The closer you look at the world of modern arranged marriages, the clearer it is that things have changed-but only for some.Ĭontrary to popular belief, arranged marriages are not “forced marriages” in this modern day and age. In countries like Pakistan and India, where some estimate that 90 percent of marriages are arranged, the divorce rate is only 1 percent.Īre low divorce rates a sign that arranged marriages work? Or just a sign that those involved in them are also the type of people who are, for one reason or another, unlikely to file for divorce? In the U.S., while the divorce rate hovers around 40 or 50 percent, the divorce rate for arranged marriages is 4 percent.
It’s estimated over half marriages worldwide are arranged-and that over 20 million of those unions exist in the world today, despite the fact that we almost never hear about arranged marriages without also hearing about the famously low divorce rates.
Arranged marriages may seem like a relic of a bygone age, but they are still surprisingly popular around the world.
