Divorce in Singapore, by the numbers.
Annual figures from the Singapore Department of Statistics, covering every year from 1980 to 2025. Totals, rates, reasons, who files, children affected, median age at divorce and marriage duration.
Source: SingStat, Marital Status, Marriages and Divorces, released 10 July 2026. The Department of Statistics publishes these figures once a year, so 2025 is the most recent year available anywhere. We refresh this page when it does.
- Total dissolutions7,242-1.9% vs 2024
- Civil divorces5,288-6.2% vs 2024
- Muslim divorces1,658+15.1% vs 2024
- Annulments296-2.6% vs 2024
- Crude divorce rate1.7per 1,000 residents +0.0% vs 2024
- Divorces with children3,34548% of divorces
Dissolutions by type, 1980–2025.
Singapore's total annual divorces and annulments have risen roughly fourfold since the 1980s as the married population has grown and attitudes have shifted. Civil divorces dominate the totals; Muslim divorces and annulments each track their own path.
Divorce rate per 1,000.
Dividing the divorce count by the married population gives a truer picture of incidence. The crude rate (per 1,000 residents) has been roughly flat in recent decades; rates among married men and women ticked up in the 2000s and have been broadly stable since.
Why marriages end.
For civil divorces, unreasonable behaviour and separation of three or more years account for nearly every filing. Adultery, desertion, and the new Divorce by Mutual Agreement (from 1 July 2024) make up the remainder.
Who files.
In Singapore, wives initiate the majority of civil divorce filings. The ratio has been stable for years.
Children affected.
Roughly half of divorces involve a child under 18. In 2025 alone, an estimated 5,460 children under 18 saw their parents divorce.
People are divorcing later.
Across both civil and Muslim divorces, the median age of divorcees has trended upward for decades. Men tend to divorce a few years older than women; civil divorces occur later in life on average than Muslim divorces.
How long marriages last before divorce.
Civil divorces follow longer marriages — around 12 years on average. Muslim divorces occur around 8 years into the marriage. Annulments happen quickly when they happen, usually inside the first two years.
By ethnic group.
The breakdown of civil and Muslim divorces across Singapore's ethnic groups, for the latest year on record. Inter-ethnic divorces are counted as their own bucket in each.
Considering divorce?
The numbers are the easy part. The right approach for your situation is not. JCP Law's team handles both uncontested and contested divorces — read our divorce practice or reach out directly.