Steady decline in marriage rate in 10 years

The general marriage rate in Oman has seen a steady decline from the two digits at the start of the last decade, according to the latest reports from NCSI.

In 2011, the general marriage rate was 10, which went up to 11 in 2012, nine in 2013 and 2014, and eight in 2015. In the last half of the last decade, it declined further to seven in 2016, six in 2016, 5.6 in 2017, 5.2 in 2018, and 5.4 in 2019.

At the same time, the general divorce rate has remained constant at one for most of the last decade, only to rise marginally to 1.1 in 2019.

Among governorates, in 2018, a total of 3,572 marriage certificates were issued in Muscat, which went down to 3,290 in 2019 and 3,446 in 2020.

At the same time, the number of divorce certificates issued in Muscat went up from 823 in 2018 to 912 in 2019 but dropped to 796 in 2020.

The total marriage certificates issued in the country dropped from 20,005 in 2020, 18,243 in 2019, and 18,762 in 2020.

Similarly, the number of divorce certificates issued has been steady at 3,662 in 2020, 3,278 in 2019, and 3,426 in 2020.

Subsequently, the crude birth rate (per 1,000 Omani population) has dropped from 32.2 in 2020 to 30 in 2019 and 28.2 in 2020.

A study conducted in 2015 at SQU has pointed out that divorce is higher among people who are younger and those who have lower education and financial levels and in the first four years of marriage.

Marriage has become a costly affair these days and many youngsters are finding it too difficult to meet the demands of this big occasion. “I got married only at 36, while parents were well settled by their late-twenties. The fanfare and spending associated with marriage have increased and youngsters are moving to big cities to stay alone, which means getting burdened with various types of loans,” said Sulaiman, an employee with a logistics firm for 13 years.

Dr. Hamed al Sinawi, the Senior Consultant of Behavioural Medicine at Sultan Qaboos University Hospital has repeatedly said that “Divorces are on the rise because of many things like traditional marriages, miscommunication between the two parties, financial pardons, gap of age, lack of awareness on commitment towards family, besides domestic violence.”