Doncaster named among top ten divorce hotspots in UK

Divorce has become a familiar part of modern life in the UK, reflecting long-term shifts in how relationships, marriage and family life are viewed.

While fewer people now marry than in previous generations, separation and divorce remain a reality for many couples, with outcomes varying sharply depending on where they live.

And Doncaster has been named as one of the places in the UK where marriages fail the most.

Divorce rates in the UK have shifted dramatically over the past 20 years.

According to ONS data, divorces rose sharply from the late 1990s into the early 2000s, driven in part by social change, rising cohabitation before marriage, and evolving attitudes toward separation.

The introduction of simpler divorce processes has also influenced how and when couples formally end marriages.

Over the last decade, overall divorce numbers have stabilised rather than continued to climb.

However, this does not necessarily reflect stronger marital stability. Fewer people are marrying in the first place, meaning divorce rates among those who do marry remain relatively high even as total divorces fall slightly.

Recent reforms, including the introduction of no-fault divorce in England and Wales in 2022, have further reshaped the landscape.

Early ONS analysis suggests these changes have altered the timing and process of divorce rather than causing a sudden surge, reinforcing the idea that long-term social trends, rather than legal shifts alone, underpin marital breakdown.

A new study by Tarotoo has ranked UK areas by divorce rate using the latest available data from the Office for National Statistics and Scotland’s Census.

The analysis examined 49 UK areas to identify where marital breakdown is most common and those where marriages are more likely to endure.

At the top of the ranking is Norwich, which records the highest divorce rate in the UK at 12.76.

The figure places Norwich first nationally by a clear margin, making it the city where marriages are most likely to end according to the data.

The gap between Norwich and many other large UK cities is notable, with its rate standing well above the national midpoint.

Second place goes to Lincoln, which posts a divorce rate of 11.93, followed by Portsmouth in third at 11.61.

Both cities sit comfortably above the 11 mark, reinforcing their position among the areas with the highest levels of marital breakdown in the country.

Fourth and fifth place are taken by Plymouth and Southampton, with divorce rates of 11.40 and 11.20 respectively. The fact that both cities exceed 11 divorces per 1,000 married people highlights how concentrated higher divorce rates are at the top end of the ranking.

Just outside the top five, Peterborough ranks sixth with a rate of 10.99, followed by Kingston upon Hull in seventh at 10.88. Southend-on-Sea, Exeter and Doncaster complete the top 10, each recording divorce rates above 10.5.

Beyond the top 10, divorce rates gradually taper off but remain elevated across much of the country. Cities such as Worcester, Wakefield and Colchester all record rates above 10, while larger urban centres including Manchester, Bristol and Leeds cluster around the mid-table with figures close to nine.

At the lower end of the ranking, several historic and affluent cities stand out for their comparatively low divorce rates. Bath ranks last overall with a rate of 6.7, followed by Edinburgh, St Albans, Glasgow and Leicester, all recording divorce rates below eight.