Most divorces in Malaga province happen after between five and eight years of marriage

Each couple is different, but statistics allow us to make some generalisations about the rate and the specifications of divorces and separations. If we analyse the 2,921 divorces between different-sex couples registered last year in Malaga province, it becomes evident that the highest number of divorces take place after five years of marriage: 164 of the total, followed by 136 after between seven and eight years and 130 after six year of marriage. There were also numerous divorces after 15 and 20 years of marriage.

If we take all divorces in the province last year and calculate the average length of marriage, it comes out to 16.2 years, which is the lowest in Andalucía. The highest is in Jaén (19), while the regional average is 16.9. The average, however, doesn't tell the whole story, because marriage durations vary widely. In 43 of the cases, couples divorced less than a year after getting married, while 38 did so after being together for more than half a century. Three are the marriage veterans in the province who sought a divorce after having been together for 56 years.

The age bracket with the highest number of divorces among women was the 40-44 age group (with 577 dissolutions, almost 20% of the total), followed by the 45-49 age group (19%). This means that four out of ten women who divorced were between 40 and 50 years old. The most common age for divorce among men is between 45 and 49 and between 50 and 54. The number of people who end up getting a divorce at an advanced age is increasing year by year: in 2024, for example, there were 35 women and 76 men in Malaga who divorced at over 75 years of age.

According to official regional statistics, there were 15,383 cases of separation and divorce in Andalucía in 2024 (11.3% more than in 2023). Of these, 14,579 were divorces (94.8%) and 803 separations (5.2%). In Malaga province, 3,022 divorces were registered, 15% more than in 2023, of which 101 were between same-sex couples. The rate of divorce and separation in same-sex marriages doubled compared to 2023.

The gross dissolution rate in Andalucía was 1.8 per 1,000 inhabitants (1.6 in 2023), same as the national rate. The provincial breakdown shows that Cadiz and Cordoba have the highest rate (1.9 per 1,000), while Almeria and Jaén have the lowest (1.5 and 1.6 per 1,000, respectively).

Nearly 19% of divorces in the Andalucía region were filed by the wife, compared to the 12.4% filed by the husband. The vast majority of divorces (69%) were by mutual agreement.

Some 54% of divorces occurred in marriages with no children under the age of 18, while 24% had only one minor and 22% had two or more.

Custody was awarded to the mother in 56.4% of divorce or separation cases in Malaga province (a percentage somewhat higher than the Andalusian average), to the father in 3.8% and was shared in 39.5% of cases (somewhat below the regional average).