Last year, judicial bodies throughout Spain registered 3 percent fewer marriage dissolution lawsuits than in 2022.

The Canary Islands, the Valencian Community, the Balearic Islands and Murcia registered the highest rates of lawsuits per 100,000 inhabitants, above the national average of 192.1.

Marital dissolution lawsuits filed in 2023 have presented a decrease that, as a whole, stood at 3 percent less with respect to those registered in 2022, according to data collected by the Statistics Service of the General Council of the Judiciary, which is published today.

Although the reduction affects all types of lawsuits, the figures vary from one to another: in 2023, 52,803 consensual divorces were registered, 4.2 percent less than the previous year; non-consensual divorces, 36,082, hardly varied, being the reduction of 0.5 percent; consensual separations, 2,369, fell by 8.2 percent and non-consensual separations, 1,039, by 11.5 percent. Nullities went from 65 in 2022 to 50 in 2023.

Relating the marriage dissolution petitions for the total year to the population on January 1, 2023, the number of dissolution petitions per 100,000 inhabitants in Spain was 192.1.

The highest rates, above the national average, were in the Canary Islands, with 247.3 marriage dissolution lawsuits per 100,000 inhabitants; Comunidad Valenciana, with 223.1; Balearic Islands, with 213.9; Murcia, with 204.3; Andalusia, with 198.9; Castilla-La Mancha, with 195.7; and Catalonia, with 194.9.

On the other hand, the lowest rates were in the Basque Country, with 157.3 claims per 100,000 inhabitants; Castilla y León, with 158.2; Madrid, with 160.9; Extremadura, with 179.4 and Cantabria, with 184.7.

Proceedings for modification of measures in separation and divorce proceedings and for guardianship, custody and maintenance of non-marital children.

In 2023, 12,485 petitions for modification of consensual measures were filed, 1.6 percent less than in the previous year. The number of non-consensual applications for modification of measures also decreased, reaching 31,548, 2.2 percent lower than in 2022.

On the other hand, the number of consensual custody, guardianship and child support claims for non-marital children was 22,273, representing a slight increase of 0.9 percent, and the number of non-consensual claims, which totaled 27,280, increased by 3.1 percent compared to 2022.

Data for the fourth quarter of 2023

In the fourth quarter of 2023, the number of marriage dissolutions, annulments, separations and divorces was down 1.4 percent from the same quarter of 2022.

Between October and December of last year, only non-consensual divorce suits experienced a year-on-year increase. There were 10,337 non-consensual divorce filings, an increase of 1.1 percent. However, the 14,453 consensual divorce filings represent a 2.1 percent decrease from the fourth quarter of 2022.

As for separation lawsuits, consensual (609) were down 13.5 percent and non-consensual (274) were down 19.9 percent.

In the quarter under analysis, 12 annulment suits were registered, three less than in the fourth quarter of 2022, when there were 15.

If we relate the marriage dissolution lawsuits for the total year to the population on January 1, 2023, we see that the highest number of lawsuits per 100,000 inhabitants was in the Canary Islands, with 66.7; Murcia, with 65.8; Comunidad Valenciana, with 62.7; Asturias, with 61.6; and Cantabria, with 61.5. In all these territories, the national average, which was 53.4 claims per 100,000 inhabitants, was exceeded. The lowest values were recorded in the Basque Country, with 40.6, Madrid, with 43.7, and Castilla y León, with 43.9.

Proceedings for modification of measures in separation and divorce proceedings and for guardianship, custody and alimony of non-marital children.

In the period analyzed, 3,451 petitions for modification of consensual measures were filed, barely 1% more than a year earlier. The number of non-consensual applications for modification of measures, 8,638, represents a year-on-year decrease of 2.3 percent. The number of consensual modifications of custody, guardianship and child support measures of non-marital children, 6,025, have had a year-on-year increase of 3.4 percent, while the non-consensual ones, 7,401, have shown an increase of 1.4 percent.

The complete statistical data can be consulted at the following link:

https://www.poderjudicial.es/cgpj/es/Temas/Estadistica-Judicial/Estudios-e-Informes/Demandas-presentadas-de-nulidades--separaciones-y-divorcios/

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