Saudi Arabia reports divorce cases every 10 minutes in 2022

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia recorded an unprecedented increase in divorce rates during 2022 in the Kingdom, reaching 168 cases per day, with 7 divorce cases every hour, and at a rate exceeding one case every 10 minutes, local media reported.

According to the data of the Saudi General Authority for Statistics, 57,595 divorce papers were issued during the last months of 2020, an increase of 12.7 per cent, compared to 2019.

Meanwhile, social networking sites have emerged as a major reason for the increase in these divorce rates in Saudi society.

In statements to Arabic daily Al Youm, lawyer Dakhil Al Dakhil indicated that the number of divorce cases increased during the last 10 years, specifically since 2011, from only 9,233 cases in 2010, to 34,000 in 2011, to continue to rise during these years to 57,000 in 2020.

This year’s reports indicated that “there are seven divorce cases every hour in the Kingdom, 3 cases against 10 marriage contracts,” he added

Reasons for the high divorce rate

Al Dakhil attributed the increasing number of divorce cases between spouses in Saudi society are due to the increase in the complexities of contemporary life, and the high cost of living, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, which began in 2019, and caused a noticeable increase in prices, in addition to social media, which has become playing an important role.