Austria .. 19.4 19.7 31. Hungary 31.6 30.4 30.5 58. Roumania 37.3 52.3 73.1 98. Italy 11.8 11.3 10.6 15. France 33.9 75.9 80.9 129. England & Wales 6.5 7.4 7. 10.6 Scotland 12.3 13. 16.7 26. Ireland 0.6 0.4 1.1 1. Belgium 25.5 31.9 43. 72. Netherlands .. .. .. 78. Norway 13.9 12.1 19.3 33. Sweden 28.5 28.6 31.6 45. Finland 16.1 7.8 10.0 29. Switzerland 220. 200. 188. 199.9 It would be a great mistake to draw conclusions from these widely diverging figures about the moral status of the various countries enumerated above. No one would claim, that cause for divorce is four times greater among the Swedish people than among the English people. The laws must be taken into consideration that make divorce more or less difficult as the case may be.[54] The moral status, that is, the causes making divorce appear desirable to either man or woman, are a secondary consideration. But the figures show, that the divorce-rate is increasing more rapidly than the population; that is ~increasing~, in fact, ~while the marriage-rate is decreasing~. We will return to this phase of the question later on. Great differences of age between husband and wife play a considerable part in divorce. That is shown by the following table gathered from official statistics in Switzerland: NUMBER OF DIVORCES FOR EACH 1,000 MARRIAGES WITH SAME DIFFERENCE OF AGE. 1881–1890. 1891–1900. Man older; 26 years and more 271 328 Man older; 11 to 25 years 189 198 Man older; 1 to 10 years 193 181 Husband and wife of same age 195 190 Man younger; 1 to 10 years 226 226 Man younger; 11 to 25 years 365 431 Man younger; 26 years and more 759 870 The following statistics from Saxony during 1905 and 1906, and from Prussia from 1895 to 1905, show the divorce-rate in its relation to the various strata of society: ANNUAL DIVORCES FOR EACH 100,000 MARRIED MEN. Saxony. Prussia. Agriculture 59 34 Industry 220 158 Commerce 297 229 Public service and learned professions 346 165