Thousands recorded since January
Iraq sees sharp increase in divorce rates in early 2024
BAGHDAD — Iraqi couples have filed for a staggering 20,000 divorces since the start of 2024, the Strategic Center for Human Rights in Iraq announced on Monday.
Fadil Al-Ghrawi, the head of the center, detailed in a press release that out of the thousands of divorce cases recorded, some 27% were granted by Iraqi courts with the remaining separations falling outside of legal jurisdiction, and often granted under religious law.
Al-Ghrawi attributed the rise in divorce rates to several factors including irreconcilable differences, couples marrying before they were ready for commitment, domestic violence, polygamy, infidelity, and crowded multigenerational homes, among other factors.
The Kurdistan Region has also seen an increase in divorce rates, with over 14,000 separations recorded in 2023, according to data from the region’s Judicial Council, which comprises the Appellate Courts in Erbil, Sulaymaniyah, Duhok, and Kirkuk/Garmiyan.
The council identified 12 primary reasons for divorce last year, which included 1,464 cases of “incompatibility.”