538 Kuwaitis married second wives, 51 third, and three fourth in 2023

• From 2019 to 2023, the highest crude marriage rate and the highest general marriage rate for Kuwaiti husbands were recorded in 2021, at 18.8 percent and 28.9 percent, respectively.

• The highest number of marriages for Kuwaiti husbands and wives was among those with a university education, with 4,771 cases for Kuwaiti husbands and 5,716 cases for Kuwaiti wives.

• Among Kuwaiti husbands, the highest number of marriages occurred in the age group 25-29, reaching 4,578 cases, while the lowest was in the age group 15-19, with 59 cases.

The latest official statistics revealed that March 2023 saw the highest number of marriages, with 1,112 cases involving Kuwaiti husbands and 1,014 cases involving Kuwaiti wives, according to Al Rai newspaper.

The highest number of divorce cases for Kuwaiti husbands occurred in May, reaching 629 cases, while non-Kuwaiti husbands had their highest number of divorce cases in the same month, with 208 cases.

Last year differed from 2022, where the highest marriage rates among Kuwaitis were recorded during the winter, and divorce cases peaked in the summer, particularly in August.

The figures for 2022 show that the highest number of marriages between two Kuwaitis occurred in March (969), February (886), December (822), and November (814), while the highest divorce rates were recorded in August (644) and June (640).

Marriages

According to the annual bulletin of marriage and divorce cases for 2023, issued by the Central Statistical Administration, the crude marriage rate (CMR) for Kuwaiti husbands reached 14.2 percent, and the general marriage rate was 21.4 percent. For non-Kuwaiti husbands, the crude marriage rate was 1.2 percent, and the general marriage rate was 1.3 percent.

During the period from 2019 to 2023, the highest crude marriage rate (18.8 percent) and the highest general marriage rate (28.9 percent) for Kuwaiti husbands were recorded in 2021.

In 2023, the number of marriages involving a Kuwaiti element reached 11,166. Of these, 9,280 were marriages of Kuwaiti men to Kuwaiti women (83.1 percent), 1,365 were marriages of Kuwaiti men to non-Kuwaiti women (16.9 percent), and 521 were marriages of Kuwaiti women to non-Kuwaiti men.

The highest number of marriages was recorded in March, with 1,112 cases for Kuwaiti husbands and 1,014 cases for Kuwaiti wives.

Among Kuwaiti husbands, the highest number of marriages occurred in the age group 25-29, reaching 4,578 cases, while the lowest was in the age group 15-19, with 59 cases.

For Kuwaiti wives, the highest number of marriages was in the age group 20-24, with 3,280 cases, while the lowest was in the age group under 15 years (no cases), followed by the age group 40-44 with 273 cases.

Regarding educational status, the highest number of marriages for Kuwaiti husbands and wives was among those with a university education, with 4,771 cases for Kuwaiti husbands and 5,716 cases for Kuwaiti wives.

In terms of polygamy, 538 Kuwaiti men married a second wife, 51 married a third wife, and three married a fourth wife.

Divorce

The crude divorce rate was 7.9 percent and the general divorce rate was 11.9 percent for Kuwaiti husbands, while the crude divorce rate was 0.9 percent and the general divorce rate was 1.0 percent for non-Kuwaiti husbands.

During the period from 2019 to 2023, the highest crude divorce rate for Kuwaiti husbands was recorded at 8.9 percent in 2021, and the highest general divorce rate was 13.7 percent in the same year.

The year 2020 had the lowest number of divorce cases during this period, with 4,661 cases for Kuwaiti husbands and 4,294 cases for Kuwaiti wives.

In 2023, the highest number of divorce cases for Kuwaiti husbands occurred in May, reaching 629 cases, while the highest number for non-Kuwaiti husbands was 208 cases in the same month.

Among Kuwaiti husbands, the highest number of divorce cases was in the age group 45+, with 1,479 cases, while the lowest was in the age group 15-19, with three cases.

For Kuwaiti wives, the highest number of divorce cases was in the age group 25-29, with 1,342 cases, while the lowest was in the age group under 15 years, with no cases, followed by the age group 15-19, with 40 cases.

Regarding educational status, the highest number of divorce cases was among those with a university education, with 1,768 cases for Kuwaiti husbands and 2,471 cases for Kuwaiti wives.

Most divorce cases occurred when the duration of married life was between one and four years.

According to divorce certificates, the highest number of divorces was among citizens whose marriages lasted between one and four years, with 1,643 cases recorded.

This was followed by 821 cases for marriages lasting between ten and 19 years, 815 cases for marriages lasting less than a year, 716 cases for marriages lasting between five and nine years, and 467 cases for marriages lasting more than 20 years.

In total, the number of divorce cases for Kuwaiti husbands and wives was 4,462, with 37 percent involving couples whose marriages lasted between one and four years.

494 monthly divorce cases among citizens

The average number of divorce cases among citizens reached about 494 per month. May recorded the highest number of cases at 629, while April had the lowest with 346.

The numbers in other months ranged from 400 to 500, with January, February, June, August, November, and December exceeding 400, and March, July, September, and October exceeding 500.

The majority of married and divorced individuals are citizens in Ahmadi and non-citizens in Hawalli.

The figures show that the majority of citizens documented their marriages in Ahmadi Governorate, with 2,532 cases, followed by the capital with 2,090 cases, Hawalli with 1,721 cases, Farwaniya with 1,716 cases, Jahra with 1,381 cases, and Mubarak Al-Kabeer with 1,188 cases.

Documented marriages abroad for citizens totaled 17 cases for Kuwaiti husbands and 16 cases for Kuwaiti wives.

For non-Kuwaitis, the majority documented their marriages in Hawalli, with 921 cases, followed by Farwaniya with 557 cases, Jahra with 494 cases, Ahmadi with 317 cases, and the capital with 195 cases, while Mubarak Al-Kabeer had 55 cases.

Likewise, for divorce, the highest number of cases among citizen couples was recorded in Ahmadi with 1,315 cases, followed by the capital with 1,112 cases. For non-citizens, the highest number of cases was in Hawalli with 616, followed by Jahra with 347 and Farwaniya with 330.

April and August see lowest marriage rates

The highest number of marriages among citizens was recorded in March with 1,112 cases, while April had the lowest with 544 cases, followed by August with 706 cases. The number of marriages in the other months of the year ranged between 800 and 900.

31 citizens wed American, European women

Figures on marriages according to the wife’s nationality showed that 21 Kuwaitis married European women, 10 married American women, 931 married Arab women, 140 married non-Arab Asian women, and 12 married non-Arab African women.
Additionally, 12 Kuwaiti women married European husbands, and another 12 married American husbands.