Divorce rate surges in Spain

Of the 27,266 divorce petitions registered between July 1st and September 30th 16,456 were by mutual agreement, or 12.7 percent more than a year earlier, the figures from Spain’s General Council of the Judiciary (CGPJ) show.

In addition, the number of contested divorces was up 12.2 percent on the same period in 2013 at 10,810.

According to the CGPJ, the economic crisis continues to be a key factor in explaining this increase in the number of divorces in Spain.

Commonly cited factors in divorce include childcare, custody issues and child support of children born outside the marriage, the council reports.

Demands for divorce by mutual consent rose in all regions of Spain except for the Canaries and Navarre while demands for contested divorce rose in all regions except for Asturias, Cantabria and the Basque Country.