Iraq: 31K+ marriage and divorce cases in December

Shafaq News– Baghdad

Divorce cases across Iraq fell by about 34.6% in December 2025 compared with the previous month, with 4,888 cases recorded nationwide, excluding the Kurdistan Region, according to data from the Supreme Judicial Council.

The figures released on Monday, showed that Baghdad registered the highest numbers, with 798 cases in Rusafa and 692 in Karkh, followed by Nineveh with 530 divorces. At the provincial level, Diyala logged 343 cases, Dhi Qar 295, Al-Anbar 300, Basra 253, Kirkuk 252, Babil 241, Najaf 208, Al-Qadisiyah 203, Saladin 250, Wasit 115, and Al-Muthanna 92, while Maysan posted the lowest total at 71 cases.

The report also indicated that civil courts documented more than 27,000 marriage contracts during the same month, reflecting an increase of about 3.3% compared with November. Baghdad’s Rusafa district recorded the highest number with 4,112 marriages, followed by 3,237 in Karkh, while Nineveh accounted for 3,064. Basra ranked fourth with 2,481 contracts.

Other provinces recorded the following figures: Babil 1,567, Dhi Qar 1,535, Al-Anbar 1,494, Karbala 1,175, Saladin 1,059, Maysan 1,044, Wasit 975, Al-Muthanna 919, Kirkuk 916, Al-Qadisiyah 915, and Diyala 1,146.

Separate data from the World Population Review placed the average age for first marriage in Iraq at 25.3 years in 2025, ranking the country sixth among Arab states with the lowest marriage ages.

Read more: Wife sharing, excessive belching, sexual extortion: bizarre reasons for divorce in Iraq