Press
Divorces at an all-time low: In 2023, the number of divorces in Germany fell to its lowest level since 1990. Experts also see this as an indication of improved relationships.
Wiesbaden – The number of divorces in Germany fell again last year. In 2023, around 129,000 marriages were dissolved by court order, 6.1 percent fewer than in the previous year, according to the Federal Statistical Office. In 2023, the figure reached its lowest level since German reunification in 1990 and at the same time the second lowest level since 1950.
Statistically, however, marriages end somewhat sooner. While couples divorced on average after just over 15 years in 2022, couples who divorced in 2023 had been married for 14 years and nine months.
“Marriages have actually improved considerably”
For psychotherapist Wolfgang Krüger from Berlin, however, this does not mean a break in the trend: “We observe that marriages have actually improved considerably in the last 20 years,” he told the German Press Agency.
He attributes this improvement to several reasons: people now often only get married if they are really in love with each other and have the feeling that the marriage will work. “We have a certain quality selection before marriage.” In contrast to the 60s and 70s, people often no longer have to get married for financial reasons or because of social pressure.
Improved crisis communication also plays a major role in longer-lasting marriages. Many people know more about how to talk to each other or resolve conflicts. “More and more people know how marriages really work,” said Krüger.
External circumstances are also a factor: “We live in difficult times in which we experience deep uncertainty. And then we want to have a place of security, where we have the feeling that ‘the other person is standing by us.'” This place is still love and, for many, ultimately marriage.
Difficult times such as the Corona pandemic apparently have little impact on the number of divorces: “The Corona pandemic has also not influenced this development,” the statisticians explained.
More than 100,000 children affected by divorce
According to the Federal Statistical Office, more than half of the approximately 129,000 separated couples had minor children. “In total, around 109,600 minors were affected by their parents’ divorce in 2023.”
The statistics also show that some couples continue to decide late to go their separate ways: almost 17 percent of divorcees had been married for at least 25 years. By comparison, in 2022 the figure was 18 percent, and in 1997 only about ten percent were legally separated in the year of their silver wedding anniversary or thereafter.
A fraction of the divorces in 2023 were among same-sex couples – 1,300 in total. This was about 200 or 15 percent more than in 2022. Since the introduction of “marriage for all” in October 2017, civil partnerships can no longer be established in Germany.
According to the Federal Office, same-sex couples who live in a previously registered civil partnership cannot end it through divorce, but through annulment. In 2023, around 700 civil partnership annulments were recorded, around 200 or 19.4 percent fewer than in the previous year. This number has thus fallen for the fourth year in a row.
The number of marriages also fell in 2023 after rising significantly in the previous year. According to the figures, around 360,000 marriages were performed, compared to more than 390,000 in the previous year. In 2021, the number of marriages fell to a corona-related low of around 357,000. dpa
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