Iraq records 6,600+ divorce cases in one month
Shafaq News- Baghdad
Iraq recorded 6,628 divorce cases in April 2026, prompting warnings from a local rights center over a renewed rise in family breakdowns driven by economic hardship, unemployment, drug abuse, domestic violence, and the misuse of social media.
Hazem al-Rudaini, deputy head of the Strategic Center for Human Rights, said Baghdad and Basra remain the most affected provinces and urged the government to adopt a five-year strategy aimed at reducing divorce rates.
According to the center, poverty, unemployment, housing pressures, and marriages conducted outside the court system continue to fuel instability within Iraqi families, with contributing factors varying from one province to another.
Read more: Why Iraqi marriages now fail in months, not years
The center called for awareness campaigns focused particularly on Baghdad and Basra, alongside measures to address housing shortages and unemployment, and provide soft loans for young couples.
Official figures released by Iraq’s Supreme Judicial Council on May 19 showed Baghdad recorded the country’s highest number of divorce cases in April with 2,665 separations, followed by Basra with 611 cases. The statistics cover all Iraqi provinces except the Kurdistan Region.
