Higher Population Council releases statistics on cases of divorce in Jordan

The Higher Population Council issued a detailed report on cases of divorce in Jordan.

The council said that rising divorce cases in Jordan are a natural outcome of the growing number of marriages and new families each year, emphasizing that the increase is not necessarily cause for concern.

In a statement released Monday, the council noted that official data from the Chief Islamic Justice Department’s annual reports for 2015 to 2023 show the divorce rate in Jordan has remained stable, averaging around 2.5 divorces per 1,000 people annually.

Additionally, the marriage-to-divorce ratio has held steady, with an average of four marriages to each divorce after consummation.

The report revealed that approximately 27 percent of recorded divorces over the past nine years were for engagement contracts only, before consummation, increasing the likelihood of remarriage for women in such cases.

About 19 percent of divorced women in this category remarried, according to registered records.

The report also highlighted that revocable divorces made up the largest percentage, accounting for 26 percent of all cases in 2023, with 45 percent of divorced women being under the age of 30.

The council advised newlyweds to consider delaying their first child. Regarding early marriage, the report noted that marriages under age 18 are few compared to other age groups, with divorces involving minors under 18 making up around 4 percent of all recorded cases.