Rwandan courts received an average of 20 petitions for permanent divorce a day in the first half of 2026, with 3,620 petitions recorded in total between January and June. ALSO READ: Divorce cases remain challenging for mediation - Chief Justice Meanwhile, for last year, the Civil Registration and Vital Statistics report indicated that a total of 4,479 divorces were registered, of which 2,629 were legally granted by courts. The report showed that more than four in ten divorces (41.2 per cent) involved couples who had been married for less than a decade. ALSO READ: Four in ten couples split before a decade, new data shows Speaking about last year’s divorce cases, Chief Justice Domitilla Mukantaganzwa pointed out particular challenges related to how hard it is to mediate divorce cases, but she encouraged the court system to prioritise it over litigation. “Couples remain free to reunite and recommit to their marriage if they later determine that it is in their best interest. We hope to see more couples, in the future, finding their way back to one another even after divorce,” she said.
