Official data released on Thursday shows that around 129,300 marriages were dissolved in Germany in 2024.

The figure was roughly in line with that of the previous year, with a marginal increase of 0.3 per cent, or 329 divorces, according to the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis).

The data shows that in 2023, the fewest divorces took place since German reunification in 1990.

Since 2003, the number of divorces has been on a downward trend, except for a few years, according to the statisticians.

It said that family breakups slightly have more than half, at 50.8 per cent, of couples that divorced in 2024 and have underage children.

Out of these, 48 per cent had one child, 40 per cent had two and 12 per cent had three or more children, the data showed.

This continues a long-standing trend: the divorce rate is falling for couples with one child, while the rate is increasing for couples with two or more children.

In 2024, a total of about 111,000 minors were affected by their parents’ divorce.

Most of last year’s divorces (80.5 per cent) were preceded by a one-year separation period.

In 18.5 per cent of cases, the couple had been separated for three years.

On average, the couples that divorced in 2024 had been married for 14 years and 8 months.

For about 21,200 couples or 16.4 per cent, the divorce occurred after 25 years of marriage or more.

The number of new marriages is also generally declining; in 2024, 349,200 marriages were registered, which was 3.3 per cent or 11,800 fewer than in 2023.

In Germany, 340,400 marriages were between a man and a woman in 2024, and 8,800 marriages were between people of the same sex.

(dpa/NAN)