You’ve probably heard the statistic that one in two marriages end in divorce, but that’s not strictly true. While half of all first marriages end in divorce, the statistics for previously married couples are far worse.

While no one plans to get divorced, things can change, and many practical couples want to know what is to be expected if their marriage isn’t conditioned to last.

To make an educated guess, review the following divorce statistics:

1. A marriage can dissolve at any time, but on average, a marriage ends in divorce after eight years.
2. The average age for a first divorce is 30 years old, but couples who marry young are more likely to separate.
3. Before remarrying, most people wait three years after the divorce. Many don’t remarry at all.
4. While custodial parents are eligible for spousal support after separation, only 29.6% of fathers are rewarded. The majority of recipients are custodial mothers.
5. Only 1% of same-sex couples divorce on any given year. About 2% of straight couples will divorce each year. While the total number of divorces amounts to roughly half of all marriages, the number is far lower on any given year.
6. If your parents were happily married, your likelihood of divorce drops by 14%.
7. Couples who live together prior to getting married are about 40% less likely to divorce since they’ve become accustomed to each other’s habits.
8. College-educated couples are about 13% less likely to get divorced.
9. Red states, or those who typically vote Republican, have higher divorce rates than blue states.
10. Baptists are the most likely religion to divorce, while the lowest rates belong to atheists and agnostics.

While there are tacky divorce probability calculators all over the Internet, there really is no true way to know whether or not you and your spouse will wind up divorced.

While it’s true that nearly half of all couples get divorced, those couples likely didn’t have strong, happy relationships built on mutual respect, communication, and trust. Those who meet that description likely have a much higher chance at living happily ever after.

Statistics aren’t a tell-all, and many couples beat the odds. For whatever reason though, if your marriage doesn’t work out, there’s nothing to be ashamed of — sometimes people just grow apart.

Whether you need family law legal advice, child custody legal advice, or family law mediation tips, you need to find divorce lawyers that your trust. Divorce lawyers are common, but only a few are truly special and can make a difference, especially after undergoing such a stressful life event.

The divorce lawyers at R and S Law Group will stand by you to make sure that your divorce is settled as civilly as possible.