Divorce filings rise slightly in Germany as marriages hit historic low

In 2025 Germany recorded about 130,100 divorces, a 0.6 % increase over the previous year and the second consecutive rise after a record low in 2023. The number of marriages fell to 348,800, the lowest level since statistics began in 1950.

Divorces involved roughly 113,400 minors – 51.7 % of all cases – with 47.6 % of those families having one child, 40.5 % two children and 11.9 % three or more. On average, marriages lasted 14 years and 7 months before ending; about 16 % dissolved at the silver‑anniversary mark or later.

Around 90 % of filings were consensual, 5.8 % were joint applications and 4.1 % were contested. Same‑sex couples accounted for 1.3 % of divorces (≈1,700 cases), a 10 % rise year‑on‑year. Over the longer term, divorces are still 39 % lower than the 2003 peak, but the recent uptick suggests a modest reversal of the long‑term decline.