January is dubbed 'Divorce Month' for good reason. Even the richest man in the world, Jeff Bezos, waited until now to announce his split from wife MacKenzie. There's no doubt the rate is rising while the number of people getting married falls, but how much you pay for a divorce greatly depends on where you live in the world. Using data compiled by the OECD unless otherwise stated, we take a look at average divorce rates per year and costs in 24 different nations around the world, starting from the most expensive to the cheapest. These do not take into consideration any other assets or additional costs.
Divorce wasn't made legal until 1970 in Italy, where the divorce rate is currently 1.6 per 1,000 people annually. Most divorces happen after a one-year separation and can cost from $3,780 (£2,942) up to a staggering $26,350 (£20,507) in total, according to Internazionale magazine.
Ireland has one of the lowest divorce rates in the world at 0.7 per 1,000 people per year, largely due to the legal requirement that couples must live separately for four years before they can file for divorce. It costs $257 (£200) in court fees but this can rise to $23,000 (£17,882) with legal fees, according to the Anne O'Neill, a family law solicitor based in Cork city.
The USA has one of the highest divorce rates, at 3.1 per 1,000 people. The cost of filing for divorce depends on the state but is an average of $435 (£341) and with legal fees this rises to $15,500 (£12,156), according to the legal publisher Nolo.
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In France, divorce fees start at $689 (£535) and can rise to around $13,776 (£10,715) with legal fees, according to the High Family Council. The divorce rate is 1.9 per 1,000 people annually and the divorce doesn't have to go through a judge if it's being done by mutual consent.
With a divorce rate of 2.1 per 1,000 people, it costs $220 (£172) in court fees to file for divorce in Canada. Once the legal fees are added the total ranges from $5,702 (£4,439) to $9,504 (£7,398), according to the 2018 Canadian Lawyer's Magazine Legal Fees survey.
Filing for divorce in Australia costs $654 (£509) and with legal fees this rises to $7,233 (£5,631), according to market research firm IBISWorld. The rate of divorce is relatively average at 1.9 per 1,000 people per year, down from 2.3 in 2013.
The court fees for filing for divorce in New Zealand are $144.60 (£112.45) while the total cost can come to between $3,442 (£2,677) and $6,887 (£5,355), according to Susanna Stuart, financial adviser and author of Your Family Fortune. Couples need to be separated for two years before they can apply for a divorce.
The process of divorce is lengthy in South Korea, where the divorce rate is 2.1 per 1,000 people each year, and couples must first attend several classes, meet a counsellor and go through a cooling-off period before it can be granted. With legal fees the cost starts at $4,960 (£3,860), according to law firm Seoul Lawyers.
Germany has a rate of 2.0 per 1,000 people when it comes to divorce, where the cost depends on a number of factors including how long the couple have been together and if there are any children involved. The cost with legal fees is between $1,146 (£892) and $3,438 (£2,677), according to the German law firm Kanzlei Sperling.
Spain's divorce rate at 2.1 per 1,000 people annually is average for Europe. Court fees start at $138 (£108) per person but can rise to $3,436 (£2,676) when legal fees are added and if the divorce is contested by either side, according to HealthPlanSpain.
Divorce can only take place after the first year of marriage in Mexico and a spouse doesn't have to be present at court as a lawyer can represent them. The divorce rate is 1.0 per 1,000 people and it costs around $1,044 (£821), including legal fees.
With the same divorce rate as Germany, at 2.0 per 1,000 people, couples in Switzerland pay $610 (£475) to file for divorce. Legal fees need to be added to this and they cost an average of between $254 (£198) and $508 (£396) per hour, according to the website Legalexpatgeneva.com.
Austria has the same divorce rate as the UK, at 1.8 per 1,000 people per year. The cost of filing for divorce is $609 (£474) although this will rise when legal fees are added.
In Japan the divorce rate is 1.7 per 1,000 people. Couples can get divorced in court but it is still a relatively taboo subject and some couples choose instead to have a 'divorce tour'. These are ceremonies a little like weddings, but end in divorce and cost around $509 (£396).
Couples in the Netherlands pay $334 (£260) per person to file for divorce and additional fees are required if either person doesn't consent, according to the lawyers Teurling Sellens. The divorce rate is the same as it is in Germany, at 2.0 per 1,000 people, and in 2017 the average length of a marriage before divorce was 15 years.
Portugal has a relatively high divorce rate of 2.2 per 1,000 people annually and it costs $287 (£223) to file for divorce if there are no assets to be divided between the couple, according to the website Portugalresident.com. Although there is no definitive reason given for the high divorce rate, one reason suggested is how the country was affected by the financial crisis.
In Finland the cost of filing for divorce in a civil court is between $90.50 (£71) and $256 (£200) per person depending on the circumstances, according to the European e-justice portal. The divorce rate is 2.5 per 1,000 people annually.
In Turkey couples pay $238 (£185) to file for divorce if both couples consent to the terms, however if there are complications this can rise due to the legal fees involved. The divorce rate is 1.6 per 1,000 people, which is relatively low when compared to nearby countries. However, there has been a rise of 83% in divorces over the past decade, according to the general directorate of criminal records and statistics.
Court fees start at $213 (£165) per person in Belgium, according to the European e-Justice portal, although with legal fees added this can rise significantly. The divorce rate is 2.1 per 1,000 people, which is one of the highest rates in Europe. It's been suggested this is because of a separation in the country from the rules of the Catholic Church, which for decades prevented divorce.
As with other Scandinavian countries, Sweden has higher than average rate 2.4 per 1,000 people for divorces. It costs $101 (£78) to file for divorce plus an application fee of $50 (£39), according to the website Skilsmässa. One of the reasons given for the higher rates of divorce in countries such as Sweden is because of the strong welfare system, which allows even people of a low socioeconomic status to afford divorce.
In Poland the fee for a lawyer in a divorce case can cost between $53 (£41) to $80 (£62) per hour, while it costs an initial fee of $133 (£104) to file for divorce in a court. The divorce rate is 1.7 per 1,000 people per year.
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Denmark has the highest divorce rate in Western Europe at 3.0 per 1,000 people and this is partly due to a change in the law which lets couples get divorced easily online. The cost of filing for divorce is $77 (£60) and where the sum claimed is more than $7,680 (£6,000) the fee increases to $115.20 (£90), according to the European e-Justice portal.
The divorce rate in China is 2.8 per 1,000 people and couples getting divorced here pay some of the lowest fees in the world. It costs around $1.30 (£1.04) and can take around half an hour, according to a report in The Economist.
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