Dhaka Records About 44 Divorces a Day

Photo: collected

About 44 marriages end each day in Bangladesh’s capital, according to daily averages drawn from two city corporations’ figures for different periods this year, with women initiating most divorces.

Statistics from the Dhaka North and South City Corporations reveal that women are more likely than men to initiate a divorce.

Data covering the period from 2023 to the current year shows that the number of divorce applications filed by—or divorces initiated by—women is nearly double that of men.

According to data from the Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC), a total of 23,399 divorces were finalized between 2023 and September 2026. Of these, 16,848 were initiated by women, while 6,551 were initiated by men.

Meanwhile, data from the Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) indicates that 19,867 divorce applications were filed between 2023 and June 2026—12,450 by women and 7,417 by men.

Across both city corporations, the number of divorces initiated by women is approximately 2.1 times higher than those initiated by men. It should be noted, however, that the figures are not directly comparable, as the data for the South City Corporation refers to finalized divorces, while the data for the North City Corporation refers to divorce applications.

Between January and September of this year, 7,514 divorces were finalized in the South City Corporation—an average of about 28 marital breakdowns per day. In the North City Corporation, 2,851 divorces were finalized between January and June, averaging about 16 per day.

According to experts and available data, factors contributing to these separations include physical and mental abuse, pressure related to dowry, failure to provide financial support, extramarital affairs, drug addiction, suspicion, financial crises, interference from family members, and a lack of time and communication between spouses.

Dr Towhidul Haque, an associate professor at Dhaka University’s Institute of Social Welfare and Research, cautioned against attributing divorce directly to the capital’s concentration of educated and working people.

He said the central problems were declining tolerance and patience, alongside a reduced willingness among spouses to discuss disagreements and make decisions together.