Marriage age and divorce risk study

A statistical analysis of data from the US National Survey of Family Growth, collected between 2006 and 2010, suggests that the age at which individuals marry has a non-linear relationship with divorce risk.

Research conducted by Nicholas Volfinger, a professor at the University of Utah, indicates that up until the age of 32, each additional year of age at the time of marriage is associated with an 11 percent decrease in the likelihood of divorce. For example, marriages entered at age 27 carry a higher statistical risk than those entered at age 30 or 31.

However, the trend reverses after age 32. From that point onward, each subsequent year of age is associated with approximately a 5 percent increase in the probability of divorce. The study emphasizes that these are statistical correlations and that many other factors influence marital stability.