.8 per 1,000 people | +3.7% |
| 2000 | 2.6 per 1,000 people | -7.1% |
| 2001 | 2.8 per 1,000 people | +7.7% |
| 2002 | 2.7 per 1,000 people | -3.6% |
| 2003 | 2.7 per 1,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 2.6 per 1,000 people | -3.7% |
| 2005 | 2.6 per 1,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 2.5 per 1,000 people | -3.8% |
| 2007 | 2.3 per 1,000 people | -8.0% |
| 2008 | 2.2 per 1,000 people | -4.3% |
| 2009 | 2.3 per 1,000 people | +4.5% |
| 2010 | 2.3 per 1,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 2.2 per 1,000 people | -4.3% |
| 2012 | 2.2 per 1,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 2.1 per 1,000 people | -4.5% |
| 2014 | 2 per 1,000 people | -4.8% |
| 2015 | 2 per 1,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 1.93 per 1,000 people | -3.4% |
| 2017 | 2 per 1,000 people | +3.5% |
| 2018 | 2 per 1,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 1.9 per 1,000 people | -5.0% |
| 2020 | 1.9 per 1,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 2.2 per 1,000 people | +15.8% |
| 2022 | 1.89 per 1,000 people | -14.1% |
Australia compared with similar countries
- Australia's 1.89 per 1,000 people is above the median for high income countries, which is 1.76 per 1,000 people, 1.1× the median. (40 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Divorce rate in Australia changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | +170.0% | 1 per 1,000 people | 2.7 per 1,000 people |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 1 per 1,000 people | 1 per 1,000 people | 1 per 1,000 people | 1 |
| 1980s | 2.64 per 1,000 people | 2.4 per 1,000 people | 2.9 per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.71 per 1,000 people | 2.5 per 1,000 people | 2.9 per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.53 per 1,000 people | 2.2 per 1,000 people | 2.8 per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.06 per 1,000 people | 1.9 per 1,000 people | 2.3 per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 2020s | 2 per 1,000 people | 1.89 per 1,000 people | 2.2 per 1,000 people | 3 |
Countries ranked near Australia
- 17 Greece 1.8 per 1,000 people compare
- 17 Hungary 1.8 per 1,000 people compare
- 17 Portugal 1.8 per 1,000 people compare
- 17 South Korea 1.8 per 1,000 people compare
- 17 Switzerland 1.8 per 1,000 people compare
More reference data data for Australia
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.21 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 28.02 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 38.41 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 2.55 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 38.41 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 4.07 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 6.14 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 118.71 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 170.29 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 13.9 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is divorce rate in Australia?
- Divorce rate in Australia was 1.89 per 1,000 people in 2022, according to OECD (2025) and other sources – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest divorce rate recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 2.9 per 1,000 people in 1982.
- What is the lowest divorce rate recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 1 per 1,000 people in 1970.
- How does Australia rank for divorce rate?
- Australia ranks 16th out of 43 countries with data for 2022.
- Is divorce rate rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 14.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Australia data come from?
- The figures come from OECD (2025) and other sources – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Divorce rate. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 44 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Number of divorces during a given year per 1,000 people.