A whopping 12.8% of people in the area were recorded on the census as being divorced or formerly in a civil partnership, according to data from 2021 released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). This has led to Norwich being unofficially dubbed ‘the divorce capital of England and Wales’.
The city also happens to have one of the lowest numbers of married people living there. Nationally, it’s in the bottom 10 for people being married or in a civil partnership, with just 35.4% of Norwich citizens indicating this on the census.
As for why Norwich should have so many divorced residents, it’s likely that there are a number of factors at play – most of them not specific to the city. This includes the cost of living crisis, which has put financial pressure on many couples already at breaking point. Plus, the recent COVID pandemic which may have made people rethink their lives, relationships and priorities.
Norwich also happens to have the second-highest proportion of people identifying as trans or non-binary outside of London. In certain postcodes towards the city centre, there’s also some of the highest concentrations of LGBTQ+ people in the whole country. Local divorce solicitor Juliet Harvey explained to the Norwich Evening News:
"The society and demographic within Norwich may play into why the stats are so high,"
She also pointed out that nationally, the number of marriages is dropping – so it follows that the number of divorces will also fall.
The ONS data also revealed that quite a high percentage of the Norwich’s population (nearly 40%) live on their own.
Top 20 ‘divorce hotspots’ in the UK
Although Norwich may have clinched the top spot, the ONS data also highlighted other towns and cities across England and Wales with higher-than-average numbers of divorced residents.
In the Norfolk area, Norwich was followed closely by Great Yarmouth (11.4%), Breckland (10.3%) and North Norfolk (10.1%).
Nationally, the top 20 ‘divorce hotspots’ were listed as:
- Norwich - 12.8%
- Blackpool - 12.1%
- Hastings - 12.1%
- Gosport - 11.9%
- Lincoln - 11.9%
- Eastbourne - 11.7%
- Portsmouth - 11.6%
- Torbay - 11.5%
- Plymouth - 11.4%
- Great Yarmouth - 11.4%
- Boston - 11.3%
- Thanet - 11.2%
- Southampton - 11.1%
- Harlow - 11.1%
- Worthing - 11.1%
- Peterborough - 11%
- Ipswich - 11%
- Kingston upon Hull - 10.9%
- North East Lincolnshire - 10.9%
- Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole - 10.9%.
Interestingly, many of the towns and cities featured in the top 20 were seaside locations – although it isn’t clear why this should be the case.
Need expert advice you can trust on divorce, money and family matters? Get in touch with trusted Liverpool divorce solicitor Tracey Miller Family Law. Call 0151 515 3036 or email info@traceymillerfamilylaw.com to arrange your free, no obligation initial consultation.
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