Couples in England and Wales are staying married longer before divorcing than at any point since records began, with the median marriage length before divorce reaching 13 years in 2025, according to new figures from the Office for National Statistics. Experts point to a range of pressures keeping couples together longer, including the high cost of splitting one household into two amid elevated mortgage rates and living costs, cuts to legal aid, and broader global uncertainty that makes marriage feel like a refuge — particularly for women, who remain the primary instigators of divorce. The trend appears international: the United States, Germany, the Netherlands, and Belgium have all recorded rising median marriage durations before divorce in recent years, suggesting the phenomenon reflects widespread economic and social forces rather than any single policy change.