Saudi Arabia has one of the highest divorce rates in the world, with such cases averaging one every half an hour in 2010, according to a local newspaper.
The Gulf Kingdom, the world’s dominant oil power, had 18,765 recorded divorce cases last year, one of the world’s highest rates compared to its population, Alsaudi Arabic language daily said.
“This means there was one divorce case every half an hour in the Kingdom last year,” it said, quoting Awad Al Harbi, head of the social rehabilitation and awareness association in the eastern region.
“Last year, there were also more than 1,000 family violence cases in the country…these figures illustrate the need for more efforts to educate Saudis on family stability and marriage life.”
Saudi Arabia, which controls over 20 per cent of the world’s extractable oil wealth, had a population of around 27.1 million at the end of 2010, including nearly eight million foreigners.
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