Mississippi is one of only four states (the others being New York, South Dakota, Missouri) that experienced a rise in divorce rates between 1992 and 1994.
In 1997 (the latest year for which statistics are available), the number of divorces in Mississippi was more than twice the number recorded in 1960. The most rapid rate of increase in Mississippi occurred between 1965 and 1975, followed by a slight decrease over most of the 1980s.
Since 1998 Mississippi's divorce rate has increased significantly. In 1993, for the first time in its history, the number of divorces exceeded the number of first-time marriages. By 1997, that gap had increased, with the number of couples leaving the institution of marriage exceeding the number entering it by 10%.
One unusual ground for at-fault divorce in Mississippi is “one’s wife being pregnant by another without spouse knowing it.”
The Bill of Complaint for Divorce is the initial document filed by spouses seeking a divorce in Mississippi's courts.
Every divorce case filed in Mississippi must declare the grounds on which the divorce is to be granted.
