According to Central Agency for Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS) data from 2020, a divorce occurs every two minutes, 25 cases per hour, and more than 18,000 cases per month, according to Khairat Barakat, head of the CAPMAS, said.
The agency has a complete database on the issue, he added.
The CAPMAS bulletin on marriage and divorce in 2020 shows that the number of marriage contracts during 2020 recorded 876,000 contracts, and 880,000 in 2021, he said, in a telephone interview with the TV presenter Ahmed Moussa, on Sada Al-Balad channel.
While 222,000 cases were recorded in 2020, it increased by 13 percent to 245,000 cases in 2021, said Barakat.
Egypt witnesses 24,000 divorce cases for every 100 marriages according to the 2020 data, he said, adding that divorce rates are expected to rise in the 2022 data scheduled to be released on November 30.
Twelve percent of the divorce cases occurred during the first year of marriage in 2020, while nine percent occurred during the second year, and 6.5 percent during the third year, i.e. in total 28 percent of the divorce cases occurred during the first three years of marriage, Barakat said.
He stressed the importance of careful planning before marriage.
Relevant state agencies, including the Ministry of Solidarity, are implementing initiatives to reduce divorce cases, like the “Mawadda” initiative, Barakat mentioned, pointing out that Cairo ranked first in divorce rates during 2020.
Port Said recorded the least divorce rate followed by Suez.
The highest divorce rate was among those with intermediate education degrees, which highlights the role of the educational and cultural situation, he said, explaining that the divorce rate in cities is higher than in the countryside.
Four percent of divorce cases during 2020 occurred after final court rulings, while Khul cases amounted to 80 percent of final divorce rulings, at 7,000 cases.
