zaf-statssa-md-2022-v1
Marriages and Divorces 2022
Name | Country code |
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South Africa | zaf |
Administrative Data
The Marriages and Divorces (MD) dataset is one of three primary sources of of marriage and divorce statistics in South Africa. Unlike the other two sources (population censuses and household sample surveys), the MD dataset is compiled from administrative data and based on continuous recording (i.e. from civil registration systems and administrative records). Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) regularly publishes a series of data on marriages and divorces, with the first dataset in the series begining in 2006. The most recent dataset in the series is MD 2022.
Marriage data: Data on marriages for citizens and permanent residents are obtained from registered marriage records that are collected through the civil registration systems of the Department of Home Affairs (DHA). South Africa recognises three types of marriages by law: civil marriages, customary marriages and civil unions. Before 2008, marriage data only covered civil marriages. The registration of customary marriages and civil unions began in 2003 and 2007 respectively. However from 2008 onwards, Stats SA began publishing available data on customary marriages and civil unions.
Divorce data: Data on divorces are obtained from various regional courts that deal with divorce matters. The data are based on successful divorce cases that have been issued with a decree of divorce by the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development (DoJCD). Divorce cases come from marriages that were registered in different years as well as divorce cases that were filed in different years but whose divorce decrees were granted in the relevant year of collection.
NOTE: although both the data on marriages and divorces are collected in the same year, the data sets are not linked to each other.
Administrative records
Individuals
v1: Edited, anonymised dataset for public distribution
2022
This version was retrieved by DataFirst on 15 March 2024.
Marriage data covers: province of registration, date and type of marriage (religious or civil) and age (and age difference) and status (e.g. single/widow/divorcee) of marital couple.
Divorce data includes: individual level data: Age, gender and population group, status, and occupation and number of children. Data is also collected on the marriage (date, number, type and duration, and matrimonial property system) and the divorce (date of separation and date of divorce).
The data has national coverage.
The lowest level of geographic aggregation covered by the data is province
The data covers all civil marriages, civil unions and customary marriages that were recorded by the Department of Home Affairs and all divorce applications that were granted by the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development in 2022 in South Africa.
Name | Affiliation |
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Statistics South Africa | Government of South Africa |
Name | Affiliation | Role |
---|---|---|
Department of Home Affairs | Government of South Africa | Data producer |
Department of Justice and Constitutional Development | Government of South Africa | Data producer |
Start | End |
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2022-01-01 | 2022-12-31 |
The marriage data is provided to Statistics South Africa by the South African Department of Home Affairs (DHA) from their marriage registration database based on registration forms.
The divorce data is obtained by Statistic South Africa from the South African Department of Justice and Constitutional Development from administrative records on divorces granted for civil marriages by its divorce courts.
Name | Affiliation | URL | |
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DataFirst | University of Cape Town | http://support.data1st.org | support@data1st.org |
Public access data for use under a Creative Commons CC-BY (Attribution-only) License
Statistics South Africa. Marriages and Divorces 2022 [dataset]. Version 1. Pretoria: Statistics South Africa [producer], 2024. Cape Town: DataFirst [distributor], 2024. DOI: https://doi.org/10.25828/8374-mf88
Copyright 2013, Statistics South Africa
ddi-zaf-datafirst-md-2014-v1
Name | Affiliation | Role |
---|---|---|
DataFirst | University of Cape Town | Metadata producer |
2024-03-15
Version 1