Divorce levels soar to new highs, latest court information shows

Divorce applications hit record levels for the second year in-a-row in 2021, according to latest figures published by the Courts Service.

The details are included in the Courts Service Annual Report for 2021, just published. 

A total of 5,856 divorce applications were filed last year, an 11pc increase on the previous high of 5,220 in 2020.

Overall, there was a 29% increase in new applications for divorce in 2021.

There was also a one quarter increase in wives seeking divorce in the Circuit Court, the annual report notes.  

The significant increase in divorce applications is partly explained by a change in the law in December 2019 reducing the minimum time a husband and wife must live apart before either can seek a divorce to two years out of the previous three.

Before that, they had to be living apart for at least four of the previous five years.

It is also anticipated that divorce levels will rise higher in coming years as the pressure of pandemic lockdown and people living in confined spaces puts further pressure on already struggling marriages.