The charts illustrate changes in marriage and divorce figures in the USA between 1970 and 2000, as well as the marital status of adult Americans in 1970 and 2000.
Overall, the number of marriages showed a downward trend over the period, while divorces fluctuated but ended slightly lower than their peak. In addition, the proportion of married adults declined, whereas the percentages of never-married and divorced people increased.
In 1970, there were approximately 2.5 million marriages in the USA, compared with about 1 million divorces. Marriages remained at the same level in 1980, before falling gradually to around 2 million by 2000. Divorces, on the other hand, rose to a peak of roughly 1.4 million in 1980, then declined to about 1 million by the end of the period.
Regarding marital status, around 70% of adults were married in 1970, but this figure dropped to about 60% in 2000. The proportion of never-married adults increased from approximately 15% to 20%. Similarly, the percentage of divorced people rose, while the share of widowed adults decreased slightly over the same period.