Is Kazakhstan really second in the world in divorce rates?

For years, Kazakhstan has been mistakenly attributed another country's anti-record. Claims that the nation ranks second globally in divorce rates right after the Maldives do not reflect reality. Nevertheless, official statistics confirm that the number of broken marriages in the republic has indeed been rising in recent years.

According to the Bureau of National Statistics, 22,500 divorces were registered in Kazakhstan during the first half of 2026- a 4.5% increase compared to the same period last year.

Where did the "second place" myth come from?

The notorious ranking originated in February 2023, when the Norwegian law firm Advokatsmart published a review placing Kazakhstan second globally with a rate of 4.6 divorces per 1,000 residents. International platforms like World Population Review later picked up the figure without citing the year or original source.

Following an official inquiry from Kazakhstan's Bureau of National Statistics in March 2024, World Population Review corrected the country's rate to 2 divorces per 1,000 residents (based on 2023 data). This places Kazakhstan around 15th globally rather than second.

Domestic trends: divorces are on the rise

While the international ranking proved inaccurate, domestic data points to growing strain on the institution of marriage:

• 2023: 40,200 marriages dissolved;

• 2025: 45,700 divorces registered (a 12.7% increase);

• First six months of 2026: 22,500 couples separated.

Still, these numbers remain below the 2019 record, when 59,800 marriages ended in divorce, pushing the rate to 3.2 per 1,000 people.

Where does Kazakhstan actually rank?

To ensure a fair comparison, analysts evaluated divorce rates per 1,000 residents aged 15 and older across 66 countries—accounting for the fact that children under 15, who cannot legally marry, make up 29% of Kazakhstan's population. Under this methodology, Kazakhstan ranked 14th with 2.9 divorces per 1,000 people, trailing behind Russia (5.8), Moldova (4.9), Georgia (4.7), and Belarus (4.4).

Even when calculated per 1,000 married women (10.8 divorces), Kazakhstan's rate is half that of Russia (21.1) and sits behind countries such as Latvia, Estonia, Sweden, and the United States.

Which regions see the most divorces?

By the end of 2025, the highest divorce rates per 1,000 residents aged 15 and over were recorded in three regions:

• Karaganda Region - 4.4;

• Pavlodar Region - 4.4;

• North Kazakhstan Region - 4.1.

The lowest rates were observed in Turkistan Region (1.6), Almaty Region (2.3), and Shymkent (2.7). In absolute numbers, Almaty (5,000) and Astana (4,200) recorded the highest totals.

Experts also note that official figures only capture legally registered marriages. According to census data, roughly 460,000 women in Kazakhstan live in unregistered civil unions, meaning their separations go unrecorded in state statistics.