It may come as a surprise, but the divorce rate is not high everywhere in the world, which you will learn more about in our list of 11 countries with the lowest divorce rates in Europe and the world.
When it comes to the United States, as the years pass by, the divorce rates are increasing. We live in a different age now, and there are many reasons and factors that are leading to the increase in the number of divorces. At this point, it’s becoming more common in society and does not have as much of a stigma as it once held. Pretty much all of us have friends or family members who have been divorced once, or maybe multiple times. For this reason, you should really know what you’re getting yourself into when marrying someone, but even that doesn’t sound like enough, these days. Currently, divorce rates in the United States are hovering around 50%. It’s crazy to think that half of the marriages in the country don’t work out.
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Divorce rates fluctuate in different countries and different regions of the world. Much of these changes are a result of the culture and main religions practiced in certain countries. For example, when it comes to the lowest divorce rate by religion, those who are Buddhist, Muslim, Jewish, or Hindu take the crown for that title in the U.S. On the other hand, the highest rates were of those who identify as Christian. So, one could assume that the countries with a large number of Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, or Hindus will also have the lowest divorce rates around the world. However, if you take a look at the India divorce rate, the numbers are sharply increasing, even though Hinduism is the largest religion in the country.
Surprisingly, you won’t find the highest divorces rates in the United States. In fact, countries with the highest divorce rate are mainly European countries, like Portugal, Luxembourg, Belgium and Spain, where the rates are higher than 60%. The Belgium divorce rate comes in around 61%, which is staggering. Looking at other areas of Europe, the Italians aren’t quite as bad at marriage as the Italy divorce rate is around 44%. For more information on the countries leading the divorce rate race, take a look at our article on the 15 Countries with the Highest Divorce Rates in the World in 2017.
For the purposes of our list, we decided to take a look at the data corresponding to divorce rate by country 2016. However not all countries reported data for these years, so some data reflects rates from the years 2014 and 2015. We used sources like the United Nations Statistics Division, Divorce Science, and OECD. We have ranked countries on our list by percentage of divorces, so the higher the percentage, the higher it will be on our list. Let’s take a look at the countries with the lowest divorce rates in Europe and the world. You might be surprised at what you find. We must note that because the divorce rates in Europe are higher than those in other continents in the world, it is almost impossible to make a list of both the lowest divorce rates in the world and Europe with just 11 entries. Based on our research, Ireland has the lowest divorce rate in Europe, with 13%, which is extremely low compared to its neighbors. So, for the purposes of our list, we included the countries with the lowest divorce rates in Europe and the world.
11. Seychelles
Divorce Rate: 11%
We’ll kick off our list with this quiet island in the Indian Ocean, off the coast of East Africa that has a pretty low divorce rate. Low divorce rates might reflect the culture of the country, but it has a low population of under 100,000 which could also be a factor in such a low divorce rate.
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The following three countries share the 8th place on our list of countries with the lowest divorce rates in Europe and the world.
8. Colombia
Divorce Rate: 9%
Catholicism is the main religion in Colombia, which might be an answer to why the divorce rate is so low since in most cases, a person is not allowed to remarry within the Catholic church once they have been divorced.
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8. Jamaica
Divorce Rate: 9%
Jamaica, like most island nations, has a reputation for their laid-back style of life. The country has interestingly seen a decrease in marriages and an increase in divorces in recent years. The country’s leaders believe these numbers are a reflection that the society is “becoming more secular.”
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8. Syria
Divorce Rate: 9%
While Syria has a relatively low divorce rate, war has seen that rate increase in the past few years. Polygamous relationships are also on the rise as the population of women is exceeding that of men.
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7. Uzbekistan
Divorce Rate: 8%
Islam is the dominant religion in Uzbekistan, and it is also a religion where divorce is highly uncommon. It also doesn’t help that public leaders have vowed to publicly shame couples who pursue a divorce, with hopes to decrease the rates of divorce.
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6. Tajikistan
Divorce Rate: 6%
We’re about halfway through our list of countries with the lowest divorce rates in Europe and the world, this time with another Middle Eastern country. Tajikistan borders Uzbekistan, but there is a surprising 2% difference in the divorce rates of the two countries. The country has seen an increase in the number of divorces, even though their State Religious Affairs Committee outlawed the practice.
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Up next we have three countries which share the third position on our list.
3. Guatemala
Divorce Rate: 5%
When it comes to North and South America’s divorce rates, Guatemala comes in with some of the lowest numbers. For the most part, family unity is of high importance in Latin American cultures, which could be a major factor in the low divorce rates here. As mentioned before, Catholicism also plays a big role in the culture.
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3. Bahamas
Divorce Rate: 5%
The Bahamas is a popular destination when it comes to weddings, and it also seems to be a good place to stay married. However, we must note, that the most recent available data is from 2007, so we’re not sure how and if things have changed significantly within the past decade.
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3. Libya
Divorce Rate: 5%
Much of this extremely low number is a direct result of culture and religion. Libya has also had its share of problems with women’s rights, which could be another reason for very low divorce rates.
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2. Vietnam
Divorce Rate: 4%
There are many factors that contribute to low divorce rates in Vietnam which ranks second on our list of countries with the lowest divorce rates in Europe and the world. Many marriages are still arranged, and divorce is definitely frowned upon in society. On another hand, the countries laws make it extremely difficult to get a divorce, and those wanting one must first try reconciliation, while also documenting this process.
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1. Chile
Divorce Rate: 3%
Topping our list of the 11 countries with the lowest divorce rates in Europe and the world is Chile. The country only made divorce legal in 2004, making it one of the last countries in the world to do so. Before, Chileans found unique ways to separate using things like civil annulments. Divorce is also very costly in the country, so people try to find alternatives.
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