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Lord Simon of Glaisdale
asked Her Majesty's Government:How many petitions for divorce were filed annually from 1969 to the latest year for which figures are available.
The Lord Chancellor
The figures for England and Wales are set out in the table below and include petitions for dissolution and annulment but not petitions for judicial separation.
| Year | Petitions filed |
| 1969 | 61,216 |
| 1970 | 71,661 |
| 1971 | 110,895 |
| 1972 | 110,722 |
| 1973 | 115,946 |
| 1974 | 130,942 |
| 1975 | 139,128 |
| 1976 | 144,814 |
| 1977 | 168,169 |
| 1978 | 163,567 |
| 1979 | 163,861 |
| 1980 | 171,992 |