Statistics confirm that most German marriages last a lifetime
Despite the decline in the social significance of religious beliefs, despite globalization and digitalization, which do not always positively affect morals and ethics, the institution of marriage is enjoying increasing respect in Germany. As "Russkaya Germaniya" notes, promises made at the altar are being kept more often, and divorces, according to statistics, are becoming fewer.
Whether spouses really "love, respect and cherish each other" throughout their life together, experts at the Federal Statistical Office (Statistisches Bundesamt) in Wiesbaden cannot verify. But they do know that 69.1 percent of marriages in Germany end only with the death of one partner, and only 30.88 percent end in divorce. Over the 15 years since the record year 2004, when the divorce rate in Germany reached 39.1 percent, the statistics have changed significantly – separations of married couples have decreased by eight percent.
In search of an explanation for this phenomenon, one might assume that this reduction is due to a certain increase in attention to conservative values, or that those entering marriage have become much more attentive to each other. There are also less romantic explanations: for example, more and more people in Germany live together for a long time without getting married. They separate accordingly without divorcing and do not enter the family statistics, and if they do decide to marry, it is a well-considered decision, and such a marriage is less likely to break up.
There is data from the Federal Statistical Office on the number of divorces in various regions of Germany. Residents of large cities divorce significantly more often than those living in the provinces. For example, in Frankfurt, 47 out of 100 marriages break up, in North Friesland – less than 13 percent.
In search of explanations, the first thought is about stronger ties among the rural population as opposed to the urban one. This is supplemented by considerations that living where everyone knows everyone, it is harder to separate than in the anonymity of a big city, and about a lower level of tolerance. It is possible, however, that the strength of provincial marriages – it is especially high on the coasts of the North and Baltic Seas, in the Alpine regions of Bavaria, and in the castle-filled district of Saale – is also explained by the fact that many out-of-towners come to get married in beautiful places, but they divorce mainly at their place of residence.
Be that as it may, the champions of Germany in divorces are Gera, where 68 out of 100 marriages break up, Neumünster and Mönchengladbach (58 each), Trier (53), Schweinfurt and Coburg (just over 50). In Berlin – 34 divorces per 100 weddings, and in nearby Brandenburg an der Havel – already 47.
At the same time, the statistics of the Federal Office refute the established notion that the most difficult year of married life is the seventh. As it turned out, this is a prejudice. In fact, most divorces occur in the sixth year of marriage. Given that under German law, a legally valid divorce must be preceded by a year of separation, the most correct conclusion is that most marriages in Germany break up in the fifth year after the wedding.
Overall, sociologists in the last decade and a half have observed the following trend: marriages are becoming stronger, but divorces after 20-25 years of married life are also increasing.
When it comes to separation, the initiator is usually the woman – and this trend, according to statistics, has been unchanged for over 40 years. In 2018, 51 percent of divorce applications were filed by women, 41 percent by men, and the rest jointly.