It’s pretty common to hear inaccurate statistics about divorce in the United States. For example, people will often say that the divorce rate is 50%, or that one out of every two marriages end in divorce.
It’s important to push back against some of these inaccuracies by considering the actual divorce statistics in Alabama, or in the United States as a whole. This gives you a better picture of what’s occurring, and it can help you think about your actions if you decide that you’re going to get a divorce.
A general decline
Overall, when you look at the big picture, the divorce rate tends to be dropping. For instance, the divorce rate in Alabama in 1990 was 6.1 for every 1,000 inhabitants of the state. If you fast forward to 2020, the divorce rate was 3.7 for every 1,000 inhabitants.
That being said, things have relatively stagnated over the last decade. In 2012, the divorce rate was 3.6. It has moved up and down slightly since then, but you can see that it still sits just slightly higher than it was in that year.
Your age makes a difference
One interesting thing to note is that your age plays a major role in your divorce odds. The same overall trend that you see in Alabama is true on a national scale. For decades now, the divorce rate in the United States has slowly been declining, debunking the idea that half of all marriages end in divorce.
However, those who are 50 years old and older are said to be going through gray divorce cases. When you sort just for these statistics, you’ll find that the gray divorce rate has actually been increasing. The rate is growing over time, even as younger couples get divorced less often.
What steps do you need to take?
If you’re going to get divorced this year, it can be complicated to divide time with your children, split up the assets that you own and do much more. It’s also important not to make any mistakes that are going to impact your future. For this reason, it may help to look into all of the legal options you have well in advance.