How Many Mail-Order Marriages End in Divorce

What’s the use of looking for a foreign bride (aka mail-order bride) if the divorce statistics are too high?

I get it; you want your marriage to your foreign beauty to be a loving, prosperous, and long-lasting one. Read also: How to find a foreign wife? Some ways that actually work

I found love with my foreign husband, and I know my marriage is a success. But what about the other foreign marriages where couples meet on online dating platforms and singles tours and via matchmaking agencies?

Here’s everything you need to know about the success and failure rates of mail-order marriages (although I prefer the term “foreign marriages”).

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What Marriages Are Most Likely to End in Divorce?

Not all couples who get married live their fairytale happily ever after. Divorce is nowadays the norm when couples are no longer happy to be with their spouse. But honestly, the reason for divorcing a wife or husband is not as easy as simple “unhappiness.”

So what types of marriages and couples are more likely to file for divorce?

According to a 2018 study, women are more likely to want a divorce than a man.
The same study states that the reason for divorce is because husbands are unable to meet their wives’ expectations for emotional support.
In the U.S., couples stay married for less than a decade (8.2 years to be exact) on average. (Divorce.com)
A marriage is more likely to fail during the first two years of marriage, or the fifth to eighth years. (Divorce.com)
Couples who have a lower income and thus less financial stability are more likely to get divorced. (Divorce.com)
After all, another study published in 2018 found that financial troubles are a common reason why marital bliss ends in heartbreak. It accounts for about 25% of divorces.
A more common reason for a marriage breaking up is infidelity. This accounts for 20% to 40% of divorces. (Divorce.com)
24% of marriages don’t work out because of drug or alcohol abuse, while nearly 60% of divorces happen because of daily arguing. (Divorce.com)
If you get married before you turn 18, your marriage is likely to end in divorce in a decade. (Divorce.com)
Couples who tie the knot at the ages of 20 to 25 are 60% more likely to separate and divorce. (Institute for Family Studies)
The Washington Post posits that those who are more educated will stay married for longer.
Black adults have a high divorce rate. (Divorce.com)
Various studies have found that children of divorce are more likely to divorce their spouses. Another study states that the likelihood for divorce increases by 69% for a woman whose parents divorced, while the possibility of a marriage not working out rises by nearly 200% if both sets of parents of the couple got divorced.
Some professionals are more likely to file for divorce than others. The following occupations have high divorce rates: bartenders, switchboard operations, textile knitting operators, telemarketers, gaming and casino managers, and flight attendants. (Divorce.com)
Same-sex marriages between women are more likely to end in divorce than same-sex marriages between men. (Divorce.com)
According to HuffPost, a person’s second and third marriage has an increased chance, at 60% and 73%, respectively, to end in divorce. The reason these marriages don’t work out is because the person feels alone, so they rush into marriage. Interestingly, even the success of your first marriage isn’t guaranteed as there’s a 50% chance that you and your spouse will go your separate ways.
Keeping your wedding and engagement ring shopping under wraps may ensure your marriage lasts longer. An Emory University survey found that couples were 3.5 times more likely to get a divorce when they spent more than $20,000 on their wedding, as the financial burden, debt, and stress cause cracks to appear in what should be a blissful marriage. (CNBC)

So it seems the most common reasons that marriages don’t work out is because of:

Low income
Low education
Expensive weddings and engagement rings (especially if you can’t actually afford to spend so much money)
Marrying for a second or third time, especially for the wrong reasons
Being a child of divorce
Marrying at a young age (25 and younger)
Infidelity
Drug and alcohol use

Mail-Order Divorce Statistics and Facts

There are many accounts and anecdotes about couples who fell in love and are (currently) happily living with or married to their foreign partner.

Plus, every online dating site proclaims how its platform has made real love possible for singles all around the world. Also read: Can You Trust a Ukrainian Woman When Dating Online?

But what’s the truth? Are foreign marriages really successful, or do these types of marriages have a high failure rate?

Let’s find out by looking at the main foreign marriage divorce facts and stats:

The Pew Research Center reports that, in general, the divorce rates are higher for couples who marry interracially than those who marry within the same race.
In fact, interracial spouses have a 41% chance of divorcing or separating, while couples from the same race only have a 31% chance of their marriage not being successful.
Contrastingly, another source states that foreign marriages are more likely to be successful. For example, if the couple dated for longer than four months, they only have a 35.8% to 41.3% chance of their marriage not working out compared to the overall divorce rate in the U.S., which is between 40% and 50%.
Another study supported the findings that foreign marriages are less likely to end in a marital breakup - separation or divorce. The survey of more than 19,000 people states that the divorce rate for foreign marriages is around 6%.

Reflections on the Mail-Order Marriage Statistics

Unfortunately, there aren’t many divorce or marriage success statistics on foreign marriages, and the other stats I found can’t be verified so I’m not going to bother including them here if I can’t trust where they come from.

The four statistics above don’t “tell the same story.” The first two stats mention how interracial or foreign marriages are more likely to end in divorce, while the last two state that mail-order spouses have a higher chance at marriage success.

So which of these do we believe?

In all honesty, a marriage between any couple requires love, respect, open communication, and commitment to stick together through thick and thin and make it work. Love can cross cultural, religious, and language barriers, and there are many people who marry someone from international waters who enjoy a healthy, successful, and lasting union.

The opposite is also true where foreign marriages – just like their local or regional counterparts – simply don’t work out.

I also have to raise awareness that there is the worry that foreign brides don’t share the same means as local ones do. If a foreign spouse moves to the U.S., for example, and they can’t speak English or don’t have money, how can they seek out a divorce lawyer if they are unhappy in their marriage? Can these ladies return home, or are they stuck with their husbands in a foreign country?

Not all foreign wives are unhappy and isolated, but sadly, we’ll never know how many of these unlucky brides there are.

I don’t want to scare you off from pursuing a foreign love, but if you know about the issues and that the statistics aren’t conclusive, you can make better decisions.

Be sure that your foreign lady love truly is the one for you and that you are committed to taking care of her and wanting the best for her – especially if she agrees to move to your home country. Take her to visit her family back home (if she wants), and let her know she can file for divorce if she isn’t happy.

Of course, you should work on your marriage – just like any other couple – to make it a fruitful one.

Also read:

Final Thoughts: Believe in Love and Happy Marriage

If foreign marriages didn’t have a chance to be successful, there wouldn’t be so many online dating services and matchmaking agencies. Our tip: Check our Russian & Ukrainian Dating Site Reviews.

But as with any marriage, the opportunity to fail and divorce your spouse is just as likely.

It is up to you and your foreign wife to set boundaries, communicate, foster intimacy, and set healthy couples goals to give you every chance to have a loving, kind, and wonderful marriage that doesn’t end in divorce or separation.