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Finland recorded one of the highest divorce rates in the European Union in 2023, according to new data from Eurostat.
With 2.1 divorces per 1,000 residents, Finland ranked third among EU countries, behind Latvia (2.8) and Lithuania. The EU average was 1.6 divorces per 1,000 people.
The figures place Finland above neighbouring Sweden, which had similar but slightly lower rates. Luxembourg and Denmark also reported comparable numbers.
Finland’s divorce rate has remained consistently above the EU average since Eurostat began recording the data in 1964. Over the past 60 years, divorce has become more common across the continent, with rates roughly doubling in that time.
Marriage rates in Finland have moved in the opposite direction. According to the same Eurostat dataset, Finland continues to report fewer marriages per capita than the EU average. In contrast, countries such as Romania and Latvia reported the highest marriage rates in the bloc last year.
The decline in marriage has been steady for decades. Since the 1960s, the rate of new marriages has halved both in Finland and across the EU.
“Cohabitation is much more common in Finland than elsewhere in Europe. This is why there are fewer marriages, especially compared to Southern Europe,” said Osmo Kontula, research professor emeritus at the Population Research Institute.
He noted that changes in relationship behaviour in Finland began in the 1970s, when cohabiting without marriage became socially acceptable.
“Finland has been quite a liberal country when it comes to relationships,” Kontula added.
Legal and cultural factors have also shaped national divorce rates. In many Southern European countries, strong Catholic traditions have played a role in maintaining higher marriage rates and lower divorce rates. In some countries, such as Italy, Spain, Ireland and Malta, divorce was banned until relatively recently.
Kontula emphasised that national legislation affects the comparability of marriage and divorce statistics across the EU.
While the divorce rate in Finland remains high by EU standards, it reflects broader changes in relationship norms and legal frameworks that have evolved over time.
HT
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Source: www.helsinkitimes.fi
