Kuwait to Require Premarital Marriage Training as Divorce Rates Rise

13:58

Kuwait is preparing to make premarital education a mandatory step for couples seeking to officially register their marriage, as authorities look for ways to address rising divorce figures and strengthen family stability.

The measure was announced on Saturday by Justice Minister Nasser Al-Sumait during remarks to the press on the sidelines of a visit to Kuwait University. The requirement is expected to be incorporated into a new law governing the documentation of legal acts, which is nearing completion before its formal enactment.

Under the planned system, both prospective spouses would have to attend a dedicated marriage-preparation session and obtain an official certificate confirming their participation. That document would then be required for the registration of the marriage contract.

Authorities have yet to specify how the programme will operate. Details such as the length of the training, the subjects covered and the institutions responsible for delivering it have not yet been announced.

Preparing couples before problems emerge

The government says the initiative is intended to give couples a clearer understanding of the responsibilities associated with marriage before they begin their life together.

Al-Sumait linked the proposed training directly to efforts to curb divorce, suggesting that preventive support could address potential sources of conflict before disagreements develop into an irreversible breakdown of the relationship.

The approach places greater emphasis on preparation before marriage rather than intervention once a couple is already facing serious difficulties. Topics are expected to relate broadly to the responsibilities of married life, the nature of the marital commitment and ways of dealing with challenges that can affect family stability.

Divorce figures put focus on early years of marriage

The initiative comes against a backdrop of increasing separations in Kuwait. According to figures from the Kuwaiti Ministry of Justice cited in the announcement, 8,168 divorces were recorded in 2024, compared with 7,865 in 2023, representing an increase of 3.9%.

At the same time, the number of marriages rose to 14,639 in 2024, up from 13,303 the previous year.

The distribution of divorces by the length of marriage also provides an important element of context. Couples married for fewer than five years accounted for 33.8% of divorces recorded in 2024.

Divorces occurring during the same year as the marriage also increased, from 710 cases in 2023 to 769 in 2024, an 8.3% rise.

Another 633 divorces were recorded before the marriage had been consummated in 2024, compared with 600 the year before. The figures indicate that, for some couples, marital difficulties can emerge at a very early stage, sometimes before married life has fully begun.

A preventive approach to family policy

The proposed Kuwaiti system reflects an attempt to move part of the response to divorce from the aftermath of marital conflict to the period immediately preceding marriage.

Rather than focusing exclusively on couples already experiencing difficulties, the authorities intend to establish preparation as part of the formal process leading to marriage registration. The objective is to ensure that prospective spouses have at least a basic framework for understanding the practical and emotional responsibilities associated with living together.

The policy also raises a broader question for countries dealing with significant numbers of marital separations: whether some forms of support can be more effective when provided before a relationship reaches a crisis point.

A debate that extends beyond Kuwait

Kuwait's initiative could attract attention elsewhere in the Arab world, particularly in countries where divorce remains a significant social and legal issue.

In Morocco, nearly 91,700 divorces were recorded in 2024, according to the High Commission for Planning (HCP). While the social, legal and demographic circumstances differ from those of Kuwait, the figure illustrates the scale of marital breakdown in another Arab country.

The Kuwaiti initiative therefore places the spotlight not only on divorce itself, but also on the period before marriage and the tools available to prepare couples for the demands of shared family life.

For now, the exact design of Kuwait's programme remains unknown. Its eventual impact will depend on what the training includes, how it is delivered and whether couples consider it a meaningful preparation rather than simply another administrative requirement.

What is clear is that Kuwait intends to make preparation part of the marriage process itself, turning premarital education into a formal step in an effort to address marital instability before it develops into separation.