COVID-19 Pandemic Drives Sharp Decline in Moroccan Marriages, Surge in Divorces

The adouls (notaries) stated in a survey conducted by Médias24 that the considerable drop in marriages is explained by several causes related to the health crisis. The president of the Moroccan Association of Young Adouls, Mohamed Haddaoui, announced a 55 to 60% drop in the number of marriages in the Oriental region, taking the example of Oujda which this year recorded less than 2,000 marriages, compared to 5,000 usually each year.

The president of the National Council of Adouls, Bouchaib Fadlaoui, shares the same observation. "Casablanca went from 36,000 marriages per year to 14,700 recorded between the beginning of 2020 until now," he explained.

The causes are socio-economic. First, many people have lost their jobs due to the health crisis, or no longer earn enough to support a family life. Then the ban on gatherings, so "no party" has pushed several to wait a little longer, adds Mr. Haddaoui.

Regarding divorces, the same source indicates that three out of four lawyers have confirmed the increase in divorce requests due to confinement. But the three months of court closures during the lockdown and the judicial vacations are expected to lead to an explosion of divorces.

According to Mr. Haddaoui, the link between the increase in divorces and the pandemic is visible, but only the divorce judgments handed down by the courts can confirm the figures. However, since the courts are working at a slow pace, we cannot speak of an increase, he stressed.