According to the database, in 2021, there were about “60 divorces for every 100 marriages in Portugal”.
These numbers are surpassed only by Luxembourg, where 72% of marriages end in divorce, followed by Finland (62.1%) and Sweden (60.8%).
Spain follows right behind Portugal, with 58.8 divorces in every 100 marriages.
The European countries where fewer divorces are registered are Malta (14.1%), Romania (23.7%) and Hungary (25.1%).
So much for Portugal being the staunch Catholic country! It seems people want to have their cake and eat it! Still Catholic, but not adhering to any of its doctrine!
I checked the figures and there are around 17,500 divorces a year, though the total has been dropping for at least a decade. This compares to around 33,000 marriages (trend pre-Covid), so well over a 50% divorce rate.
An interesting statistic: in 1969, one of the later years of the dictatorship, there were only 501 divorces the whole year. Impressive given a population just under 9 million then, and a total of 79,000 marriages that year. In fact there were never more than 1,000 divorces under the dictatorship in its last decade, their number soared after democracy. Does that mean democracy favours intolerance and people terminating long-term commitments?
By Billy Bissett from Porto on 18 Jul 2023, 12:17
For Richer or poorer...In Sickness and Health...Today folks don't want to deal with Poorer and Sickness...Marriage Vows are useless kind of like oaths of Office, including the President...Boa Sorte...
By Sakamoto Saurez from Lisbon on 18 Jul 2023, 14:10
Every day we stray further from God...
By Quentin Ferreira from Lisbon on 18 Jul 2023, 16:27
Maybe if they stopped getting married when they're 18 yo. and having countless children at 20. In a few years the wife is obese and husband is miserable. They all look miserable too soon.
By Fábio from Other on 18 Jul 2023, 23:45
I thought the divorce rate is around 93% (yes 93%), as BBC published a few weeks ago, being the highest among the world. Which stats to believe ? Anyway.
By Lizi from Other on 24 Jul 2023, 16:00