Couples ‘putting off divorce due to cost of living crisis’ in England and Wales

Lawyers say financial pressures are fuelling ONS figures that show fewer divorces after longer periods of marriage

Couples are putting off divorce because of the cost of living crisis, lawyers have said, after figures showing the average length of a marriage ending in divorce in England and Wales reached a record high last year.

The Office of National Statistics (ONS) released figures on Wednesday showing that the average marriage ending in divorce lasted for 13 years in 2025. This is the longest since records began in 1963 and up from a record low of 8.9 years in 1985.