Many different factors can influence a couple’s odds of divorce. Interestingly, though, one of them may simply be the age at which they got married. Regardless of all other factors, studies have found that there is a link between marriage age and divorce risk, especially when looking at couples who get married young.
What one study discovered was that each year brings an 11% decline in the odds of divorce. Quite simply, someone who gets married at 21 years old has 11% lower divorce odds than someone who gets married at 20. This suggests that it’s better for people to delay and wait to get married. Rushing into it can drastically increase the odds of getting divorced, especially when considering something like marriage at 18 versus marriage at 28. The divorce odds will have significantly shifted over that decade.
You can wait too long
However, the study found that the divorce odds don’t keep dropping forever. They reach their lowest point at about age 32. This is why many marriage experts say that couples would be wise to tie the knot somewhere between the ages of 28 and 32.
After 32, the odds of divorce start going back up by 5% every year. This increase isn’t as drastic as the decrease before 32, but it does mean that someone who is getting married – especially for the second time – in their 40s or 50s is going to have higher divorce odds.
If you and your spouse do end up getting divorced, then it’s very important for you to understand all of your legal options when considering parenting time with your children, the division of marital assets and much more.