More Love, More Loss? Kuwait’s Marriage & Divorce Numbers Revealed

20/07/2025

More Love, More Loss? Kuwait’s Marriage & Divorce Numbers Revealed

KUWAIT CITY, July 20: Kuwait witnessed a notable 10% increase in marriages in 2024, according to the Ministry of Justice’s latest statistical yearbook. A total of 14,639 marriages were recorded, up from 13,303 in 2023—an increase of 1,336 marriages. Among these, 10,564 involved Kuwaiti couples.

Divorces also edged upward. The number of divorces that occurred in the same year of marriage rose by 8.3%, from 710 in 2023 to 769 in 2024. The overall divorce rate also increased by 3.9%, with total cases reaching 8,168, up from 7,865 the year before. University graduates accounted for the highest share of divorce cases, with Ahmadi Governorate reporting the highest regional divorce rates.

Breakdown of Marriages in 2024

1. Nationality

Kuwaiti couples made up 72.2% of all marriages.
Non-Kuwaiti couples represented 14.9%.
Marriages between Kuwaiti men and non-Kuwaiti women accounted for 9.6%.
Marriages between non-Kuwaiti men and Kuwaiti women stood at 3.3%.

2. Educational Background

Among husbands, 44.1% held university degrees, followed by diploma holders (21.7%), secondary school graduates (19.1%), and intermediate-level education (11%).
Among wives, 55.6% had university degrees, followed by secondary school (23.2%), diploma (13.6%), and intermediate-level education (4.8%).

3. Age Distribution

Most husbands were aged 25–29 years (40.2%), followed by 30–34 years (21.3%), and 20–24 years (15.3%).
Wives were mostly aged 20–24 years (32%), followed closely by 25–29 years (31.2%) and 30–34 years (12.9%).

Ratification Cases and Trends

Ratification cases rose from 1,285 in 2023 to 1,348 in 2024—a 4.9% increase. Marriages involving a Kuwaiti husband and a non-Kuwaiti wife were the most common in ratification cases, comprising 59.1% of the total.

Statistically, the annual average number of marriages over 2020–2024 stood at 14,212, with a standard deviation of 1,358. The crude marriage rate rose from 276 per 100,000 people in 2023 to 294 in 2024—a 6.5% rise. This equated to 2.9 marriages per 1,000 people in 2024.

Marriage Projections for 2025

The Ministry forecasts an annual average of 14,776 marriages in the future, with a 95% confidence interval predicting figures between 12,952 and 16,601 for 2025.

Divorce Trends and Demographics

1. Nationality

Kuwaiti couples accounted for 62.5% of all divorce cases.
Non-Kuwaiti couples made up 17.3%.
Divorces between Kuwaiti husbands and non-Kuwaiti wives represented 13.9%.
Cases involving non-Kuwaiti husbands and Kuwaiti wives were 6.3%.

2. Duration of Marriage

33.8% of divorces occurred within 1–5 years of marriage.
19.7% occurred between 10–20 years.
18.7% between 5–10 years.
17.3% were within the first year.
10.5% involved marriages lasting over 20 years.

3. Educational Background

Among husbands: 32.7% of divorced men had university degrees, followed by intermediate (20.9%), secondary (20.1%), and diploma holders (19.8%).

Among wives: 44.4% were university graduates, followed by diploma holders (20.8%), secondary school graduates (19.5%), and intermediate-level education (10.5%).

4. Age Distribution

- Husbands aged 45+ made up 29.8% of divorce cases.

- Other groups included 30–34 years (19.8%), 35–39 years (16.7%), and 25–29 years (16.6%).

- Wives aged 25–29 years represented the highest divorce rate at 20.5%, followed by 30–34 years (19.6%), 45+ (17.9%), and 35–39 years (17.3%).

5. By Governorate

The highest rates of divorce among wives were recorded in:

Hawalli (19.1%)
Ahmadi (18.7%)
Ahmadi (18.7%)
Farwaniya (17.7%)
Capital Governorate (15.3%)

Types of Divorce

First revocable divorces: 56.5% (up 4% from 2023)
First irrevocable divorces: 28% (up 4.2%)
Second revocable divorces: 9.4% (up 0.5%)
Second irrevocable divorces: 2.5% (up 23.2%)
Third irrevocable divorces: 3.6% (down 3%)
Divorce among couples with remaining wives increased by 2.6%, from 1,252 cases in 2023 to 1,285 in 2024.

Divorce Types

Certificate-based divorces: 73.6% (up 3.5%)
Mukhala (mutual separation): 19.1% (a sharp 145% rise)
Court-judgment-based divorces: 7.3% (down 57.8%)
Divorces Before Consummation Rose from 600 in 2023 to 633 in 2024, a 5.5% increase.

Medical Referrals

The report also recorded a 6.1% increase in medical referrals for marital issues, from 1,083 in 2023 to 1,149 in 2024. Most cases (63.7%) involved Kuwaiti couples.