Divorce statistics
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NUMBER DIVORCES
2019
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nUMBER OF MARRIAGES
2019
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South African Divorce Statistics
Divorce Statistics 2019 - published on 18 March 2021
Trends in divorces (2010 – 2019)
The 2019 divorce data revealed in this statistical release is based on 23 710 finalized divorce forms that Stats SA obtained and processed. The number (23 710) indicates a decline of 1 574 (6,2%) divorces from the 25 284 cases handled in 2018. The table demonstrates that the total number of divorces decreased from 2010 to 2011 followed by a constant increase in the years 2012 to 2017 and a small decline of 0,4% between 2017 and 2018. In 2019, about 174 divorces were granted for same-sex couples. The visible crude divorce rate was 40 divorces per 100 000 estimated resident population in 20194.
In 2019, black African couples had the greatest number of divorces in comparison to other population groups, this pattern has been the same for the ten-year period (2010 to 2019). About 10 677 (45,0%) of the 23 710 divorces granted in 2019 were from black African population group followed by white 5 268 (22,2%), coloured 4 502 (19,0%), India/Asian 1 299 (5,5%) and divorces from different population groups (mixed) 816 (3,4%). The population group of 1 148 couples was not specified.
In 2019, the majority divorces were submitted by the black African population group 10 677 (45,0%) followed by the white population group 5 268 (22,2%), coloured population group 4 502 (19,0%) and then the Indian/Asian population group 1 299 (5,5%). The crude divorce rates by population groups reveal that the white population group had the highest rate of 112 per 100 000 estimated resident population followed by the coloured and Indian/Asian population groups with 87 and 85 per 100 000 respectively. The black African population had 23 per 100 000 estimated resident population.
It is noted that a higher proportion of husbands (26,5%) and wives (29,7%) did not specify the type of occupation they were engaged in at the time of divorce. In addition, 17,4% and 24,3% of husbands and wives respectively were not economically active at the time of divorce. Most male divorcees were employed in services occupations 3 360 (14,2%) while female divorcees were largely in professional, semi-professional and technical occupations
3 327 (14,0%).
Characteristics of plaintiffs
More wives than husbands, 12 615 (53,2%) women compared to 8 210 (34,6%) men started divorce proceedings. The sex of the plaintiff was not specified in 2 885 (12,2%) cases. With the exception of women from the black African population group who had a lower proportion of plaintiffs (48,9%), the proportion of women plaintiffs from the other population groups was above 50,0%. The plaintiffs for the interracial couples show that 53,6% of the divorces were filed by wives. The proportion of women plaintiffs for the white population group, coloured population group and Indian/Asian population group were 58,3%, 57,9% and 57,2% respectively.
The provincial distribution indicates that Gauteng (6 318), Western Cape (6 108), KwaZulu-Natal (4 033) and Eastern Cape (3 137) were the provinces with the highest number of divorces granted. Together the four provinces contributed 82,6% of the divorces granted in 2019. However, this could also be due to the fact that these provinces have the largest populations.
Number of divorces by way of solemnisation of marriage
10 876 (45,9%) of the 2019 divorce cases were from marriages that were solemnised by religious rites and 10 581 (44,6%) by civil rites. About 68,8% of divorces from the white population group and 66,0% of divorces from the coloured population group were from marriages that were solemnised by religious rites. Most divorces from the black African and Indian/Asian population groups were from marriages that were solemnised by civil rites, 66,0% and 52,5% respectively.
Number of times married
The 2019 divorce cases for both men and women were mainly from individuals who had married once. More than 80,0% of divorces for men and women were from first-time marriages compared to 11,8% of men and 10,1% of women from second-time marriages. Less than 1,5% of men and women were getting divorced for at least the third time.
Age at the time of divorce
The median age at the time of divorce in 2019 were 45 years for males and 41 years for females, indicating that generally, divorced males were older than divorced females, with a difference of about four years. The pattern of median ages in 2019 by population group showed that black African males and white males had the highest median age of 45 years, while the coloured and Indian/Asian population groups recorded the median ages of 43 years. The difference in the median ages at the time of divorce between males and females was greater in the black African population group (four years) compared to the coloured, Indian/Asian and white population groups, with median age differences of two to three years between males and females.
Although there were differences in the ages at which most men and women from the various population groups divorced, the age patterns were quite similar. There were fewer divorces among the younger (less than 25 years old) and the older (65 years and older) divorcees, however divorces start later, mostly at 35- 39 years for black African males than for other population groups where they start mostly from 30-34 years. For males, the peak age group for black African, coloured and Indian/Asian population groups was 40 to 44 years whereas the peak for white population group was 45 to 49 years In the case of females, the peak age group at divorce was 35 to 39 years for black African, coloured and white population groups and the peak age group at divorce was 40 to 44 years for Indian/Asian population group.
Duration of marriage of divorcing couples and population group
Statistics from the annual divorce data do not give a comprehensive picture of the number of marriages ending in divorce. However, there is data on the duration of marriages for divorces granted in 2019. The largest number [6 225 (26,3%)] of divorces were for marriages that lasted between five and nine years. This group is followed by marriages that lasted between 10 and 14 years [4 964 (20,9%)] and marriages that lasted for less than five years [3 996 (16,9%)]. Results showed that four in ten divorces 10 221 (43,1%) of the 23 710 in 2019 were marriages that lasted for less than 10 years.
According to results given, irrespective of the population group, the highest proportion of divorces occurred to couples who had been married between five and nine years. Population group variations showed that 28,6% of divorces from the black African; 25,1% from coloured, 23,9% from white and 21,0% from Indian/Asian population groups were from marriages that lasted between five and nine years. The white population had the highest proportion (21,0%) of divorces that occurred in the first four years. The proportion of divorces in all population groups declined as the duration of marriage increased, with a significant decline being observed after fourteen years of marriage. The proportion of divorces from the Indian/Asian population group is higher than the other population groups between ages 15 and 34 years.
Divorces involving couples with children less than 18 years
In 2019, 13 264 (55,9%) of the 23 710 divorces had children younger than 18 years whereas 10 446 (44,1%) divorces had no children . The profile of white divorcees showed that more than half of the recorded divorces were without children (55,9%). Looking at the black African and coloured and divorcees, divorces involving couples with children constituted about 60,9% and 63,0% respectively. 49,6% of children affected by divorce were from the black African population group; 21,8% from the coloured population group; 17,0% from the white population group and 4,8% from the Indian/Asian population group.
Summary and concluding remarks
This statistical release provides information on civil and customary marriages, civil unions and divorces for 2019, based on data from the South African national marriage registration systems of the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) and data of divorces granted by the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development. In total, 129 597 civil marriages were registered in South Africa in 2019, with more than half 75 519 (58,3%) being solemnised by DHA marriage officers. The highest number of civil marriages was registered in Gauteng (32 352), followed by KwaZulu-Natal (21 753) and Western Cape (16 783), and the lowest was registered in Northern Cape (3 692). The majority of civil marriages in 2019 for both bridegrooms (105 163) and brides (111 464) were first time marriages, with women generally entering into marriage at younger ages than men do.
The number of registered customary marriages was 2 789 in 2019, which decreased by 11,7% from a total of 3 160 recorded in 2018. The majority of bridegrooms [2 401 (86,1%)] were older than their brides, with the gap in median ages at registration of customary marriage much wider than for other types of marriages. The number of registered civil unions in South Africa in 2019 was 1 771, most of which were registered in Gauteng (779) and Western Cape (443), and lowest in Limpopo (23) and Northern Cape (18).
With regard to divorces, the data showed that 23 710 divorces were granted in 2019. Generally, there was an increase in the proportion of divorces for black Africans and a decline for the white population group. Divorces were mainly from people who had married for the first time. There were more wives than husbands who filed the divorce, with husbands generally getting divorced at a later age than wives. The provincial distribution shows that Gauteng (6 318), Western Cape (6 108), KwaZulu-Natal (4 033) and Eastern Cape (3 137) were the provinces with the highest number of divorces granted. In 2019, about 22 084 children aged less than 18 years were affected by divorces that took place.
Overall, the information provided in this release showed fluctuations over time in the number of marriages and divorces and an increasing trend on civil unions in the country. Areas of improvement in the quality of data were noted, particularly relating to completeness of information pertaining to unspecified province of registration, way of solemnisation and marital status at time of marriage for the data on marriages and civil unions; and unspecified population group and occupation of the divorcees.
Trends in divorces (2010 – 2019)
The 2019 divorce data revealed in this statistical release is based on 23 710 finalized divorce forms that Stats SA obtained and processed. The number (23 710) indicates a decline of 1 574 (6,2%) divorces from the 25 284 cases handled in 2018. The table demonstrates that the total number of divorces decreased from 2010 to 2011 followed by a constant increase in the years 2012 to 2017 and a small decline of 0,4% between 2017 and 2018. In 2019, about 174 divorces were granted for same-sex couples. The visible crude divorce rate was 40 divorces per 100 000 estimated resident population in 20194.
In 2019, black African couples had the greatest number of divorces in comparison to other population groups, this pattern has been the same for the ten-year period (2010 to 2019). About 10 677 (45,0%) of the 23 710 divorces granted in 2019 were from black African population group followed by white 5 268 (22,2%), coloured 4 502 (19,0%), India/Asian 1 299 (5,5%) and divorces from different population groups (mixed) 816 (3,4%). The population group of 1 148 couples was not specified.
In 2019, the majority divorces were submitted by the black African population group 10 677 (45,0%) followed by the white population group 5 268 (22,2%), coloured population group 4 502 (19,0%) and then the Indian/Asian population group 1 299 (5,5%). The crude divorce rates by population groups reveal that the white population group had the highest rate of 112 per 100 000 estimated resident population followed by the coloured and Indian/Asian population groups with 87 and 85 per 100 000 respectively. The black African population had 23 per 100 000 estimated resident population.
It is noted that a higher proportion of husbands (26,5%) and wives (29,7%) did not specify the type of occupation they were engaged in at the time of divorce. In addition, 17,4% and 24,3% of husbands and wives respectively were not economically active at the time of divorce. Most male divorcees were employed in services occupations 3 360 (14,2%) while female divorcees were largely in professional, semi-professional and technical occupations
3 327 (14,0%).
Characteristics of plaintiffs
More wives than husbands, 12 615 (53,2%) women compared to 8 210 (34,6%) men started divorce proceedings. The sex of the plaintiff was not specified in 2 885 (12,2%) cases. With the exception of women from the black African population group who had a lower proportion of plaintiffs (48,9%), the proportion of women plaintiffs from the other population groups was above 50,0%. The plaintiffs for the interracial couples show that 53,6% of the divorces were filed by wives. The proportion of women plaintiffs for the white population group, coloured population group and Indian/Asian population group were 58,3%, 57,9% and 57,2% respectively.
The provincial distribution indicates that Gauteng (6 318), Western Cape (6 108), KwaZulu-Natal (4 033) and Eastern Cape (3 137) were the provinces with the highest number of divorces granted. Together the four provinces contributed 82,6% of the divorces granted in 2019. However, this could also be due to the fact that these provinces have the largest populations.
Number of divorces by way of solemnisation of marriage
10 876 (45,9%) of the 2019 divorce cases were from marriages that were solemnised by religious rites and 10 581 (44,6%) by civil rites. About 68,8% of divorces from the white population group and 66,0% of divorces from the coloured population group were from marriages that were solemnised by religious rites. Most divorces from the black African and Indian/Asian population groups were from marriages that were solemnised by civil rites, 66,0% and 52,5% respectively.
Number of times married
The 2019 divorce cases for both men and women were mainly from individuals who had married once. More than 80,0% of divorces for men and women were from first-time marriages compared to 11,8% of men and 10,1% of women from second-time marriages. Less than 1,5% of men and women were getting divorced for at least the third time.
Age at the time of divorce
The median age at the time of divorce in 2019 were 45 years for males and 41 years for females, indicating that generally, divorced males were older than divorced females, with a difference of about four years. The pattern of median ages in 2019 by population group showed that black African males and white males had the highest median age of 45 years, while the coloured and Indian/Asian population groups recorded the median ages of 43 years. The difference in the median ages at the time of divorce between males and females was greater in the black African population group (four years) compared to the coloured, Indian/Asian and white population groups, with median age differences of two to three years between males and females.
Although there were differences in the ages at which most men and women from the various population groups divorced, the age patterns were quite similar. There were fewer divorces among the younger (less than 25 years old) and the older (65 years and older) divorcees, however divorces start later, mostly at 35- 39 years for black African males than for other population groups where they start mostly from 30-34 years. For males, the peak age group for black African, coloured and Indian/Asian population groups was 40 to 44 years whereas the peak for white population group was 45 to 49 years In the case of females, the peak age group at divorce was 35 to 39 years for black African, coloured and white population groups and the peak age group at divorce was 40 to 44 years for Indian/Asian population group.
Duration of marriage of divorcing couples and population group
Statistics from the annual divorce data do not give a comprehensive picture of the number of marriages ending in divorce. However, there is data on the duration of marriages for divorces granted in 2019. The largest number [6 225 (26,3%)] of divorces were for marriages that lasted between five and nine years. This group is followed by marriages that lasted between 10 and 14 years [4 964 (20,9%)] and marriages that lasted for less than five years [3 996 (16,9%)]. Results showed that four in ten divorces 10 221 (43,1%) of the 23 710 in 2019 were marriages that lasted for less than 10 years.
According to results given, irrespective of the population group, the highest proportion of divorces occurred to couples who had been married between five and nine years. Population group variations showed that 28,6% of divorces from the black African; 25,1% from coloured, 23,9% from white and 21,0% from Indian/Asian population groups were from marriages that lasted between five and nine years. The white population had the highest proportion (21,0%) of divorces that occurred in the first four years. The proportion of divorces in all population groups declined as the duration of marriage increased, with a significant decline being observed after fourteen years of marriage. The proportion of divorces from the Indian/Asian population group is higher than the other population groups between ages 15 and 34 years.
Divorces involving couples with children less than 18 years
In 2019, 13 264 (55,9%) of the 23 710 divorces had children younger than 18 years whereas 10 446 (44,1%) divorces had no children . The profile of white divorcees showed that more than half of the recorded divorces were without children (55,9%). Looking at the black African and coloured and divorcees, divorces involving couples with children constituted about 60,9% and 63,0% respectively. 49,6% of children affected by divorce were from the black African population group; 21,8% from the coloured population group; 17,0% from the white population group and 4,8% from the Indian/Asian population group.
Summary and concluding remarks
This statistical release provides information on civil and customary marriages, civil unions and divorces for 2019, based on data from the South African national marriage registration systems of the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) and data of divorces granted by the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development. In total, 129 597 civil marriages were registered in South Africa in 2019, with more than half 75 519 (58,3%) being solemnised by DHA marriage officers. The highest number of civil marriages was registered in Gauteng (32 352), followed by KwaZulu-Natal (21 753) and Western Cape (16 783), and the lowest was registered in Northern Cape (3 692). The majority of civil marriages in 2019 for both bridegrooms (105 163) and brides (111 464) were first time marriages, with women generally entering into marriage at younger ages than men do.
The number of registered customary marriages was 2 789 in 2019, which decreased by 11,7% from a total of 3 160 recorded in 2018. The majority of bridegrooms [2 401 (86,1%)] were older than their brides, with the gap in median ages at registration of customary marriage much wider than for other types of marriages. The number of registered civil unions in South Africa in 2019 was 1 771, most of which were registered in Gauteng (779) and Western Cape (443), and lowest in Limpopo (23) and Northern Cape (18).
With regard to divorces, the data showed that 23 710 divorces were granted in 2019. Generally, there was an increase in the proportion of divorces for black Africans and a decline for the white population group. Divorces were mainly from people who had married for the first time. There were more wives than husbands who filed the divorce, with husbands generally getting divorced at a later age than wives. The provincial distribution shows that Gauteng (6 318), Western Cape (6 108), KwaZulu-Natal (4 033) and Eastern Cape (3 137) were the provinces with the highest number of divorces granted. In 2019, about 22 084 children aged less than 18 years were affected by divorces that took place.
Overall, the information provided in this release showed fluctuations over time in the number of marriages and divorces and an increasing trend on civil unions in the country. Areas of improvement in the quality of data were noted, particularly relating to completeness of information pertaining to unspecified province of registration, way of solemnisation and marital status at time of marriage for the data on marriages and civil unions; and unspecified population group and occupation of the divorcees.
Below are the statistics since 2008:
| divorce_stats_2019.pdf |
| divorce_stats_2018.pdf |
| divorce_statistics_2017_release.pdf |
| divorce_statistics_2016_p03072016.pdf |
| divorce statistics 2015 p03072015.pdf |
| divorce_statistics__south_africa__-_2014.pdf |
| divorce_statistics__south_africa__-_2013.pdf |
| divorce_statistics_south_africa_2012.pdf |
| divorce_statistics_south_africa_-_2011.pdf |
| divorce_statistics_south_africa_-_2010.pdf |
| divorce_statistics_south_africa_-_2009.pdf |
| divorce_statistics_south_africa_-_2008.pdf |
