Number of divorces on the wane

A total of 13,145 married couples divorced in 2018, according to the Statistics Finland.

Apart from 29, all were divorces where the spouses were of opposite sexes.

The number of divorces between spouses of opposite sexes decreased by 340 year on year.

The annual number of divorces has fluctuated without a clear direction. However, 2018 was the third successive year when the number declined. The annual changes in the numbers have, however, been so small that the divorce rate, i.e. the number of divorces in relation to married persons, has remained at the same level for over 20 years: 13 to 14 divorces per one thousand married women or men.

Changes by age in the divorce rate focus on women aged under 30 and men aged 25 to 34. The divorce rate only decreased in the above-mentioned age groups from the year before.

As an exception to what is said above, the divorce rate of men aged 20 to 24 increased, which is caused by the fact that the number divorces slightly increased but the number of married men in this age group decreased.