2025 Statistics from the Korea Legal Aid Center for Family Relations
Half of Male Clients Aged 60 and Older
Divorce Consultations Include a 90-Year-Old Man and an 88-Year-Old Woman
The share of divorce counseling cases involving seniors aged 60 and older has surged over the past 20 years.
According to the "2025 Counseling Statistics" released on February 9 by the Korea Legal Aid Center for Family Relations (hereinafter referred to as the Center), the Center handled a total of 52,037 counseling cases in 2025. Among them, there were 20,646 in-person counseling cases, 29,730 telephone counseling cases, 1,061 online counseling cases, and 48 outreach counseling cases.
Among the in-person counseling cases, divorce counseling accounted for 5,090 cases (24.7%), a slight increase from the previous year (24.0%). Of these, 4,013 were women and 1,077 were men, with women overwhelmingly outnumbering men.
Looking at the age distribution of women who received divorce counseling last year, those in their 40s (30.5%) accounted for the largest share, followed by those aged 60 and older (22.1%), those in their 50s (21.4%), 30s (20.2%), 20s (5.7%), and teens (0.1%). Among men, those aged 60 and older (49.1%) made up nearly half, followed by those in their 50s (21.5%), 40s (18.8%), 30s (8.4%), and 20s (2.2%).
For women, 20 years ago in 2005, the largest shares were in their 30s (34.5%), 40s (33.0%), and 50s (19.8%). By 2025, however, the order had shifted to those in their 40s, those aged 60 and older, and those in their 50s (21.4%), meaning that the share of counseling among middle-aged and older women was relatively higher. In particular, for women in their 60s, the share of counseling cases nearly quadrupled over 20 years, from 5.8% to 22.1%.
For men as well, in 2005 the largest age groups were those in their 30s (35.3%), 40s (26.4%), 50s (22.8%), 60 and older (12.5%), and 20s (3.1%). By 2025, however, the order had changed to 60 and older (49.1%), 50s (21.5%), and 40s (18.8%). The share for men in their 60s also nearly quadrupled, rising from 12.5% in 2005 to 49.1%. Back in 1995, the share of divorce counseling cases involving people in their 60s was only 1.2% for women and 2.8% for men. Over the past 30 years, this figure has increased more than tenfold for women and more than seventeenfold for men.
As for the reasons for seeking divorce counseling, one out of two women cited "unfair treatment by the husband" (55.1%). For men, the most common reason, at 56.7%, was "other serious reasons that make it difficult to continue the marriage (such as long-term separation, personality differences, the spouse pressuring for divorce, financial conflicts, irresponsible lifestyle, and conflicts with the wife's family)."
Among those who received divorce counseling, the oldest clients were an 88-year-old woman and a 90-year-old man.
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