New figures released by Statistik sentralbyrå (Statistics Norway, SSB) show that the number of divorces and separations nationwide has reached its lowest point in 4 decades. Marriages too saw a significant decline.
COVID era actually saw fewer couples go their separate ways
Not since 1981 has as few couples in Norway either divorced or separated according to figures released by Statistics Norway. In 2021, 18,000 couples went their separate ways a figure not seen in over four decades.
Exactly 9,100 separations were entered into last year in Norway, 1,000 fewer than in 2020, and the lowest since 1980. Only 8,900 divorces were filed in 2021, 500 less than in 2020. It appears that the COVID pandemic restrictions on travel, work, and socializing did not seem to have the dramatic effect many had feared.
Karstein Sørlien, from SSB, spoke of the four-decade low in divorces or separations. According to Sørlein, “in recent years, it has been steadily less common to divorce, especially among those over 35 years. Last year, the main reason for the decline was that there were fewer people in the age group 40-49 who divorced than in 2020.”
A significant decline in marriages
Last year also saw a slight decline in the number of couples saying “I do”. For about a two-decade period, from 1996 to 2017, the number of marriages, in Norway, was steady at between 22,000 to 24,000 a year. Since then, the number of marriages has declined significantly. In 2020, the first year of the COVID pandemic, Norway registered only 16,200 marriages, a decline of approximately 25-30%. Last year saw even fewer marriages, with only 16,100 registered.
Sørlein felt that the impact of pandemic infection measures and restrictions on everyday life probably restricted couples wanting to tie the knot.
Source : © NTB Scanpix / #Norway Today / #NorwayTodayNews
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