Marriage every 34 minutes, divorce every 75 in Kuwait: Ministry of justice reveals

Dubai: Marriages were registered in Kuwait at an average rate of one every 34 minutes, while divorces occurred roughly once every 75 minutes in November 2025, according to new figures released by the Ministry of Justice.

The data, published by the ministry’s Statistics and Research Department, is based on the monthly performance report of the Sharia Notarization Department, which recorded tens of thousands of transactions related to marriage, divorce, reconciliation, legal notifications, and declarations of Islam.

A total of 1,252 marriage and reconciliation transactions were documented during the month, averaging 42 cases a day. Of these, 1,143 were marriage contracts, or about 38 per day. Marriages between Kuwaiti couples accounted for the majority, at 73.3 per cent, followed by marriages between non-Kuwaitis at 16.2 per cent. Marriages between Kuwaiti men and non-Kuwaiti women made up 8.2 per cent, while unions between non-Kuwaiti men and Kuwaiti women stood at 2.3 per cent.

The department also recorded 595 divorces, an average of 20 per day. Divorce cases among Kuwaiti couples accounted for 58.7 per cent of the total. In addition, 92 reconciliation cases were registered, with most documented through official reconciliation certificates.

Marriage authentication contracts reached 109 during the month, averaging nearly four per day. More than half involved Kuwaiti husbands and non-Kuwaiti wives. No authentication contracts were recorded between Kuwaiti couples.

The report noted that 81.5 per cent of marriage contracts were documented by authorised marriage officiants outside the department, reflecting continued reliance on external notaries.

Separately, more than 52,000 official notification and related transactions were completed, averaging 1,745 per day, with the Farwaniya Court Complex recording the highest volume. Transactions involving stateless residents reached 1,115, with the majority related to official notifications.

The ministry said the figures highlight the sustained demand for Sharia notarisation services across the country.