New Office of National Statistic figures found in 2025, 5,505 divorces took place in the seventh year of marriage, more than in any other single year.
The statistics, analysed by Stephen Rimmer solicitors, found over 100,000 divorces happen each year, with 5,505 divorces taking place in the seventh year of marriage, or 5.2% of the 105,002 granted in 2025.
Stephen Rimmer solicitors said the margin was slim, with year nine recorded 5,358 divorces and year eight 5,328, and the same three years have topped the table in each of the last five years, forming a three-year danger zone. Combined, they produced 16,191 divorces in 2025 (15.4%), more than one in seven of the total.
The analysis found the seven, eight and nine year timescale changed from year to year; year seven led in 2025 and 2023, year eight in 2024 and 2022, and year nine in 2021.
According to Stephen Rimmer’s analysis there were 8,753 couples who divorced in 2025 (8.3%) had been married for 30 years or more.
In total, 105,002 divorces were granted in England and Wales in 2025, barely changed from 2024, and the divorce rate held at 8.5 per 1,000 married people.
Partner and head of the family department at Stephen Rimmer Solicitors commented: “The seventh to ninth years are often when the excitement of the early years has worn off and day-to-day pressures have built up. Many couples will have young children by then, which can put real strain on a relationship, particularly if one person feels they are carrying more of the load.
“Most marriages don’t end because of one dramatic event. More often, couples have gradually grown apart, or the same arguments keep coming back, and by this point some people feel they have tried for long enough.”
