A number that people love to throw around is that half of today’s marriages end in divorce. But where is that number pulled from? Does that cover Barrie, Orillia or Newmarket? Is that number even Canadian?
The truth is around 40% of Canadian marriages end in divorce, and the latest numbers show that divorce rates have declined recently.
According to Statistics Canada:
“Similar to the recent decline in marriages, the number of divorces in Canada has been declining in recent years. In 2008, there were over 70,000 divorces granted in Canada, a decline of 4% from the year before (Statistics Canada 2011).”
Their numbers show that Ontario’s divorce rate was 42.1 per cent, which ranks us in the upper half among Canada’s provinces. Yukon has the highest rate at 59.7 per cent (the only province over 50 per cent). Newfoundland and Labrador had the lowest at a mere 25 per cent.
Here’s a look at the province-by-province rates and trends.
| Province or territory | Divorce rate, by year | |||||
1998 | 2000 | 2002 | 2004 | 2006 | 2008 | |
| Canada | 36.1 | 37.6 | 37.6 | 37.9 | 41.9 | 40.7 |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | 23.2 | 22.9 | 21.8 | 21.6 | 22.3 | 25 |
| Prince Edward Island | 26.4 | 26.9 | 25.2 | 29.1 | 28.4 | 31.7 |
| Nova Scotia | 28.2 | 30.4 | 30.4 | 30.2 | 33.7 | 31.1 |
| New Brunswick | 26.9 | 31.9 | 27.2 | 26.9 | 30 | 29.7 |
| Quebec | 45.2 | 47.4 | 47.6 | 48.4 | 48 | 47.4 |
| Ontario | 33 | 34.6 | 34.9 | 35.5 | 44.1 | 42.1 |
| Manitoba | 30.1 | 30.3 | 30.3 | 30.6 | 29.9 | 31.5 |
| Saskatchewan | 31.5 | 31.4 | 28.7 | 27.6 | 30.7 | 30.3 |
| Alberta | 39 | 41.5 | 41.9 | 41.9 | 42.1 | 46 |
| British Columbia | 40 | 40.6 | 41 | 40.8 | 42.3 | 37.1 |
| Yukon | 55.2 | 33.6 | 43.4 | 34.8 | 44.8 | 59.7 |
| Northwest Territories and Nunavut | 37.5 | 40.7 | 31.2 | 35.5 | 30.8 | 35.1 |
If you have any questions about divorce or separation, please don’t hesitate to contact one of our divorce lawyers in Orillia or Barrie. We also have Newmarket divorce lawyers available to assist you as well.
