Fact check: How many couples make it to their 50th wedding anniversary

1. Summary of the results

Based on the available data, approximately 7-8% of currently married couples in the United States have reached their 50th wedding anniversary. The 2022 American Community Survey found that 7.7% of all current marriages have reached the 50-year milestone ^[1], while 2018 data showed that only 8% of currently married individuals have made it to their golden anniversary ^[2].

Among older adults specifically, the statistics show different patterns: among those aged 70 and older, 25.4% were in marriages of 50 or more years ^[1]. The data also reveals that celebrating 60+ years of marriage is extremely rare—only 2% of currently married individuals can claim this milestone ^[2].

An interesting additional statistic shows that the odds of a married couple separating after their golden wedding anniversary are one in 1,500 ^[3], indicating that couples who do reach 50 years have extremely low divorce rates thereafter.

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

The original question lacks important contextual nuances that significantly affect interpretation of the statistics:

• The 7-8% figure includes all currently married people, including those recently married who haven't had the opportunity to reach 50 years yet ^[4]. A more meaningful statistic would be how many people whose most recent marriage was 50 years ago or more are still married, which is around 50% ^[4].
• Historical context matters: The statistics reflect marriages that began in the 1970s and earlier, when divorce rates, social expectations, and economic conditions were different from today.
• Survival bias: The data only captures couples where both partners have survived to celebrate their anniversary, not accounting for marriages ended by death before reaching 50 years.
• The probability of reaching a 25th anniversary is much higher: Nearly 900 out of every 1,000 couples anticipate celebrating a 25th wedding anniversary together ^[5], showing that the drop-off occurs primarily between years 25-50.

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

The original question itself is not misleading, but it invites responses that could be misinterpreted without proper context. The most common misunderstanding would be interpreting the 7-8% statistic as meaning that 93% of marriages fail before 50 years, when in reality:

• Many marriages are ended by death, not divorce
• The statistic includes couples who haven't been married long enough to reach 50 years
• The actual success rate for marriages that have the opportunity to reach 50 years is significantly higher at around 50% ^[4]

Without this context, the raw percentage could be used to paint an overly pessimistic picture of marriage longevity that doesn't accurately reflect the reality of long-term relationship success rates.