Forget seven-year itch: opposite marriages more likely to end after two decades, as later-life divorce rises
Long marriages lead divorce figures
Office for National Statistics data show that just over a quarter of 102,879 divorces involving opposite-sex couples in England and Wales in 2025 followed marriages lasting 20 years or more. The five-to-nine-year group accounted for 23%.
This was the second time the five-to-nine-year category came second. The other instance was in the mid-1980s, after a change in law reduced the minimum marriage term before divorce from three years to one.
A shift seen across generations
A similar pattern has been reported in the United States. A Pew research group study found that the incidence of divorce after 20 years had doubled since the 1990s.
Celebrity separations draw attention
Several high-profile couples have separated after long marriages. Tess Daly and Vernon Kay split after 22 years, while Hugh Bonneville and Lulu Williams separated in 2023 after 25 years.
Colin Firth announced his separation from Livia Giuggioli in 2019, after 22 years of marriage. Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban separated last year after almost 20 years.
Key points
- Twenty-six percent of opposite-sex divorces in England and Wales in 2025 followed marriages of 20 years or more.
- The five-to-nine-year group represented 23% of divorces.
- The longer-marriage group has exceeded the five-to-nine-year group only once before, in the mid-1980s.
- Researchers warn that later-life divorce can create financial and social challenges.