Changes in the family life of Ukrainians: fewer marriages, more divorces and marriage contracts

In the first half of 2024, Ukrainians began to marry less often, divorce more often and enter into marriage contracts more actively. According to the Ministry of Justice, in the period from January to June 2024, 72,766 new marriages were registered in Ukraine, which is 15% less than in the same period last year. The number of divorces and marriage contracts has also increased significantly.

Analytical platform Opendatabot notes that the decline in the number of marriages continues for the second year in a row after a surge in marriages in 2022, the first year of the full-scale invasion. For the first time during this time, the number of new families fell below the indicators that existed before the start of the war. This shows that the current conditions impose serious tests on the family life of Ukrainians.

Along with the decline in the number of marriages, there is an increase in the popularity of marriage contracts. Since the beginning of 2024, 3,768 marriage contracts have been concluded, which is 25% more compared to the same period last year. Experts note that Ukrainians began to approach the creation of new families more responsibly and pragmatically, taking into account the risks and instability.

As for divorces, the situation here is even more telling. In the first six months of 2024, 15,578 divorces were registered, which is one and a half times higher than in the same period last year. It is also 18% more than in the first half of 2021, which indicates a gradual increase in the number of divorces, which has been ongoing for the second year in a row.

According to "Opendatabot" data, the most marriages were registered in Kyiv, where 9,392 new families were formed. Dnipropetrovsk region took second place with 7,076 marriages, and Odesa region rounded out the top three with 4,896 newly formed families.

The capital is also the leader in the number of divorces: 2,118 couples broke up in Kyiv. Dnipropetrovsk Oblast ranks second with 1,404 divorces, and Kharkiv Oblast ranks third with 1,148 divorces. In contrast, the fewest divorces were registered in Zakarpattia Oblast — only 224 cases, and the fewest marriages — in Chernivtsi Oblast, where only 1,376 new families were created.

In general, trends in the family life of Ukrainians indicate significant changes in approaches to the creation and preservation of family relations in the difficult conditions of war and instability.