This is the best age to get married if you don't want to get divorced

People who get married vow to make their relationships last for life - and new data from Professor Nicholas Wolfinger of the University of Utah has found one way to help ensure that happens.

In an analysis published online at the Institute of Family Studies, Wolfinger examined data collected in the USA between 2006 and 2010 from the National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG).

He found the risk of divorce declines for those who get married in their late 20s, compared to their teen years, but it begins to increase again after 32.

We do know beyond a shadow of a doubt that people who marry in their thirties are now at greater risk of divorce than are people who wed in their late twenties. This is a new development.

• Professor Wolfinger

Wolfinger notes one likely explanation for the change may be that people who wait until their 30s to marry just have more trouble with relationships: "They delay marriage, often because they can’t find anyone willing to marry them. When they do tie the knot, their marriages are automatically at high risk for divorce."

There are some important caveats to mention if this news story depressed you: this is American data so may not apply to UK couples, and even if it does, that doesn't mean it will apply to your relationship.

More: Wait to get married, but not too long