Credit: Creative Commons)

A new study has identified the areas of Wales with the highest divorce rates.

And it’s not great news if you live in Neath Port Talbot and Blaenau Gwent. The report, conducted by family law firm Reiss Edwards Family Law, identifies that these are the areas with the highest divorce rate in Wales – where more than one in six people who have ever been married are now divorced or have had their civil partnerships dissolved.

The data, sourced from the Office for National Statistics’ most recently available legal partnership status report, shows that 16.97% of ever-married residents in Neath Port Talbot and Blaenau Gwent are now divorced, placing these areas at the top of Wales’ divorce rankings. Ever-married residents are considered those who answered ‘married,’ ‘widowed,’ or ‘divorced’ on the Census survey.

Denbighshire comes second in the rankings with a divorce rate of 16.66%, just slightly lower than Neath Port Talbot and Blaenau Gwent. Denbighshire has a total population of 51,808 people who have ever been married and 8,631 people who have been divorced.

In third place is Conwy, where 16.49% of ever-married people are divorced. This area has a total population of 65,087 people who have ever been married and 10,732 people who have been divorced.

Torfaen ranks fourth with a divorce rate of 16.47%. The area has 48,304 people who have ever been married and 7,957 people who have been divorced.

Wrexham completes the top five with 16.41% of its ever-married population now divorced or with dissolved civil partnerships. This Welsh city has 11,418 people who have been divorced and 69,588 who have ever been married.

Swansea, ranks sixth with 16.16% of ever-married residents now divorced. Bridgend, is seventh, with a rate of 16.03%.

Rhondda Cynon Taf has a divorce rate of 15.87%, with a population of 118,578 people who have ever been married and 18,815 people who have been divorced.

Caerphilly follows in ninth place with 15.86% of its ever-married population now divorced. The area has a total population of 90,890 who have ever been married and 14,419 people who have been divorced.

Merthyr Tydfil rounds out the top ten with a divorce rate of 15.66%. These Welsh areas follow closely in the rankings, with Pembrokeshire (15.59%), Anglesey (15.55%), and Carmarthenshire (15.52%) taking positions 11, 12, and 13 respectively.

Flintshire ranks 14th with a divorce rate of 15.45%. Gwynedd ranks 15th with 15.40% of ever-married residents now divorced.

ALL AREAS – FULL LIST:

Amar Ali, Managing Director of Reiss Edwards Family Law, commented:

“The data highlights a strong pattern of divorce rates in parts of South Wales, with Neath Port Talbot and Blaenau Gwent topping the list. These areas, along with others like Torfaen and Merthyr Tydfil, suggest a regional trend that may reflect deeper socioeconomic factors at play.

“Communities facing long-term economic hardship or limited access to local services may experience additional strain on personal relationships. While every divorce has personal causes, these broader patterns point to a deeper link between where people live and relationship stability.”

Sources: ONS

Methodology: The data includes the total number of people surveyed in the census and those who responded with ‘not applicable’ and ‘not married’ were removed. The ‘Total People Ever Married’ along with the number of people whose marital status was registered as ‘Divorced’ or ‘Dissolved Civil Partnership’, was used to calculate the percentage of people ever-married who have been divorced or have dissolved their civil partnerships.

Support our Nation today

For the price of a cup of coffee a month you can help us create an
independent, not-for-profit, national news service for the people of Wales, by
the people of Wales.