What divorce rates were the year you were born

Divorce stems from the Latin word "divertere," which means "to turn aside." Unfortunately, for most, it isn't quite that simple. Divorces can be a long, arduous process that takes months or even years. Crying children, legal fees, and bitter fights over silverware are the tropes that frequently come to mind when discussing divorce, and it's perhaps those stigmas that are contributing to an overall decrease in divorce rates in the 21st century.

It could also be that marriages are, generally, occurring later in life. In one study, the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows the chances of remaining married by the respondents 46th birthday were over 20% higher for couples who married between the ages of 29-34 compared to those who wed at ages 15-22, and studies show that the average age Americans tie the knot is steadily growing older and older. The gap narrows with closer age groups: 57.6% of couples who married at ages 23-28 were still together at their 46th birthday, compared to 65.2% for those aged 29-34.

Although divorce rates are generally falling, a CBS poll conducted in 2014 revealed 64% of Americans felt the average American family is weaker than when they were a child. Oh joy.

So what do the numbers say? Stacker compiled data from CDC's National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) gathered by Randal Olson, as well as national marriage and divorce rates from 2000-2016 and Statista data about the national divorce rates from 1990-2016. The divorce rate was taken by dividing the overall population of the United States in a specific year by the number of divorces that occurred that year.

So how has our propensity for divorce changed over the years? Read on to see the divorce rate the year you were born.

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1 / 97

1920

Population: 106,461,000
Number of Divorces: 171,000
Divorce rate per 1000 total population: 1.6%

2 / 97

1921

Population: 108,538,000
Number of Divorces: 160,000
Divorce rate per 1000 total population: 1.5%

3 / 97

1922

Population: 110,049,000
Number of Divorces: 149,000
Divorce rate per 1000 total population: 1.4%

4 / 97

1923

Population: 111,947,000
Number of Divorces: 165,000
Divorce rate per 1000 total population: 1.5%

5 / 97

1924

Population: 114,109,000
Number of Divorces: 171,000
Divorce rate per 1000 total population: 1.5%

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6 / 97

1925

Population: 115,829,000
Number of Divorces: 175,000
Divorce rate per 1000 total population: 1.5%

7 / 97

1926

Population: 117,397,000
Number of Divorces: 185,000
Divorce rate per 1000 total population: 1.6%

8 / 97

1927

Population: 119,035,000
Number of Divorces: 196,000
Divorce rate per 1000 total population: 1.6%

9 / 97

1928

Population: 120,509,000
Number of Divorces: 200,000
Divorce rate per 1000 total population: 1.7%

10 / 97

1929

Population: 121,878,000
Number of Divorces: 206,000
Divorce rate per 1000 total population: 1.7%

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11 / 97

1930

Population: 123,188,000
Number of Divorces: 196,000
Divorce rate per 1000 total population: 1.6%

12 / 97

1931

Population: 124,149,000
Number of Divorces: 188,000
Divorce rate per 1000 total population: 1.5%

13 / 97

1932

Population: 124,949,000
Number of Divorces: 164,000
Divorce rate per 1000 total population: 1.3%

14 / 97

1933

Population: 125,690,000
Number of Divorces: 165,000
Divorce rate per 1000 total population: 1.3%

15 / 97

1934

Population: 126,485,000
Number of Divorces: 204,000
Divorce rate per 1000 total population: 1.6%

16 / 97

1935

Population: 127,362,000
Number of Divorces: 218,000
Divorce rate per 1000 total population: 1.7%

17 / 97

1936

Population: 128,181,000
Number of Divorces: 236,000
Divorce rate per 1000 total population: 1.8%

18 / 97

1937

Population: 128,961,000
Number of Divorces: 249,000
Divorce rate per 1000 total population: 1.9%

19 / 97

1938

Population: 129,969,000
Number of Divorces: 244,000
Divorce rate per 1000 total population: 1.9%

20 / 97

1939

Population: 131,028,000
Number of Divorces: 251,000
Divorce rate per 1000 total population: 1.9%

21 / 97

1940

Population: 132,122,000
Number of Divorces: 264,000
Divorce rate per 1000 total population: 2.0%

22 / 97

1941

Population: 133,402,000
Number of Divorces: 293,000
Divorce rate per 1000 total population: 2.2%

23 / 97

1942

Population: 134,860,000
Number of Divorces: 321,000
Divorce rate per 1000 total population: 2.4%

24 / 97

1943

Population: 136,739,000
Number of Divorces: 359,000
Divorce rate per 1000 total population: 2.6%

25 / 97

1944

Population: 138,397,000
Number of Divorces: 400,000
Divorce rate per 1000 total population: 2.9%

26 / 97

1945

Population: 139,928,000
Number of Divorces: 485,000
Divorce rate per 1000 total population: 3.5%

27 / 97

1946

Population: 141,389,000
Number of Divorces: 610,000
Divorce rate per 1000 total population: 4.3%

28 / 97

1947

Population: 144,126,000
Number of Divorces: 483,000
Divorce rate per 1000 total population: 3.4%

29 / 97

1948

Population: 146,631,000
Number of Divorces: 408,000
Divorce rate per 1000 total population: 2.8%

30 / 97

1949

Population: 149,188,000
Number of Divorces: 397,000
Divorce rate per 1000 total population: 2.7%

31 / 97

1950

Population: 151,684,000
Number of Divorces: 385,000
Divorce rate per 1000 total population: 2.5%

32 / 97

1951

Population: 154,287,000
Number of Divorces: 381,000
Divorce rate per 1000 total population: 2.5%

33 / 97

1952

Population: 156,954,000
Number of Divorces: 392,000
Divorce rate per 1000 total population: 2.5%

34 / 97

1953

Population: 159,565,000
Number of Divorces: 390,000
Divorce rate per 1000 total population: 2.4%

35 / 97

1954

Population: 162,391,000
Number of Divorces: 379,000
Divorce rate per 1000 total population: 2.3%

36 / 97

1955

Population: 165,275,000
Number of Divorces: 377,000
Divorce rate per 1000 total population: 2.3%

37 / 97

1956

Population: 168,221,000
Number of Divorces: 382,000
Divorce rate per 1000 total population: 2.3%

38 / 97

1957

Population: 171,274,000
Number of Divorces: 381,000
Divorce rate per 1000 total population: 2.2%

39 / 97

1958

Population: 174,141,000
Number of Divorces: 368,000
Divorce rate per 1000 total population: 2.1%

40 / 97

1959

Population: 177,130,000
Number of Divorces: 395,000
Divorce rate per 1000 total population: 2.2%

41 / 97

1960

Population: 180,760,000
Number of Divorces: 393,000
Divorce rate per 1000 total population: 2.2%

42 / 97

1961

Population: 183,742,000
Number of Divorces: 414,000
Divorce rate per 1000 total population: 2.3%

43 / 97

1962

Population: 186,590,000
Number of Divorces: 413,000
Divorce rate per 1000 total population: 2.2%

44 / 97

1963

Population: 189,300,000
Number of Divorces: 428,000
Divorce rate per 1000 total population: 2.3%

45 / 97

1964

Population: 191,927,000
Number of Divorces: 450,000
Divorce rate per 1000 total population: 2.3%

46 / 97

1965

Population: 194,347,000
Number of Divorces: 479,000
Divorce rate per 1000 total population: 2.5%

47 / 97

1966

Population: 196,599,000
Number of Divorces: 499,000
Divorce rate per 1000 total population: 2.5%

48 / 97

1967

Population: 198,752,000
Number of Divorces: 523,000
Divorce rate per 1000 total population: 2.6%

49 / 97

1968

Population: 200,745,000
Number of Divorces: 584,000
Divorce rate per 1000 total population: 2.9%

50 / 97

1969

Population: 202,736,000
Number of Divorces: 639,000
Divorce rate per 1000 total population: 3.2%

51 / 97

1970

Population: 205,089,000
Number of Divorces: 708,000
Divorce rate per 1000 total population: 3.5%

52 / 97

1971

Population: 207,692,000
Number of Divorces: 773,000
Divorce rate per 1000 total population: 3.7%

53 / 97

1972

Population: 209,924,000
Number of Divorces: 845,000
Divorce rate per 1000 total population: 4.0%

54 / 97

1973

Population: 211,939,000
Number of Divorces: 915,000
Divorce rate per 1000 total population: 4.3%

55 / 97

1974

Population: 213,898,000
Number of Divorces: 983,931
Divorce rate per 1000 total population: 4.6%

56 / 97

1975

Population: 215,981,000
Number of Divorces: 1,036,709
Divorce rate per 1000 total population: 4.8%

57 / 97

1976

Population: 218,086,000
Number of Divorces: 1,090,430
Divorce rate per 1000 total population: 5.0%

58 / 97

1977

Population: 220,289,000
Number of Divorces: 1,101,445
Divorce rate per 1000 total population: 5.0%

59 / 97

1978

Population: 222,629,000
Number of Divorces: 1,135,408
Divorce rate per 1000 total population: 5.1%

60 / 97

1979

Population: 225,106,000
Number of Divorces: 1,193,062
Divorce rate per 1000 total population: 5.3%

61 / 97

1980

Population: 227,726,000
Number of Divorces: 1,184,175
Divorce rate per 1000 total population: 5.2%

62 / 97

1981

Population: 230,008,000
Number of Divorces: 1,219,042
Divorce rate per 1000 total population: 5.3%

63 / 97

1982

Population: 232,218,000
Number of Divorces: 1,206,684
Divorce rate per 1000 total population: 5.2%

64 / 97

1983

Population: 234,333,000
Number of Divorces: 1,194,327
Divorce rate per 1000 total population: 5.1%

65 / 97

1984

Population: 236,394,000
Number of Divorces: 1,181,970
Divorce rate per 1000 total population: 5.0%

66 / 97

1985

Population: 238,506,000
Number of Divorces: 1,192,530
Divorce rate per 1000 total population: 5.0%

67 / 97

1986

Population: 240,683,000
Number of Divorces: 1,179,347
Divorce rate per 1000 total population: 4.9%

68 / 97

1987

Population: 242,843,000
Number of Divorces: 1,165,646
Divorce rate per 1000 total population: 4.8%

69 / 97

1988

Population: 245,061,000
Number of Divorces: 1,151,787
Divorce rate per 1000 total population: 4.7%

70 / 97

1989

Population: 247,387,000
Number of Divorces: 1,162,719
Divorce rate per 1000 total population: 4.7%

71 / 97

1990

Population: 250,181,000
Number of Divorces: 1,175,851
Divorce rate per 1000 total population: 4.7%

72 / 97

1991

Population: 253,530,000
Number of Divorces: 1,191,591
Divorce rate per 1000 total population: 4.7%

73 / 97

1992

Population: 256,922,000
Number of Divorces: 1,233,226
Divorce rate per 1000 total population: 4.8%

74 / 97

1993

Population: 260,282,000
Number of Divorces: 1,197,297
Divorce rate per 1000 total population: 4.6%

75 / 97

1994

Population: 263,455,000
Number of Divorces: 1,211,893
Divorce rate per 1000 total population: 4.6%

76 / 97

1995

Population: 266,588,000
Number of Divorces: 1,195,595
Divorce rate per 1000 total population: 4.4%

77 / 97

1996

Population: 269,714,000
Number of Divorces: 1,179,297
Divorce rate per 1000 total population: 4.3%

78 / 97

1997

Population: 272,958,000
Number of Divorces: 1,163,000
Divorce rate per 1000 total population: 4.3%

79 / 97

1998

Population: 276,154,000
Number of Divorces: 1,135,000
Divorce rate per 1000 total population: 4.2%

80 / 97

1999

Population: 279,328,000
Number of Divorces: 1,145,245
Divorce rate per 1000 total population: 4.1%

81 / 97

2000

Population: 282,398,000
Number of Divorces: 944,000
Divorce rate per 1000 total population: 4.0%

82 / 97

2001

Population: 285,225,000
Number of Divorces: 940,000
Divorce rate per 1000 total population: 4.0%

83 / 97

2002

Population: 287,955,000
Number of Divorces: 955,000
Divorce rate per 1000 total population: 3.9%

84 / 97

2003

Population: 290,626,000
Number of Divorces: 927,000
Divorce rate per 1000 total population: 3.8%

85 / 97

2004

Population: 293,262,000
Number of Divorces: 879,000
Divorce rate per 1000 total population: 3.7%

86 / 97

2005

Population: 295,993,000
Number of Divorces: 847,000
Divorce rate per 1000 total population: 3.6%

87 / 97

2006

Population: 298,818,000
Number of Divorces: 872,000
Divorce rate per 1000 total population: 3.7%

88 / 97

2007

Population: 301,696,000
Number of Divorces: 856,000
Divorce rate per 1000 total population: 3.6%

89 / 97

2008

Population: 304,543,000
Number of Divorces: 844,000
Divorce rate per 1000 total population: 3.5%

90 / 97

2009

Population: 307,240,000
Number of Divorces: 840,000
Divorce rate per 1000 total population: 3.5%

91 / 97

2010

Population: 309,776,000
Number of Divorces: 872,000
Divorce rate per 1000 total population: 3.6%

92 / 97

2011

Population: 312,034,000
Number of Divorces: 877,000
Divorce rate per 1000 total population: 3.6%

93 / 97

2012

Population: 313,914,040
Number of Divorces: 851,000
Divorce rate per 1000 total population: 3.4%

94 / 97

2013

Population: 306,136,672
Number of Divorces: 832,157
Divorce rate per 1000 total population: 3.3%

95 / 97

2014

Population: 308,759,713
Number of Divorces: 813,862
Divorce rate per 1000 total population: 3.2%

96 / 97

2015

Population: 321,418,820
Number of Divorces: 800,909
Divorce rate per 1000 total population: 3.1%

97 / 97

2016

Population: 323,127,513
Number of Divorces: 827,261
Divorce rate per 1000 total population: 3.2%