Marriage splits increase in Spain by 2.3 percent

When compared with the first quarter of 2014, divorce, separation and marriage annulments increased in Spain by 2.3% in the first quarter of 2015: 34,883 applications for marital dissolution were received compared with 34,100 during the first quarter in 2014. However, the figure for the first quarter was down by 5.6% on that for the final quarter of 2014.
Of the types of dissolution, divorces accounted for 33,009, of which over a half were consensual; those which were contended - 13,144 - were up by 4%. Separations amounted to 1,818, and for these the number which were contended decreased. As for annulments, there were 56, one more than in the first quarter of 2014.
With respect to measures affecting children, there were significantly greater numbers of non-consensual arrangements (nearly 9,000) than the close to 2,500 consensual agreements. The General Council of the Judiciary, which is the body which issues these statistics, believes that this is as a result of ongoing economic crisis.
By region, the Canary Islands registered the highest number of marital dissolutions in terms of population: there were 0.9 dissolutions per every thousand inhabitants. The Canaries were followed by Catalonia, Andalusia, Asturias and Valencia, with the Balearics sixth with a rate of 0.79. The lowest rate was in Castile Leon.