Divorce rates skyrocket, but young Territory couples remain in love

The latest divorce rates have revealed an interesting insight into relationships across the country. Read how the Territorian’s love lives compare and which suburbs are unluckiest in love.

The Territory is home to the most stable couples in the country, according to the latest Australian Bureau of Statistics data.

And it might not have as much to do with the tropical, laid-back lifestyle as we would like to think.

The national divorce rate was up 16 per cent in the past year, with an average of 2.2 divorces per 1000 people, up from 1.9 in 2019 and 2020.

Northern Territory couples ranked lowest on average number of splits, with just 1.8 per 1000 people breaking up.

Queenslanders were particularly keen to go their separate ways, averaging 2.6 divorces per 1000 people, followed by couples in Western Australia at 2.2, New South Wales and South Australia at 2.1, Tasmania at 2, Victoria at 1.9.

Darwin Waterfront. Darwin Waterfront is home to the most divorces in the Northern Territory. Picture: Tourism NT

CDU Northern Institute Demographer Associate Professor Andrew Taylor said the NT’s low divorce rate was mostly to do with the average age of the population.

“What I think is occurring is because of our patterns of migration we tend to import people in their early to mid or late 20s into the Territory and then by the time they reach their 30s or 40s many people have left the Territory to go to a different part of Australia,” Prof Taylor said.

“When you look at age-specific rates of divorce they are highest for those in their 40s so we might possibly be exporting the divorces to other states and territories through our migration patterns.”

An interesting phenomenon that the data also revealed was the length of marriage leading up to divorce was much shorter in for Territorian couples than interstate.

“That’s indicating that if you get married and stay in the Territory on average you’re likely to have a shorter marriage than elsewhere,” Prof Taylor said.

Isolation and alcohol consumption could be reasons for divorces in the Northern Territory.

He said while it would be impossible to know for certain what leads to divorce in the Territory, a few factors could be at play.

“A big one is a lot of people have family down south and you lack that support,” he said.

“High rates of alcohol consumption up here which is probably correlated to divorce rates.

“And being a long way from anywhere can lead to isolation and can also be a factor.”

In 2021, ABS figures showed marriages that ended in divorce lasted a median of 8.4 years to separation and 12.2 years to divorce.

About a third of marriages end in divorce, according to the ABS.

Analysis of Census data showed divorced and separated people made up more than a fifth of the population in some Australian local government areas last year, including the small South Australian community of Peterborough.

In the NT, the small LGA of Darwin Waterfront Precinct recorded the highest portion of broken relationships at 18.7% of the adult population.

Other LGAs trending higher than the national average (12.1 per cent), included Wagait at 18.2 per cent, Coomalie at 17.2 per cent, Unincorporated NT at 12.7 per cent and Litchfield at 12.3 per cent.

Prof Taylor said the high rate for Wagait residents would most likely have to do with their proportionately smaller population.

LARGEST PORTION SEPARATED OR DIVORCED, 2021

Darwin Waterfront Precinct: 18.7%

Wagait: 18.2%

Coomalie: 17.2%

Unincorporated NT: 12.7%

Litchfield: 12.3%

Palmerston: 11.9%

Darwin: 11.4%

Alice Springs: 11.2%

Katherine: 11.2%

Barkly: 10.3%

LARGEST INCREASE IN PORTION OF THE POPULATION SEPARATED OR DIVORCED, BETWEEN 2016 AND 2021

Belyuen: 108% rise (from 2.3% to 4.8%)

Tiwi Islands: 16% rise (from 3% to 3.5%)

East Arnhem: 14% rise (from 5.2% to 5.9%)

Palmerston: 6% rise (from 11.2% to 11.9%)

Roper Gulf: 6% rise (from 8.3% to 8.8%)

Originally published as Divorce rates skyrocket, but young Territory couples remain in love