Divorce rate rises for couples over 65: What do Catholic experts suggest?
January 2, 2026
The rate of married couples filing for divorce has begun to trend downward in recent years, but the rate of “gray divorce” — divorces of couples in their 60s or older — has continued to climb.
A July 2025 report from the Institute for Family Studies found that about 40% of today’s first marriages will end in divorce — much less than the oft-cited estimates of about 50%. This is partly because marriages are more selective and some younger people are waiting longer to marry or shunning marriage altogether.
