Highlights
- The number of divorces recorded in 2020 (42,933) was the lowest since 1973.
- Barriers to accessing court services during the COVID-19 pandemic likely contributed to the decrease in divorce applications and granted divorces in 2020.
- The decrease in the divorce rate since 1991 is linked to the aging of the married population.
- Since the mid-2000s, age-specific divorce rates have been declining most rapidly for young adults while they have plateaued for persons aged 50 and over.
- Almost one-third of divorces are now the result of a joint application by both spouses.
- In 2019, Canada had the second lowest crude divorce rate among G7 countries.
- In the period from 2016 to 2020, divorce rates were highest in Yukon and Alberta and lowest in Nunavut and Newfoundland and Labrador.
Sharp decrease in divorces between 2019 and 2020
In 2020, there were 42,933 divorces granted in Canada, a sharp decrease from the 56,937 divorces recorded in 2019. While the number of divorces in the country has been generally declining for many years, this 25% annual drop is the largest since the Divorce Act of 1968 came into force. Difficulties accessing courts services during the COVID-19 pandemic likely contributed to this decrease which coincides with the onset of the pandemic.
The number of divorces in 2020 was the lowest since 1973 and less than half the highest number recorded in 1987. That year, 97,773 divorces were granted following amendments to the Divorce Act that reduced the minimum period of separation required before being granted a "no-fault" divorce from three years to one year.
Contact information
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