We explore the galaxy-galaxy merger rate with the empirical model for galaxy formation , emerge . On average , we find that between 2 per cent and 6 per cent of massive galaxies ( \log _ { 10 } ( m _ { * } / M _ { \odot } ) \geq 10.3 ) will experience a major merger per Gyr . Our model predicts galaxy merger rates that do not scale as a power-law with redshift , and exhibit a clear stellar mass and mass-ratio dependence , unlike the underlying halo-halo merger rate . Specifically , major mergers are more frequent at high masses and at low redshift . We show mergers are significant for the stellar mass growth of galaxies \log _ { 10 } ( m _ { * } / M _ { \odot } ) \gtrsim 11.0 . For the most massive galaxies major mergers dominate the accreted mass fraction , contributing as much as 90 per cent of the total accreted stellar mass . We argue that these phenomena are a direct result of the stellar-to-halo mass relation , which results in massive galaxies having a higher likelihood of experiencing major mergers than low mass galaxies . Furthermore , we find no statistical evidence for mergers as a driving mechanism for quenching , with more than 58 percent of the most massive galaxies experiencing no major merger within 2 Gyr of quenching . Our model produces a galaxy pair fraction consistent with resent observations , exhibiting a form best described by a power-law exponential function . Translating these pair fractions into merger rates results in an over prediction compared to the model intrinsic values . We find the pair fraction can be best mapped to the intrinsic merger rate by adopting a constant observation timescale T _ { obs } = 2.56 Gyr , assuming all observed pairs merge by z = 0 .