ann coulter did an interesting report (or was it michele malkin) that the 50% divorce rate does NOT count when people remarry the person they divorced.
Thus a man who divorced and then marrys the same woman counts as the 50% divorce despite the fact they have only been married to the same people.
The article said the divorce rate drops down to the high 30's (38-39) if you factor in do-over marages.
OTOH, take my ex. He's on wife #4. When you add him to the statistics it makes everyone look bad.