Civil Registry Organization: We Will No Longer Announce Divorce Statistics

Simultaneously with the increase in divorce rates in Iran, the Director General of Population Information and Statistics of the Civil Registry Organization announced that this organization will no longer announce divorce statistics in the country. According to ISNA news agency on Tuesday (August 12), Ali Akbar Mahzoon stated that 'divorce statistics have been sufficiently expressed, and merely providing statistics does not alleviate any pain.' He added that this decision was made because 'repeated announcements of increasing divorce rates may cause harm, and we want to avoid that.' Mahzoon indicated that 'whenever practical measures are taken to reduce divorce, we will inform about the effectiveness of the programs.' He mentioned that the announcement of divorce statistics in Iran until now aimed to 'inform families about events at the macro level' of the country and added that 'in addition, individuals will understand how their personal decisions can impact the country's situation.' The Director General of Population Information and Statistics also stated that in the first four months of this year, 234,980 marriage events have been registered. According to him, comparing this statistic to the same period last year, which had 240,329 marriages, shows a 2.2% decrease in the marriage rate. The National Organization for Registration of Deeds and Properties had previously announced that in 2015, registered marriages across the country decreased by six percent compared to the same period, while the number of divorces increased by one percent. According to this report, the highest registration of divorces among couples based on education was related to individuals with a diploma or below. Officially, lack of understanding and possibility of reconciliation, family interference, failure to fulfill conditions of the marriage contract, and addiction have been declared as the main reasons for divorce in Iran. The Ministry of Sports and Youth of Iran also announced last year that the topic of marriage has fallen to the fourth priority among youth, and the number of 'single-person families' in the country is on the rise. Officials of the Islamic Republic view divorce not as a 'social phenomenon' but as a 'social harm.' Meanwhile, many sociologists believe that serious changes in the status of men and women, marriage and family, increased awareness of women regarding their rights, and a rise in their education levels, as well as fundamental changes in the deepest layers of social life in Iran, should not be overlooked when examining the causes of the increase in divorce in the country.