Do Half of Ontario’s Marriages Really End in Divorce?

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.

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Brian Galbraith

Brian Galbraith is the owner and founder of Galbraith Family Law Professional Corporation. Brian is known in the legal community for his commitment to efficiently practicing family law using technology and streamlining the divorce processes.

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