Statizoid

Divorce rate in Japan

Japan: Divorce rate was 1.52 per 1,000 people in 2022. ▲ Rising

Latest (2022)
1.52 per 1,000 people
Change on year
up 3.4%
World rank
29th
of 43 countries
All-time high
2.3 per 1,000 people
in 2002
All-time low
0.7 per 1,000 people
in 1960
Years of data
61
1960–2022

Divorce rate in Japan, 1960–2022

0.511.522.5196019912022

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 Japan stood at 1.52 per 1,000 people.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 3.4% on the previous year and down 18.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, divorce rate in Japan peaked at 2.3 per 1,000 people in 2002 and was at its lowest, 0.7 per 1,000 people, in 1960.

Japan ranks 29th of 43 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 61 years of available data.

Divorce rate in Japan, year by year

Year per 1,000 people Change
1960 0.7 per 1,000 people —
1963 0.7 per 1,000 people +0.0%
1964 0.7 per 1,000 people +0.0%
1965 0.8 per 1,000 people +14.3%
1966 0.8 per 1,000 people +0.0%
1967 0.8 per 1,000 people +0.0%
1968 0.9 per 1,000 people +12.5%
1969 0.9 per 1,000 people +0.0%
1970 0.9 per 1,000 people +0.0%
1971 1 per 1,000 people +11.1%
1972 1 per 1,000 people +0.0%
1973 1 per 1,000 people +0.0%
1974 1 per 1,000 people +0.0%
1975 1.1 per 1,000 people +10.0%
1976 1.1 per 1,000 people +0.0%
1977 1.1 per 1,000 people +0.0%
1978 1.2 per 1,000 people +9.1%
1979 1.2 per 1,000 people +0.0%
1980 1.2 per 1,000 people +0.0%
1981 1.3 per 1,000 people +8.3%
1982 1.4 per 1,000 people +7.7%
1983 1.5 per 1,000 people +7.1%
1984 1.5 per 1,000 people +0.0%
1985 1.4 per 1,000 people -6.7%
1986 1.4 per 1,000 people +0.0%
1987 1.3 per 1,000 people -7.1%
1988 1.3 per 1,000 people +0.0%
1989 1.3 per 1,000 people +0.0%
1990 1.3 per 1,000 people +0.0%
1991 1.4 per 1,000 people +7.7%
1992 1.5 per 1,000 people +7.1%
1993 1.5 per 1,000 people +0.0%
1994 1.6 per 1,000 people +6.7%
1995 1.6 per 1,000 people +0.0%
1996 1.7 per 1,000 people +6.2%
1997 1.8 per 1,000 people +5.9%
1998 1.9 per 1,000 people +5.6%
1999 2 per 1,000 people +5.3%
2000 2.1 per 1,000 people +5.0%
2001 2.27 per 1,000 people +8.1%
2002 2.3 per 1,000 people +1.3%
2003 2.25 per 1,000 people -2.2%
2004 2.15 per 1,000 people -4.4%
2005 2.08 per 1,000 people -3.3%
2006 2.04 per 1,000 people -1.9%
2007 2.02 per 1,000 people -1.0%
2008 1.99 per 1,000 people -1.5%
2009 2.01 per 1,000 people +1.0%
2010 1.99 per 1,000 people -1.0%
2011 1.87 per 1,000 people -6.0%
2012 1.87 per 1,000 people +0.0%
2013 1.84 per 1,000 people -1.6%
2014 1.77 per 1,000 people -3.8%
2015 1.81 per 1,000 people +2.3%
2016 1.73 per 1,000 people -4.4%
2017 1.7 per 1,000 people -1.7%
2018 1.68 per 1,000 people -1.2%
2019 1.69 per 1,000 people +0.6%
2020 1.57 per 1,000 people -7.1%
2021 1.47 per 1,000 people -6.4%
2022 1.52 per 1,000 people +3.4%

Japan compared with similar countries

  • Japan's 1.52 per 1,000 people is below the median for high income countries, which is 1.76 per 1,000 people, 86% of the median. (40 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s 0.7875 per 1,000 people 0.7 per 1,000 people 0.9 per 1,000 people 8
1970s 1.06 per 1,000 people 0.9 per 1,000 people 1.2 per 1,000 people 10
1980s 1.36 per 1,000 people 1.2 per 1,000 people 1.5 per 1,000 people 10
1990s 1.63 per 1,000 people 1.3 per 1,000 people 2 per 1,000 people 10
2000s 2.12 per 1,000 people 1.99 per 1,000 people 2.3 per 1,000 people 10
2010s 1.79 per 1,000 people 1.68 per 1,000 people 1.99 per 1,000 people 10
2020s 1.52 per 1,000 people 1.47 per 1,000 people 1.57 per 1,000 people 3

Countries ranked near Japan

  1. 26 Germany 1.63 per 1,000 people compare
  2. 27 Poland 1.6 per 1,000 people compare
  3. 28 Austria 1.54 per 1,000 people compare
  4. 30 Norway 1.5 per 1,000 people compare
  5. 30 Slovakia 1.5 per 1,000 people compare
  6. 32 New Zealand 1.48 per 1,000 people compare

See the full ranking of 43 places →

More reference data data for Japan

All data for Japan →

Frequently asked questions

What is divorce rate in Japan?
Divorce rate in Japan was 1.52 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 Japan?
The highest recorded value was 2.3 per 1,000 people in 2002.
What is the lowest divorce rate recorded in Japan?
The lowest recorded value was 0.7 per 1,000 people in 1960.
How does Japan rank for divorce rate?
Japan ranks 29th out of 43 countries with data for 2022.
Is divorce rate rising or falling in Japan?
Over the last ten years it is down 18.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Japan 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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Divorce rate in Japan. Statizoid, drawing on OECD (2025) and other sources – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 24 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/divorces-per-1000-people/japan/

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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.