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Cost of living crisis is trapping unhappy couples in failed marriages, divorce lawyers warn

From the Newshound archive · first published 23 September 2026 · last updated 24 September 2026.

A reality TV star on her wedding day. New ONS data shows same-sex divorces hit their highest level since same-sex marriage was legalised, with 2,123 recorded in England and Wales in 2025.
A reality TV star on her wedding day. New ONS data shows same-sex divorces hit their highest level since same-sex marriage was legalised, with 2,123 recorded in England and Wales in 2025.
England and Wales recorded 105,002 divorces in 2025 — well below the 150,000-a-year peak seen between the 1980s and 2000s — as soaring living costs push couples to stay together longer before splitting.
England and Wales recorded 105,002 divorces in 2025 — well below the 150,000-a-year peak seen between the 1980s and 2000s — as soaring living costs push couples to stay together longer before splitting.

Unhappy couples are being forced to stay in failing marriages because they cannot afford to divorce, lawyers have warned after new ONS figures showed the average marriage ending in divorce now lasts a record 13 years. Rebecca Aston-Jones, a senior associate at Clarke Willmott, said rising rent, mortgages and childcare costs make separation "financially daunting" for many couples. The 13-year average is the longest since records began in 1963, up from a record low of 8.9 years in 1985. There were 105,002 divorces in England and Wales in 2025, well below the 150,000-a-year peak of the 1980s and 1990s.

Divorce lawyers say couples 'can't afford to get divorced and face the financial hand grenade that it results in.'

The Marriage Foundation think tank has urged Labour to drop new wedding bureaucracy and adopt French-style rules to cut ceremony costs.

Same-sex couple divorces hit their highest level since same-sex marriage was legalised in 2014, with 2,123 recorded in 2025.

MoreThe IndependentWhy couples are remaining married for longer before separatingMetroForget the 7-year itch, this is how long a marriage lasts before divorce nowDaily MailCouples are staying married longer... before getting divorced - dataThe GuardianUnhappy couples staying put due to cost of living crisis, say divorce lawyers
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