Divorces fall to their lowest level in 30 years with fewer marriages

London, Oct 12 (UNI) Couples have reason to rejoice in Britain as a recent study reveals that number of people opting for divorce has fallen to its lowest level in the last 30 years.

The reason for the decline is that fewer people are tying the knot and those who do are more likely to be better off, enjoy better health and have better-educated children.

According to the study, the ranks of cohabiting couples have grown by two-thirds in a decade, Daily Mail reported.

The figures of the study show that the annual number of divorces fell by more than 20,000 or 14 per cent in three years. The 2006 figure of 132,418 divorces compares with 153,294 in 2003.

The effect has been that fewer children are damaged by divorce.

Last year, just over 125,000 children under 16 were from homes with broken-marriages, down from over 153,500 in 2003.

However, these figures compare with increasing numbers of children suffering as a result of break-ups among cohabiting parents.

According to a National Statistics study, England topped the list accounting for 90 per cent of the partnerships last year.

No divorces were recorded last year, although civil partnership couples must be together for at least a year before they are allowed to file for separation.

UNI