There are many different factors that influence the odds that a couple may get divorced. How long were they together before getting married? What personalities do they have? Are they financially stable? The list goes on and on.
But one interesting thing that researchers have found is that the age at which a couple gets married can play a very large role in whether or not they will eventually end that relationship through a divorce. They have found that getting married too young carries a greater risk of divorce, but that’s not necessarily the whole story.
Aiming for age 32 is ideal
In studying the statistics, what researchers actually found is that people who got married at age 32 had the lowest risk of divorce. When they looked at people who got married earlier, there was a greater risk of divorce by about 11% for every single year. As you can imagine, this makes divorce vastly more likely for someone who gets married at 18 or 20 years old. But even getting married at 28 instead of 32 could play a role.
However, the trend did not continue indefinitely. At age 32, it reversed. For every year beyond that age, divorce odds started going back up by roughly 5%. So it’s not just a matter of putting marriage off for as long as possible. Putting it off for too long can also make divorce more likely.
At the end of the day, divorce is simply something that’s common in the United States. People who are splitting up need to make sure they understand all their legal options.