The countries with the highest and lowest divorce rates in the world
13 countries have the highest divorce rates
Maldives – 5.52
Kazakhstan – 4.6
Russia – 3.9
Belarus (draw) – 3.7
Belgium (draw) – 3.7
Moldova – 3.3
China – 3.2
Cuba – 2.9
Ukraine – 2.88
Denmark (tie) – 2.7
Latvia (draw) – 2.7
Lithuania (draw) – 2.7
USA (tie) – 2.7
Annually, per 1000 people
The former Soviet republic of Kazakhstan suffered the second highest divorce rate in the world in 2020, with 4.6 divorces per 1,000 people. Behind are Russia (3.9), Belgium (3.7) and Belarus (3.7). The United States lands in a tie for 9th-12th place on the list, with an annual divorce rate of 2.7 per 1,000 people. In the United States, Nevada has the highest divorce rate of any state at 14%.
The country with the lowest divorce rate in the world
Sri Lanka
Based on available data, the country with the lowest divorce rate in the world is Sri Lanka, with a divorce rate of 0.15 divorces per 1,000 residents. The second lowest rate is found in Vietnam and Guatemala with 0.2 divorces per 1,000 residents. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Peru, and South Africa rank fourth. It should be noted that a low divorce rate does not necessarily mean that a country's citizens have happy and prosperous marriages. In some countries, divorce may be more difficult to obtain legally, or wives may be unable to leave a bad marriage because they fear for their safety, or the safety of their children, or because they lack the money (or societal opportunity) to support them.
15 countries with the lowest divorce rates
Sri Lanka – .15
Guatemala (draw) – .20
Vietnam (tie) – .20
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines – .40
Peru – .50
South Africa – .60
Chile (draw) – .70
Colombia (tie) – .70
Ireland (draw) – .70
Malta (draw) – .70
Panama (draw) – .70
Diameter (tie) – .70
Saint Lucia (draw) – .70
United Arab Emirates (tie) – .70
Venezuela (draw) – .70
Annually, per 1000 people