South Africa - Divorce Statistics
Divorce Statistics 2017
Trends in divorces (2008 – 2017)
The 2017 divorce statistics reported by Stats SA is based on 25 390 finalized divorce forms and processed by the end of 2018. The number (25 390) indicates an increase of 64 (0,3%) divorces from the 25 326 cases processed in 2016. The total number of divorces fluctuated over the period 2008 to 2011 followed by a constant increase from 2012 to 2017, with the greatest number seen in 2009 (30 763) and the lowest in 2011 (20 980). In 2017, about 155 divorces were granted for same-sex couples of which 115 were female couples, and 40 were male couples. The observed crude divorce rate was 0,4 divorces per 1 000 estimated resident population in 2017.
African couples experienced the highest number of divorces in comparison to other population groups during the ten years (2008 to 2017). In 2017, 11 309 (44,5%) of the 25 390 divorces were from black African population group followed by white 6 048 (23,8%), coloured 4 517 (17,8%) and India/Asian 1 401 (5,5%). The 2017 crude divorce rate by population groups show that the white population had a rate of 1,3 per 1 000 population followed by Indian/Asian with 1,0 per 1 000 population, coloured with 0,9 per 1 000 population and black African with 0,2 per 1 000 population.
A high proportion of husbands (27,3%) and wives (30,8%) did not specify the type of occupation they were engaged in at the time of divorce. Also, 18,0% and 24,7% of husbands and wives respectively were not economically active at the time of divorce. Most male divorcees were managers and administrators 3 530 (13,9%), and 3 481 (13,7%) were employed in professional, semi-professional and technical occupations while female divorcees were largely in professional, semi-professional and technical occupations 3 959 (15,6%) and clerical and sales occupations 2 717 (10,7%).
Characteristics of plaintiffs
The 2017 data show that more wives than husbands, 12 938 (51,0%) women compared to 8 878 (35,0%) men initiated divorce proceedings and 1 728 (6,8%) divorces were initiated by both husband and wife. With the exception of women from the black African population who had a lower proportion of plaintiffs (45,1%), the proportion of women plaintiffs from the other population groups was above 50,0%. The proportion of women plaintiffs for the white population group, Indian/Asian population group and coloured population group were 58,2%, 56,6%, and 56,2% respectively. Among black African divorcees, divorce initiated by both partners constituted about 10%.
The provincial distribution indicates that Western Cape (6 050), Gauteng (6 046), KwaZulu-Natal (4 349) and Eastern Cape (3 285) were the provinces with the highest number of divorces granted. Together the four provinces contributed over three quarters 19 730 (77,7%) of the divorces granted in 2017. However, this could also be because these provinces have the largest populations. Eastern Cape had the highest proportion of both husband and wife as plaintiffs (14,8%).
Number of divorces by way of solemnisation of marriage
The information shows that 11 675 (46,0%) of the 2017 divorce cases were from marriages that were solemnised by religious rites and 11 275 (44,4%) by civil rites. Over two-thirds (68,9%) 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, 66,1% and 52,0% respectively.
Number of times married
In 2017 the 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 11,6% of men and 10,0% of women from second-time marriages. Less than 2,0% 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 2017 was 44 years for males and 40 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 2017 by population group showed that black African males had the highest median age of 45 years, while the Indian/Asian population group recorded the lowest median age for both sexes. The difference in the median ages at the time of divorce between males and females was greater in the black African population group (five years) compared to the coloured, Indian/Asian and white population groups, with median age differences of 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 starts later for black African males than other population groups and slightly lower for Indian males at older ages. For males, the peak age group at divorce was 40 to 44 for all population groups, except for the white population group where the highest peak was from the age group 45 to 49 years. In the case of females, the peak age group for black African and coloured population groups was 35 to 39 years and the peak for Indian/Asian and white population groups was 40 to 44 years.
Duration of the marriage of divorcing couples
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 the divorces granted in 2017. The largest number [6 906 (27,2%)] of divorces were for marriages that lasted between five and nine years. This group is followed by marriages that lasted between ten and 14 years [4 985 (19,6%)] and marriages that lasted for less than five years [4 424 (17,4%)]. Results showed that four in ten divorces 11 330 (44,6%) of the 25 390 in 2017 were marriages that lasted for less than 10 years.
According to results given in Figure 13 on page 19, irrespective of the population group, the highest proportion of divorces occurred to couples who had been married for five to nine years. Population group variations showed that 29,5% of divorces from the black African; 26,0% from white, 24,9% from coloured and 20,7% from Indian/Asian population groups were from marriages that lasted between five and nine years. The white population had the highest proportion (22,0%) of divorces that occurred in the first five years. The proportion of divorces in all population groups declined as the duration of marriage increased, with a significant decline being observed after nine 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 minor children
In 2017, 14 121 (55,6%) of the 25 390 divorces had children younger than 18 years whereas 11 266 (44,4%) divorces had no children. The profile of white divorcees showed that more than half of the recorded divorces were without children (55,3%). Looking at the coloured and black African divorcees, divorces involving couples with minor children constituted about 61,6% and 61,0% respectively. 49,6% of children affected by divorce were from the black African population group; 20,0% from the coloured population group; 18,7% from the white population group and 5,0% from the Indian/Asian population group.
Summary and concluding remarks
In total, 135 458 civil marriages were registered in South Africa in 2017, with more than half 78 768 (58,1%) being solemnised by DHA marriage officers. The highest number of civil marriages was registered in Gauteng (35 359), followed by Western Cape (22 144) and KwaZulu-Natal (21 206), and the lowest was registered in Northern Cape (3 950). The majority of civil marriages in 2017 for both bridegrooms (111 306) and brides (117 779) were first time marriages, with women generally entering into marriage at younger ages than men.
The number of registered customary marriages was 2 588 in 2017, which decreased by 34,9% from a total of 3 978 recorded in 2016. The majority of bridegrooms [2 223 (85,9%)] were older than their brides, with the gap in median ages at registration of customary marriage much wider than other types of marriages. The number of registered civil unions in South Africa in 2017 was 1 357, most of which were registered in Gauteng (507) and Western Cape (391), and lowest in Northern Cape (16) and Limpopo (15).
With regard to divorces, the data showed that 25 390 divorces were granted in South Africa in 2017. Generally, there was an increase in the proportion of divorces for black Africans and a decline for the white population group from 2008 to 2017. 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 Western Cape (6 050), Gauteng (6 046), KwaZulu-Natal (4 349) and Eastern Cape (3 285) were the provinces with the highest number of divorces granted. About 23 170 children aged less than 18 years were affected by divorces that took place in 2017.
Overall, the information provided in this release showed fluctuations over time in the num ber of marriages, unions and divorces 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 latest statistics:
Trends in divorces (2008 – 2017)
The 2017 divorce statistics reported by Stats SA is based on 25 390 finalized divorce forms and processed by the end of 2018. The number (25 390) indicates an increase of 64 (0,3%) divorces from the 25 326 cases processed in 2016. The total number of divorces fluctuated over the period 2008 to 2011 followed by a constant increase from 2012 to 2017, with the greatest number seen in 2009 (30 763) and the lowest in 2011 (20 980). In 2017, about 155 divorces were granted for same-sex couples of which 115 were female couples, and 40 were male couples. The observed crude divorce rate was 0,4 divorces per 1 000 estimated resident population in 2017.
African couples experienced the highest number of divorces in comparison to other population groups during the ten years (2008 to 2017). In 2017, 11 309 (44,5%) of the 25 390 divorces were from black African population group followed by white 6 048 (23,8%), coloured 4 517 (17,8%) and India/Asian 1 401 (5,5%). The 2017 crude divorce rate by population groups show that the white population had a rate of 1,3 per 1 000 population followed by Indian/Asian with 1,0 per 1 000 population, coloured with 0,9 per 1 000 population and black African with 0,2 per 1 000 population.
A high proportion of husbands (27,3%) and wives (30,8%) did not specify the type of occupation they were engaged in at the time of divorce. Also, 18,0% and 24,7% of husbands and wives respectively were not economically active at the time of divorce. Most male divorcees were managers and administrators 3 530 (13,9%), and 3 481 (13,7%) were employed in professional, semi-professional and technical occupations while female divorcees were largely in professional, semi-professional and technical occupations 3 959 (15,6%) and clerical and sales occupations 2 717 (10,7%).
Characteristics of plaintiffs
The 2017 data show that more wives than husbands, 12 938 (51,0%) women compared to 8 878 (35,0%) men initiated divorce proceedings and 1 728 (6,8%) divorces were initiated by both husband and wife. With the exception of women from the black African population who had a lower proportion of plaintiffs (45,1%), the proportion of women plaintiffs from the other population groups was above 50,0%. The proportion of women plaintiffs for the white population group, Indian/Asian population group and coloured population group were 58,2%, 56,6%, and 56,2% respectively. Among black African divorcees, divorce initiated by both partners constituted about 10%.
The provincial distribution indicates that Western Cape (6 050), Gauteng (6 046), KwaZulu-Natal (4 349) and Eastern Cape (3 285) were the provinces with the highest number of divorces granted. Together the four provinces contributed over three quarters 19 730 (77,7%) of the divorces granted in 2017. However, this could also be because these provinces have the largest populations. Eastern Cape had the highest proportion of both husband and wife as plaintiffs (14,8%).
Number of divorces by way of solemnisation of marriage
The information shows that 11 675 (46,0%) of the 2017 divorce cases were from marriages that were solemnised by religious rites and 11 275 (44,4%) by civil rites. Over two-thirds (68,9%) 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, 66,1% and 52,0% respectively.
Number of times married
In 2017 the 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 11,6% of men and 10,0% of women from second-time marriages. Less than 2,0% 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 2017 was 44 years for males and 40 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 2017 by population group showed that black African males had the highest median age of 45 years, while the Indian/Asian population group recorded the lowest median age for both sexes. The difference in the median ages at the time of divorce between males and females was greater in the black African population group (five years) compared to the coloured, Indian/Asian and white population groups, with median age differences of 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 starts later for black African males than other population groups and slightly lower for Indian males at older ages. For males, the peak age group at divorce was 40 to 44 for all population groups, except for the white population group where the highest peak was from the age group 45 to 49 years. In the case of females, the peak age group for black African and coloured population groups was 35 to 39 years and the peak for Indian/Asian and white population groups was 40 to 44 years.
Duration of the marriage of divorcing couples
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 the divorces granted in 2017. The largest number [6 906 (27,2%)] of divorces were for marriages that lasted between five and nine years. This group is followed by marriages that lasted between ten and 14 years [4 985 (19,6%)] and marriages that lasted for less than five years [4 424 (17,4%)]. Results showed that four in ten divorces 11 330 (44,6%) of the 25 390 in 2017 were marriages that lasted for less than 10 years.
According to results given in Figure 13 on page 19, irrespective of the population group, the highest proportion of divorces occurred to couples who had been married for five to nine years. Population group variations showed that 29,5% of divorces from the black African; 26,0% from white, 24,9% from coloured and 20,7% from Indian/Asian population groups were from marriages that lasted between five and nine years. The white population had the highest proportion (22,0%) of divorces that occurred in the first five years. The proportion of divorces in all population groups declined as the duration of marriage increased, with a significant decline being observed after nine 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 minor children
In 2017, 14 121 (55,6%) of the 25 390 divorces had children younger than 18 years whereas 11 266 (44,4%) divorces had no children. The profile of white divorcees showed that more than half of the recorded divorces were without children (55,3%). Looking at the coloured and black African divorcees, divorces involving couples with minor children constituted about 61,6% and 61,0% respectively. 49,6% of children affected by divorce were from the black African population group; 20,0% from the coloured population group; 18,7% from the white population group and 5,0% from the Indian/Asian population group.
Summary and concluding remarks
In total, 135 458 civil marriages were registered in South Africa in 2017, with more than half 78 768 (58,1%) being solemnised by DHA marriage officers. The highest number of civil marriages was registered in Gauteng (35 359), followed by Western Cape (22 144) and KwaZulu-Natal (21 206), and the lowest was registered in Northern Cape (3 950). The majority of civil marriages in 2017 for both bridegrooms (111 306) and brides (117 779) were first time marriages, with women generally entering into marriage at younger ages than men.
The number of registered customary marriages was 2 588 in 2017, which decreased by 34,9% from a total of 3 978 recorded in 2016. The majority of bridegrooms [2 223 (85,9%)] were older than their brides, with the gap in median ages at registration of customary marriage much wider than other types of marriages. The number of registered civil unions in South Africa in 2017 was 1 357, most of which were registered in Gauteng (507) and Western Cape (391), and lowest in Northern Cape (16) and Limpopo (15).
With regard to divorces, the data showed that 25 390 divorces were granted in South Africa in 2017. Generally, there was an increase in the proportion of divorces for black Africans and a decline for the white population group from 2008 to 2017. 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 Western Cape (6 050), Gauteng (6 046), KwaZulu-Natal (4 349) and Eastern Cape (3 285) were the provinces with the highest number of divorces granted. About 23 170 children aged less than 18 years were affected by divorces that took place in 2017.
Overall, the information provided in this release showed fluctuations over time in the num ber of marriages, unions and divorces 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 latest statistics:
| 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 |
