Despite an increase in the population at risk of divorce – that is, married people – the number of divorces has decreased during the past three decades. The divorce rate per 1,000 married people has dropped from 12.7 per 1,000 in 1991 to 7.5 per 1,000 in 2019 and then to 5.6 per 1,000 in 2020.
According to the StatCan report, the aging of the married population as well as the decrease in the trend of divorce, especially among young married individuals, have both contributed to the general decline in the divorce rate recorded during the past three decades.
The married population is aging not only because of the growing population, but also because the Canadian younger generation is choosing common law unions more often. Divorce rates have decreased with the aging of the married population, as age-specific divorce rates are generally lower among older adults than among younger adults.
Meanwhile, the rise of Canadians divorcing at a more advanced age has stalled. Compared to young adults, divorce, known as “gray divorce,” is a very unusual occurrence among people 50 and older. The divorce rate has increased by 26% within this age group. Between 1991 and 2006, it rose from 4.2 to 5.3 per 1,000, although it has remained consistent since then, with 2020 projections down.
The increase in gray divorce in Canada, which coincided with the penetration of the baby-boom generation in this age group, was lower than doubling rates in the United States at the same time.
