Divorce rate in New Zealand
By age group and sex, 2025, number of divorces per 1000 people married or in civil union
| Age group | Sex | Number of divorces per 1000 people married or in civil union |
|---|---|---|
| 20-24 | Male | 13.5 |
| 20-24 | Female | 14.7 |
| 25-29 | Male | 11.6 |
| 25-29 | Female | 12.1 |
| 30-34 | Male | 9.4 |
| 30-34 | Female | 10.4 |
| 35-39 | Male | 9.0 |
| 35-39 | Female | 10.5 |
| 40-44 | Male | 10.2 |
| 40-44 | Female | 11.0 |
| 45-49 | Male | 10.8 |
| 45-49 | Female | 11.6 |
| 50-54 | Male | 11.2 |
| 50-54 | Female | 10.9 |
| 55-59 | Male | 9.4 |
| 55-59 | Female | 8.0 |
| 60-64 | Male | 7.1 |
| 60-64 | Female | 5.9 |
| 65+ | Male | 2.6 |
| 65+ | Female | 1.8 |
Definitions
Age-specific: A measure relating to an age group.
Age-specific divorce rate: Orders for dissolution of marriage and civil union granted in New Zealand per 1,000 mean estimated population who are married or in a civil union in each age group.
Divorce: The dissolution of a marriage or civil union. An application for marriage or civil union dissolution can be made by either partner on grounds that the marriage or civil union has broken down irreconcilably, provided a two-year separation requirement is satisfied. One or both partners must usually live in New Zealand. The Family Court grants Dissolution Orders. Family Courts are located throughout New Zealand but since 2014 almost all applications for divorce have been processed by the Wellington court.
For more information
Changes to data collection/processing
In 2014, divorce rates changed from solely divorces as a proportion of the population, to cover all dissolutions of marriages and civil unions. Divorce rates were revised from 2006 onwards.
Data provided by
Dataset name
Marriages, Civil Unions, and Divorces: Age-specific divorce rate by sex 2025
Webpage:
https://infoshare.stats.govt.nz/
How to find the data
At URL provided, select 'Population > Marriage and Divorce Rates - DMR > Age-specific divorce rate by sex (Annual-Dec)'. All variables were selected to create this dataset.
Import & extraction details
File as imported: Marriages, Civil Unions, and Divorces: Age-specific divorce rate by sex 2025
From the dataset Marriages, Civil Unions, and Divorces: Age-specific divorce rate by sex 2025, this data was extracted:
- Rows: 4-47
- Columns: 2-45
- Provided: 968 data points
This data forms the table Marriage and Divorce - Age-specific divorce rate by sex 1982–2025.
Dataset originally released on:
May 04, 2026
About this dataset
Divorce data are published annually and unless otherwise stated refer to orders for dissolution of both marriage and civil union granted in New Zealand.
Method of collection/Data provider
Ministry of Justice provides a quarterly electronic file of orders for dissolution of marriage and civil unions granted in New Zealand. The data is compiled from information collected by the family courts.