The first chart depicts the number of marriages and divorces in the USA from 1970 to 2000, while the second chart illustrates the marital status of American adults in 1970 and 2000.
Overall, the number of marriages consistently exceeded divorces during the period, but both figures experienced a decline after 1980. In terms of marital status, there was a noticeable increase in the proportion of adults who had never married or were divorced by 2000, while the percentage of married individuals declined.
In detail, the number of marriages was stable at 2.5 million in 1970 and 1980, before falling to 2 million by 2000. Divorces rose from 1 million in 1970 to 1.4 million by 1980, followed by a decline to 1 million in 2000, reflecting a reduction in both marriage and divorce rates towards the end of the century.
The second chart highlights that the percentage of adults who had never married rose from 15% in 1970 to 20% in 2000. Likewise, the proportion of divorced individuals increased from 2% to 8%. Conversely, the percentage of married adults decreased significantly from 70% in 1970 to 60% in 2000. The proportion of widowed adults showed a slight decline over the same period.
In conclusion, these trends suggest that marriage became less prevalent in the USA between 1970 and 2000, while a higher proportion of adults remained single or divorced.