Marriage and Divorce Statistics Show Changing Trends

PETALING JAYA: The Statistics Department’s latest report indicates that marriages in Malaysia have declined by 12.5%, from 215,022 in 2022 to 188,100 in 2023.
Dr Mohd Uzir Mahidin, Chief Statistician, noted that the Crude Marriage Rate (CMR) decreased from 6.6 to 5.7 per thousand population.

Muslim Marriages Experience Largest Decline

Muslim marriages saw the largest drop, decreasing by 16.8%, from 168,467 in 2022 to 140,176 in 2023. This segment accounted for 74.5% of the total marriages.
Selangor, Kelantan, and Johor saw the most significant reductions in Muslim marriages, with drops of 17.4%, 17.7%, and 15.8%, respectively.

Non-Muslim Marriages Show Positive Growth

Conversely, non-Muslim marriages saw an increase of 2.9%, from 46,555 in 2022 to 47,924 in 2023. Johor, Sarawak, and Kuala Lumpur had the highest increases.

Divorce Rates Experience Drop

Divorce rates also saw a reduction of 8.7%, from 63,338 in 2022 to 57,835 in 2023. The Crude Divorce Rate (CDR) improved from 1.9 to 1.8 per thousand people.
Muslim divorces decreased by 3.9%, while non-Muslim divorces dropped by 21.4%. Kelantan, Johor, and Sabah saw the most significant drops in Muslim divorces.