SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE/MADRID, 11 Jul. (EUROPA PRESS) –
In 2023, there was a 4.8% decline in divorce cases in the Canary Islands, with a total of 4,115 divorces recorded, as per the recently released data from INE. Additionally, there were 115 separations, resulting in a rate of 1.9 per 1,000 inhabitants.
The overall number of divorces and separations across Spain in 2023 decreased by 5.3%, with a rate of 1.7 per 1,000 inhabitants. A total of 80,065 marriages were dissolved last year, according to INE data.
A breakdown reveals that 76,685 divorces occurred (-5.7%), along with 3,380 separations (+5.3%). 95.8% were divorces while 4.2% were separations. In terms of resolution, 47,588 cases were settled by judgment, 20,147 by decree, and 12,360 by public deed.
There were 1,718 divorces within same-sex couples (2.2% of the total), with 832 between men and 886 between women, along with 91 separations (2.7% of the total).
81.6% of divorces in 2023 were amicable, while 18.4% were contentious. 59.9% were settled by judgment (compared to 61.2% the previous year), 25.2% by decree (25.9% in 2022), and 14.9% by public deed (compared to 12.9%).
The average duration of marriages dissolved by divorce was 16.4 years, similar to the previous year. 32.0% of divorces happened after 20 years of marriage or more, while 21.4% occurred between five and nine years, 16.7% between 10 and 14 years, 15.7% between 15 and 19 years, 10.8% between two and four years, and 3.3% in less than two years.
The peak number of divorces between different-sex couples were in the age group of 40 to 49 years, for both men and women. The average age for women at the time of divorce was 46.2 years, while for men it was 48.7 years.
79.6% of divorces between different-sex couples involved both spouses being of Spanish nationality, 12.3% had one foreign spouse, and 8.0% had two foreign spouses.
Based on the marital status of different-sex spouses at the time of marriage, the majority were single. Among men, 9.4% were divorced and 0.4% widowed, whereas among women, 9.9% were divorced and 0.5% widowed.
CUSTODY AND PENSIONS
46.2% of the marriages that went through divorce proceedings did not have children – minors or economically dependent adults. Of those that did, 42.6% had only minor children, 3.7% had solely economically dependent adults, and 7.4% had both minor and economically dependent adults. 23.5% had only one child (minor or economically dependent adult).
Among divorces with different-sex spouses, 50.7% involved minor children for custody arrangements. Of these, 3.5% granted custody to the father, 47.8% to the mother, 48.4% shared custody, and 0.3% were assigned to other institutions or relatives. Notably, in 2023, shared custody cases surpassed those where sole custody was granted to the mother for the first time.
Alimony was awarded in 54.5% of different-sex divorce cases. Typically, 54.9% of the time it was paid by the father, 3.6% by the mother, and 41.5% by both spouses.
In cases of different-sex divorces, alimony was granted in 7% of situations. Of these, 90.2% of the time it was the husband who was responsible for paying alimony. Moreover, in 72.4% of different-sex divorce cases, the petition was filed jointly, in 18.0% by the wife, and in 9.6% by the husband.
Regionally, Ceuta recorded the highest divorce rate per 1,000 inhabitants at 2.4, contrasted with Melilla’s rate of 1.1 divorces per 1,000 inhabitants. Above the national average divorce rate (1.7%) were the Valencian Community, the Canary Islands, the Balearic Islands, Catalonia, and Galicia.
