There were fewer divorces in 2015 than in any years since the law was changed to make divorce easier – 1971.

New statistics reveal the number of divorces which took place in England and Wales was 101,055. That's the equivalent of 8.5 divorces per thousand married men and women. The high for that figure was in 1993 when it hit 14.3.

The statistics are complex because while the headline figures would seem to show an increased commitment to marriage, there some suggestions that the figures are falling partly because fewer people are actually getting married in the first place. That means those more committed to marriage are still tying the knot, while the public as a whole is less enthusiastic about marriage.

The Office For National Statistics compiled the figures. It says, 'Changes in attitudes to cohabitation as an alternative to marriage or prior to marriage, particularly at younger ages, are likely to have been a factor affecting the decrease in divorce rates since 2003.'

That wasn't the only possible explanation offered for the figures, though. 'Age at marriage is also considered to be closely linked to the risk of divorce, said the ONS, 'with those marrying in their teens and early twenties being at greater risk of divorce; our marriage statistics show that the average age at marriage has increased steadily since 1970 for both men and women.'

Ruth Clements is a Christian blogger who writes regularly about divorce at her website, The Entirety of Life. Speaking to Christian Today she gave her reaction to the figures. 'The news that divorce now impacts on fewer people than ever in the last 45 years is extremely welcome, she said. 'The suggestion that there is 'greater...contentment within marriage' is to be celebrated. That delicate balance of being fully ourselves while compromising to allow our partner to achieve the same is not an easy one to strike.'

Clements said that behind the figures are real human stories we mustn't lose sight of. 'For all the reasons the divorce rate has fallen, we must never diminish the level of trust, vulnerability and choice that goes daily into marriage,' she commented. 'When a marriage, despite this effort, ends in divorce, it's all too easy to have the marriage written off as 'failed' even while divorce has become more socially acceptable. There is still much we can do as friends in our community to support those who are divorcing. Our compassion for the 8.5 in 1000 marriages that see that commitment and investment ending in divorce must be as great as if it were 100 marriages or one.'