FOI reference: FOI-2025-2903
You asked
I have seen you have reported on the changes to median age at divorce in the past, but I cannot see any of your data downloads which contain this information and also show it historically/how it has changed over the years.
Average ages at divorce
- Year of divorce, 1950-present day
- Average age of all divorcees at point of divorce
- Average age of male at point of divorce
- Average age of female at point of divorce
Median ages at divorce
- Year of divorce, 1950-present day
- Median age of all divorcees at point of divorce
- Median age of male at point of divorce
- Median age of female at point of divorce
We said
Thank you for your request.
Data on age at divorce is available through previous editions of the Divorces in England and Wales dataset. Please navigate to the 2021 edition of the dataset to view this information by age. This includes data up to 2019. The relevant tables are 3a and 3b, which include the mean and median age at divorce by sex for opposite-sex and same-sex couples respectively. For opposite-sex couples mean age at divorce is available from 1976 to 2019 while median age at divorce is available from 1950 to 2019. For same-sex couples both mean and median age at divorce is available from 2015 to 2019. Marriages of same-sex couples first took place on 29 March 2014, the first divorces recorded between same-sex couples were in 2015.
Information on the age of those divorcing is not held from 2020 onwards, as it is no longer collected during the divorce and dissolution process.