How have divorce rates changed in Canada?

A new report from Statistics Canada shows how divorce rates across the country have shifted over the last 50 years, along with more recent changes.

Between 2019 and 2020, there was a significant drop in divorces as divorce trials were hampered as a result of the pandemic.

In 2020, 42,933 divorces were issued in Canada, a significant decline from the 56,937 logged in 2019. While the number of divorces in Canada has been falling for several years, this year's decline of 25% is the biggest since the Divorce Act of 1968 was enacted. Accessing judicial services during the COVID-19 pandemic was likely a factor in this drop, which occurred at the same time as the epidemic began.

In 2020, the number of divorces was at its lowest level since 1973, and it was less than half of the peak point in 1987. Following modifications to the Divorce Act, which shortened the minimum duration of separation required before being awarded a "no-fault" divorce from three years to one year, 97,773 divorces were granted in that year.

The pandemic's social and economic disturbances may have contributed to a rise in the number of couples seeking divorce. However, divorce statistics for the year 2020 do not yet show this exact effect.

Couples must separate for at least one year before a divorce can be granted in 'no-fault' divorce cases, which have traditionally formed the bulk of cases. As a result, the entire impact of these disruptions on the number of divorces won't be apparent until 2021.

Beginning in March 2020, the number of divorce applications filed with the courts decreased dramatically. By July 2020, however, the number of applications had rebounded to levels comparable to prior years.

Young individuals have seen the greatest significant decline in divorce rates since the mid-2000s, whereas those aged 50 and up have remained fairly stable. Since 1991, the declining divorce rate has been connected to the age of the married population.

Despite an increase in the population at risk of divorce – namely, married people – the number of divorces has decreased during the last three decades. The divorce rate per 1,000 married people has dropped from 12.7 per 1,000 in 1991 to 7.5 per 1,000 in 2019, and then to 5.6 per 1,000 in 2020.

According to the StatCan report, the aging of the married population, as well as a decreased tendency to divorce among younger married individuals in particular, have both contributed to the general decline in the divorce rate recorded during the last three decades.

The married population is aging not simply due to population aging, but also because younger generations of Canadians are opting for common-law unions more frequently. The aging of the married population has resulted in a decrease in the divorce rate, as age-specific divorce rates are generally lower among older adults than among younger adults.

Meanwhile, the rise of Canadians divorcing at more advanced ages has come to a halt. In comparison to younger adults, divorce among people aged 50 and up, called "grey divorce," is a very uncommon occurrence. The divorce rate within this age group has increased by 26%. Between 1991 and 2006, it increased from 4.2 to 5.3 per 1,000, although it has been rather consistent since then, despite the reduced 2020 estimates.

The growth in grey divorce in Canada, which coincided with the entry of the baby-boom generation into this age group, was small when compared to the doubling of rates in the United States during the same time.

Divorces are becoming more common as people get older. Since 1980, when it peaked at 36.2 years, the average age of divorce has been steadily increasing. It has been closer to 46 years in recent years.

This progressive rise in the average age of divorce is mostly due to a continual rise in the age of people who divorce at the time of marriage, but it is also due to an increase in the length of marriages ending in divorce. In 1980, the average age of marriage for divorced people was 23.7 years, rising to 30.7 years in 2020.

Looking ahead, Statistics Canada said the number of divorces expected in 2021 will be largely determined by two factors: 1) whether the pandemic caused a lower or higher number of married couples to divorce in 2020 than would have been the case otherwise, and 2) whether the family court system was able to process divorce applications at levels comparable to pre-pandemic years, if not even higher, to catch up on cases that were delayed in 2020.