Saudi Arabia saw its highest number of divorce cases in 2020, slightly exceeding the 57,500 cases recorded in 2017. Since 2011, the number of divorces in the Kingdom has risen consistently each subsequent year, with 2019 being the only outlier, dropping by 6,400 cases from the previous year. Traditional views on marriage Saudi Arabia is still a deeply conservative society, where marriages and divorce are heavily influenced by tradition and familial ties. Cases of marriage and divorce continue to be overseen by the state’s Islamic courts. Unlike the number of divorce cases in Saudi Arabia, the number of marriage cases has been trending in the opposite direction. There is also a notable share of women who were married between the ages of 15 and 18 among both Saudi and non-Saudi women in the country. However, as more and more women opt to take on professional careers and pursue higher education, trends are changing. Social reform in the Kingdom Recently, Saudi Arabia has undergone considerable social reforms, which have transformed the role of women in public life. After years of prohibition, women were finally permitted to legally drive as of June 2018. Although the participation of women in the economy has increased in the past years, certain sectors attract more female participation than others. It is safe to say that Saudi Arabia is gradually opening up to the involvement of women in more public affairs. It is therefore expected that the Kingdom may encounter some of the challenges women in other economies have faced for years, such as a discrepancy in average wages between men and women.

In 2017, the crude divorce rate in Saudi Arabia reached 1.8, down from 2.1 in 2015. The crude marriage rate in Saudi Arabia reached 4.8 in 2017.

In 2017, the number of marriages per divorce in Saudi Arabia amounted to 2.7, down from 2.9 in 2016. The crude divorce rate in Saudi Arabia reached 1.8 in 2017.

The crude divorce rate of Saudi citizens in the administrative area Hail was 2.41 in 2020. Hail had the highest citizen crude divorce rate per one thousand Saudi population in 2020. By comparison, the eastern region had the lowest crude divorce rate at 1.27 per one thousand Saudi population.

In 2022, about 2.3 thousand marriages were dissolved in Qatar. This was a 9.3 percent increase from than the previous year, and nearly one thousand more cases than in 2015. During 2021, 77.8 thousand marriages were divorced in the Gulf Cooperation Council region. During 2022, 79.7 thousand divorces were registered in the Gulf Cooperation Council region, with the majority being reported in Saudi Arabia.

In 2020, the number of marriage cases in Saudi Arabia exceeded 150 thousand cases, up from about 138 thousand cases in the previous year. The number of divorce cases in Saudi Arabia amounted to 57.6 thousand cases in 2020.

2021 saw the highest level of divorce cases registered in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) since 2009. Since 2009, divorce figures in the country primarily hovered around four thousand, peaking at around 4,800 and 4,900 in 2014 and 2015, respectively. 2012 saw the lowest number of divorces, with approximately 3,900 cases. Marriage in the UAE has a pragmatic legal system governing issues such as divorce. Due to its high expat non-Muslim population, it has adapted its judicial system to better serve its diverse communities. Previously, both Muslim and non-Muslim residents were subject to the country’s Islamic courts in matters pertaining to divorce. This changed with the new federal Civil Personal Status Law, which came into effect in February 2023. The recent rise in divorce cases is in line with the overall trend of divorce cases in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). This trend is understandable, as the number of marriage contracts in the UAE has also increased significantly in the past few years. Social change in the region Social dynamics in the region are seeing visible changes. Recently, countries in the GCC have gradually loosened restrictions traditionally placed on women. The UAE was already at the forefront of this transition, with women playing an active role in both the public and private sectors. More recently, countries like Saudi Arabia have seen a notable increase in the participation of women in the economy. This, however, presents new challenges, such as a discrepancy in average wages between men and women which, as in many other developed economies, remains a lingering issue.

In 2022, about 4.2 thousand marriages were dissolved in Oman. This was an 8.4 percent increase from the previous year. During 2022, 79.7 thousand divorces were registered in the Gulf Cooperation Council region, with the majority being reported in Saudi Arabia.

In 2023, 8.8 percent of non-Saudi women aged 20 to 24 in Saudi Arabia were married or in a union before the age of 18. However, 0.15 percent of Saudi women from the reported age group were married before the age of 15, whereas zero non-Saudi woman reported being in such unions.

In 2022, the number of marriage cases in Qatar amounted to 3.9 thousand cases. This was a 10.2 percent from the previous year. The number of marriage cases throughout the Gulf Cooperation Council increased in 2022 compared to the previous year. During 2022, around 205.3 thousand marriages took place in the Gulf Cooperation Council region, with the largest share coming from Saudi Arabia.

In 2022, more than 13.7 thousand marriages took place in Kuwait. This was a 16.7 percent drop from the previous year. During 2022, around 205.3 thousand marriages took place in the Gulf Cooperation Council region, with the largest share coming from Saudi Arabia.