{"doc_desc":{"producers":[{"name":"Datafirst","affiliation":"University of Cape Town ","role":"Metadata producer"}],"prod_date":"2026-05-13","version_statement":{"version":"Version 1","version_date":"2026-05-08"}},"study_desc":{"title_statement":{"idno":"zaf-statssa-md-2024-v1","identifiers":[{"type":"DOI","identifier":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.25828\/nbz2-1504"}],"title":"Marriages and Divorces 2024","alternate_title":"MD 2024"},"version_statement":{"version":"v1: Edited, anonymised data for public distribution","version_date":"2026","version_notes":"DataFirst downloaded this version from the StatsSA website on 8th May, 2026"},"authoring_entity":[{"name":"Statistics South Africa","affiliation":"Government of South Africa"}],"production_statement":{"producers":[{"name":"Department of Home Affairs","affiliation":"Government of South Africa","role":"Data producer"},{"name":"Department of Justice and Constitutional Development","affiliation":"Government of South Africa","role":"Data producer"}],"prod_date":"2026","prod_place":"ISIbalo House, Koch Street, Salvokop, Pretoria, 0002 "},"study_authorization":{"date":"1999, 2024","authorization_statement":"Statistics SA is authorised to collect data by the Statistics Act 1999 and the Statistics Amendment Act of 2024","agency":[{"name":"Statistics South Afroica","affiliation":"Government of South Africa","abbr":"StatsSA"}]},"series_statement":{"series_name":"Marriages and Divorces"},"study_info":{"data_kind":"Administrative records data [adm]","abstract":"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 beginning in 2006. The most recent dataset in the series is MD 2024.\n\nMarriage 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.\n\nDivorce 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) and the Office of the Chief Justice. 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.\n\nNOTE: Although both the data on marriages and divorces are collected in the same year, the data files from each cannot be merged because there is no to link the records at the individual level\n","analysis_unit":"Individuals","universe":"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 2024 in South Africa.","nation":[{"name":"South Africa","abbreviation":"zaf"}],"geog_unit":"The lowest level of geographic aggregation covered by the data is province","coll_dates":[{"start":"2024","end":"2024"}],"notes":"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 province of registration of marriages and unions recorded may not necessarily be the province or place of usual residence of the couple. Hence, registration of the marriage can take place at any DHA office. The divorce data is obtained by Statistics 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.\n"},"method":{"data_collection":{"data_collectors":[{"name":"Department of Home Affairs ","abbr":"DHA","affiliation":"Government of South Africa","role":"Marriage registration"},{"name":"Department of Justice and Constutional Development","affiliation":"Government of South Africa","abbr":"DOJCD","role":"Divorce data"}],"coll_mode":"Other [other]"}},"data_access":{"dataset_availability":{"access_place":"DataFirst data repository","access_place_url":"https:\/\/www.datafirst.uct.ac.za\/dataportal\/index.php\/catalog\/?page=1&ps=15","original_archive":"Statistics South Africa's Isibalo site"},"dataset_use":{"contact":[{"name":"DataFirst","affiliation":"University of Cape Town","uri":"https:\/\/support.data1st.org","email":"support@data1st.org"}],"cit_req":"Statistics South Africa. Marriages and Divorces 2024 [dataset]. Version 1. Pretoria: Statistics South Africa [producer], 2026. Cape Town: DataFirst [distributor], 2026. DOI: https:\/\/doi.org\/10.25828\/nbz2-1504","deposit_req":"Researchers agree to cite the data in their publications using the recommended citation in this metadata record, including the DOI (unique dataset identifier)\nResearchers agree to send DataFirst a link to any research publication based on the data ","conditions":"Creative Commons CC-BY 4.0 attribution license"}},"bib_citation":"Statistics South Africa. Marriages and Divorces 2024 [dataset]. Version 1. Pretoria: Statistics South Africa [producer], 2026. Cape Town: DataFirst [distributor], 2026. DOI: https:\/\/doi.org\/10.25828\/nbz2-1504","bib_citation_format":"DataCite","distribution_statement":{"distributors":[{"name":"DataFirst","uri":"https:\/\/www.datafirst.uct.ac.za","affiliation":"University of Cape Town"}],"contact":[{"name":"DataFirst Support ","email":"support@data1st.org","uri":"https:\/\/www.support@data1st.org"}],"depositor":[{"name":"Statistics South Africa","abbr":"StatsSA","affiliation":"Government of South Africa","uri":"https:\/\/www.statssa.gov.za"}],"deposit_date":"2026-03-19","distribution_date":"2026-05-08"}},"schematype":"survey"}