The divorce rate in Europe has more than doubled [1] since 1965.
Figures from Eurostat show in 2017, there were 2.0 divorces per 1,000 persons in the EU, more than double the crude divorce rate (0.8 divorces per 1 000 persons) recorded in 1965.
The crude divorce rate term means the ratio of the number of divorces in a population to the average population in a year. In 2018, among EU Member States, the lowest crude rates were registered in Malta (0.7 divorces per 1 000 persons) and Ireland (0.7, 2017 data), Slovenia (1.1), Bulgaria, Croatia and Italy (all three 1.5).
By contrast, the highest crude divorce rates were recorded in Latvia and Lithuania (both 3.1 divorces per 1 000 persons), followed by Denmark (2.6) and Sweden (2.5).
In Ireland, many people get legal separation without getting divorces so the divorce rate is neither a true measure of marital breakdown, nor rightly comparable with the divorce rate in other countries.