As of Aug. 16, 2012, the average divorce rate globally on arranged marriages was 4 percent. Around 55 percent of the marriages in the world are arranged. On average, men in those marriages are 4.5 years older than the women.
Arranged marriage can be either forced, where neither potential spouse has a say in the marriage, or unforced, where either potential spouse can decide not to marry the partner chosen. In certain cultures, marriages are arranged between those in the same social class. As of 2014, the divorce rate for arranged marriages is much lower than the divorce rate for self-arranged marriages. However, divorce is often more difficult among cultures that encourage arranged marriages.
