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Date Published: 28/09/2021
ARCHIVED - Marriage breakdowns in Spain at lowest figure in history
The lowest divorce, separation and annulment figures were recorded during the months of coronavirus lockdown in Spain
It’s difficult to see a bright side to the devastation associated with the coronavirus pandemic, but in Spain at least married couples appear to be experiencing some benefits. According to a report released by the National Institute of Statistics (INE), a total of 80,015 couples separated, divorced or requested annulments in 2020, the lowest figure since records began in 1998. Official marriage break-ups decreased by 16% compared to pre-pandemic 2019.
It is perhaps unsurprising that the fewest proceedings were filed during the second quarter of the year when Spain was in coronavirus confinement (down by 63.5%), but there was also a decline of 17.4% in the first three months of 2020. However, with the arrival of summer and a relaxation of restrictions, divorces once again increased by 21.6% in the third quarter and 11.3% in the fourth.
By type of breakup, there were 77,200 divorces in Spain last year, which fell by 15.8% compared to 2019; 2,775 separations, 22.7% fewer; and 40 annulments, 46.7% fewer.
In addition, the statistics reveal that 1.4% of the divorces in 2020 were between same sex couples while legal separations accounted for 0.1% of the total.
One out of every three divorces in Spain last year occurred after 20 or more years of marriage, and in the vast majority of cases (71.6%), both spouses filed.
Interestingly, while Spaniards made up more than 80% of all proceedings, in 10.6% of divorces, separations and annulments in 2020 at least one of the spouses was a foreigner.
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