Fewer and fewer couples in the United States are breaking up their marriage, bringing down the divorce rate among Americans to its lowest for the past 35 years, a study from a university research centre in the state of Ohio revealed.

The number of couples seeking divorce fell once more in the U.S. for the third consecutive year in 2015, the National Center for Family and Marriage Research at Bowling Green State University reported, according to The Christian Examiner.

In percentages, the average divorce rate in the U.S. — which has been in constant decline for several years — further sunk to 16.9 percent in 2015, compared to 17.6 percent in 2014.

This figure brings the divorce rate in America to its lowest level since 1980, when 23 percent of American couples divorced. The finding debunks the traditional belief that "half of all marriages end in divorce," the researchers said.

The lowest divorce rate in the U.S. was recorded in Hawaii, where only 11.1 percent of married couples divorced. The other four American states with the lowest recorded divorce rates included Wisconsin with 12.4 percent, Rhode Island with 12.6 percent, Delaware with 12.9 percent, and New Jersey also with 12.9 percent.

On the other hand, the highest divorce rate was observed at the U.S. capital Washington, D.C., where 29.9 percent of couples divorced — way higher than the declining national average.

Other U.S. states that posted high divorce rates included Alaska (22.7 percent), Arkansas (25.3 percent), Nevada (25.7 percent), and Wyoming (27.9 percent).

Another positive finding in the Bowling Green State University study was the fact that more couples are getting married in the U.S. In 2015, the marriage rate in America was recorded at 32.3 percent from 31.9 percent the year before for women age 15 or older – the highest since 2009.

This figure, however, is still lower by 44 percentage points compared to the 1980 marriage rate.