Marriage, Divorce Registration and Vital Statistics: Where Are We? And Where Do We Go from Here?

Tapiwa Jhamba, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)

Marriage and divorce shape the lives of individuals, families and society at large, and play a particularly significant role in the ability of women and girls to claim their fundamental rights and access relevant services, especially in cases of child marriage. Yet, despite the recognition of the importance of official marriage and divorce registration in international human rights conventions for more than 58 years, in practice registration is often neglected. This report begins by noting the importance of marriage registration, divorce registration and nuptiality statistics as a part of a whole-government and whole-of-society approach to civil registration, vital statistics and legal identity. It then provides an overview of the current state of marriage and divorce registration data around the world. Available methods to measure the completeness, quality and determinants of marriage and divorce registration are reviewed and discussed.