FIGURE 15.7

Divorce Rates in Different Countries
Why do different countries have different rates of divorce? Some research suggests that a critical factor is the level of individualism or collectivism of a culture. Individualistic cultures, such as the United States, tend to have higher divorce rates than more collectivistic cultures, such as Mexico. Note: Divorce rate is per 1,000. In the Hofstede Individualism/ Collectivism Index, higher numbers indicate more individualistic countries.
[Data sources: Divorce rate: Data from U.S. Census Bureau, Statistical Abstract of the United States, 2011, International Statistics, Table 1336, Marriage and Divorce Rates by Country: 1980 to 2008, U.S. Census Bureau (2012), retrieved from http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/2011/tables/11s1335.pdf; for Turkey, Mexico, and Chile: Data from Top Ten Countries with Lowest Divorce Rate, Maps of the World, www.mapsofworld.com. Hofstede Individualism/collectivism index: Data from the Hofstede Centre, http://geert-hofstede.com/countries.html.]