Divorce rate in Australia

Australia: Divorce rate was 1.89 per 1,000 people in 2022. ▼ Falling

Latest (2022)
1.89 per 1,000 people
Change on year
down 14.1%
World rank
16th
of 43 countries
All-time high
2.9 per 1,000 people
in 1982
All-time low
1 per 1,000 people
in 1970
Years of data
44
1970–2022

Divorce rate in Australia, 1970–2022

11.522.531970199620221970: 1 per 1,000 people1980: 2.7 per 1,000 people1981: 2.8 per 1,000 people1982: 2.9 per 1,000 people1983: 2.8 per 1,000 people1984: 2.8 per 1,000 people1985: 2.5 per 1,000 people1986: 2.5 per 1,000 people1987: 2.4 per 1,000 people1988: 2.5 per 1,000 people1989: 2.5 per 1,000 people1990: 2.5 per 1,000 people1991: 2.6 per 1,000 people1992: 2.6 per 1,000 people1993: 2.7 per 1,000 people1994: 2.7 per 1,000 people1995: 2.8 per 1,000 people1996: 2.9 per 1,000 people1997: 2.8 per 1,000 people1998: 2.7 per 1,000 people1999: 2.8 per 1,000 people2000: 2.6 per 1,000 people2001: 2.8 per 1,000 people2002: 2.7 per 1,000 people2003: 2.7 per 1,000 people2004: 2.6 per 1,000 people2005: 2.6 per 1,000 people2006: 2.5 per 1,000 people2007: 2.3 per 1,000 people2008: 2.2 per 1,000 people2009: 2.3 per 1,000 people2010: 2.3 per 1,000 people2011: 2.2 per 1,000 people2012: 2.2 per 1,000 people2013: 2.1 per 1,000 people2014: 2 per 1,000 people2015: 2 per 1,000 people2016: 1.9 per 1,000 people2017: 2 per 1,000 people2018: 2 per 1,000 people2019: 1.9 per 1,000 people2020: 1.9 per 1,000 people2021: 2.2 per 1,000 people2022: 1.9 per 1,000 people

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.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest 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

  1. 17 Greece 1.8 per 1,000 people compare
  2. 17 Hungary 1.8 per 1,000 people compare
  3. 17 Portugal 1.8 per 1,000 people compare
  4. 17 South Korea 1.8 per 1,000 people compare
  5. 17 Switzerland 1.8 per 1,000 people compare

See the full ranking of 43 places →

More reference data data for Australia

All data for Australia →

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.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 44 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Divorce rate
Unit
per 1,000 people
Source
OECD (2025) and other sources – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
43 places, 2,139 data points, 1960–2022
Last refreshed

Number of divorces during a given year per 1,000 people.