Three out of 20 marriages ending in divorce

THREE out of every 20 marriages end in divorce, with a record number of terminations granted by the courts last year.

According to the annual report of the Courts Service, 2,929 couples were granted a divorce last year. Only five applications were refused while another 40 were either withdrawn or struck out.

Since 2000, divorce rates for couples has remained fairly consistent averaging between 2,500 and 3,000 cases each year.