Short-lived marriages on the rise in Saudi Arabia as 65% of divorces occur within first year

Dubai: Saudi Arabia recorded approximately 57,595 divorce cases in 2025, averaging 157 divorces per day, or one every nine minutes, according to newly released data from the Ministry of Justice and the General Authority for Statistics.

The data shows divorces reached 12.6 per cent of all registered marriages this year, with over 65 per cent of cases occurring within the first year of marriage, highlighting a trend of early separation despite expensive weddings and high emotional investment.

Al Baha region topped the divorce rate charts with a 36 per cent share, followed by Riyadh at 21.7 per cent, and Hail at 19.2 per cent.

Fahad Al Otaibi, 29, described his marriage as over before it began. Just 45 days after his lavish wedding, he and his wife split. “We started arguing a week after the wedding,” he said. “Despite the preparations, we realized we were incompatible.”

For Reem Al Qahtani, 25, love turned into disillusionment. She believed affection alone could sustain a marriage, but quickly discovered her husband lacked basic communication and responsibility. Their union ended after just 40 days.

Ahmed Al Raithi, 32, returned from a failed honeymoon in Europe with a divorce. “She wanted perfection. I wanted peace. We couldn’t meet in the middle,” he said.

Social specialist Ahmed Al Najjar said the alarming statistics stem from a misunderstanding of marital life and a lack of emotional readiness.

He listed key drivers of early divorce: exorbitant wedding costs, shallow or rushed partner selection, excessive family interference, and idealized behavior during courtship that collapses post-marriage.

“Marriage isn’t a celebration or a honeymoon,” Al Najjar said. “It’s a long-term life project requiring maturity, communication, and realistic expectations, all of which are often absent in today’s unions.”