The heartbreakingly high divorce rate in Birmingham unveiled - and how it compares to the rest of the country

New Census data has shone a light on divorce rates in the UK.

You’ve probably heard the old adage that 50% of marriages end in divorce – and while the picture isn’t quite as bad as that, divorce rates are still sky-high. In the UK, the divorce rate is estimated at a whopping 42% of all marriages.

But which age groups and which areas are most at risk of their marriage ending in divorce?

The data, which has been analysed by law firm Beecham Peacock, shows us which regions of the country have the highest rates of divorce, as well as the age groups those people belong to.

Birmingham has worst divorce rates in three age groups

Accounting for five of the Census 2021’s top 20 demographics, Birmingham is one of the nation’s leading hotspots for divorce. Birmingham has been one of the UK’s cities with the highest rate of divorce for at least a decade, having also topped the 2013 list of the most common locations to file for divorce.

Per the Census 2021, there were 9,325 people aged 55–59 living in Birmingham that registered their marital status as ‘divorced or formerly in a civil partnership’ – the largest demographic in the country.

A similar demographic also in the second city took second place on this list – there were 8,555 people aged 50–54 living in Birmingham also listed under this denomination. The data highlights that people living in Birmingham born between 1962 and 1971 are most likely to be unlucky in love.

It’s not just Gen Xers in Birmingham who are likely to be divorced, however. The population of Brum also accounts for positions three and five in the top 20 most-divorced demographics, with the 45–49, 60–64 and 65–69 age brackets also appearing in the top 20.

Which other cities also had high rates of divorce?

Cornwall was the location that appeared second-most frequently in the top 20 most-divorced demographics. The UK’s most-southerly county, Cornwall featured in five of the top 50 entries for the most-divorced demographics in the Census 2021.

Cornwall had 8,105 people aged 55-59 listed as divorced, the fifth-most in the country. There were also 7,585 people aged 60–64 listed as divorced, as well as 7,080 people aged 50–54.

Older Cornish residents also made up a sizable chunk of the area’s divorced population. Of the divorced population, those aged 65–69 and 70–74 were registered as divorced 6,625 and 6,280 times respectively.

Appearing fourth on the list of most-divorced demographics from the Census 2021 is 55–59-year-olds living in Leeds. At the time of the census, Leeds was home to 8,310 people in this age bracket who fell into the ‘divorced or formerly in a civil partnership’ bracket.

Other age groups from Leeds appeared in the Census’ top 20: those aged 50–54, 60–64, and 65–69. Interestingly, across each of the top three cities that appear in the top 20, those aged between 50–70 remain the most likely to be divorced.