Divorce law, the legal provisions for the dissolution of marriage, varies widely across the globe, reflecting diverse legal systems and cultural norms. Most nations allow for residents to divorce under some conditions except the Philippines (although Muslims in the Philippines do have the right to divorce) and the Vatican City, an ecclesiastical sovereign city-state, which has no procedure for divorce. In these two countries, laws only allow annulment of marriages.

Summary table Country/territory Fault-based divorce Mutual consent no-fault divorce Unilateral no-fault divorce History Código da Família Family law in Argentina: overview 1987: Divorce legalized2015: Unilateral divorce without separation requirement colspan="2" 1975: No-fault divorce Divorcing in Austria 1978: Unilateral divorce with separation requirementLibertad González" The social effects of divorce laws, June 2015 Grounds for Divorce in the Bahamas colspan="2" 1975: Unilateral divorce with separation requirement Families' laws in Latin America colspan="2" Matrimonial Causes Act, 1973 colspan="2" 1977: Divorce legalized2010: One-year separation abolished Burkina Faso Family Law And Divorce Burundi Cambodia Divorce & Family Law How to get a divorce in Cameroon colspan="2" 2004: Divorce legalized How to Divorce in China?, 29 March 2021 New Divorce Law in Colombia CNN 1991: Divorce legalized only in 9 specific cases.2025: Unilateral no-fault divorce without minimum separation period legalized. 2026: Determination of fault not required any more (previously mostly only as formality) Divorce and legal separation, Croatia General Overview of Cuban Family Law Legislation LIVRE TROIS DE LA FAMILLE colspan="2" Separation and divorce 1969: Unilateral divorce with separation requirement Timor-Leste marriage law Hacia un divorcio incausado y unilateral en el Ecuador, 31 January 2022 Civil Code, 2005 colspan="2" Divorce and Its Effects under Ethiopian Family Law Kingdom of Eswatini 1988: Unilateral divorce without separation requirement 1976: Unilateral divorce with separation requirement Gabon Civil Code, Article 266 colspan="2" Divorce & Separation in Germany 1977: Unilateral divorce with separation requirement Ghana: Grounds For Divorce In Ghana: - The Basics Divorcio en Guatemala Malicious desertion, 17 January 2017 1979: No-fault divorce1983: Unilateral divorce with separation requirement Divorce in Hungary colspan="2" 1993: Unilateral divorce with separation requirement Divorce in Israel colspan="2" 1996: No-fault divorce 1970: No-fault divorce1975: Unilateral divorce with separation requirement Jamaican Divorce And Family Law colspan="2" Statutory Ground for Divorce in Japan Divorce in Kenya colspan="2" Divorce and legal separation, Latvia Liberia Domestic Relation Law, 1973 Opting for divorce on the grounds of irretrievable breakdown of marriage 1979: Unilateral divorce with separation requirement Mali Divorce & Family Law https://www.studiosifaka.org/articles/interview/item/2775-antananarivo-3-500-divorces-depuis-janvier.html, 21 December 2020 colspan="2" 2011: Divorce legalized Family law in Mexico: overview Family law, 1999 BOLETIM DA REPÚBLICA Burden of Divorce , 18 March 2022 Nepal Divorce & Family Law Divorce and legal separation: Netherlands 1971: Unilateral divorce allowed colspan="2" Family law in Nigeria: overview Amid economic troubles, North Korea sees a growing number of divorces colspan="2" Republic of North Macedonia How does Divorce work in Northern Ireland? colspan="2" 1993: Unilateral divorce with separation requirement Divorce Laws in Pakistan How to Get a Divorce in Panama 1911: Divorce legalized Ley Nº 5422 / Modifica Los Artículos 4º, 5º, 6º, 7º y 13 de La Ley Nº 45/91 "Que Establece El Divorcio Vincular del Matrimonio 1992: Divorce legalized Peru Divorce & Family Law 1917: Fault-based divorce legalized1950: Divorce abolished except for Muslims colspan="2" Getting a divorce in Portugal 1976: Unilateral divorce with separation requirement2008: Fault-based divorce abolished Divorce and legal separation, Romania 8 Grounds of Divorce in Rwanda colspan="2" Getting married in Saudi Arabia Marriage, Divorce, and Inheritance Laws in Sierra Leone and Their Discriminat Discriminatory Effects on W ects on Women What are the Legal Grounds for Getting a Divorce?, 14 April 2022 Family Laws and Regulations Slovakia 2023 colspan="2" Divorce and legal separation, Slovenia colspan="2" 1981: Unilateral divorce with separation requirement2005: Unilateral divorce without separation requirement Divorce Law of Sri Lanka in a nutshell Derde Afdeling van Echtscheiding 17th century:: fault-based divorce1915: Mutual agreement divorce1973: Unilateral divorce Divorce procedure 2000: Unilateral divorce with separation requirement Family law in the Russian Federation: overview Civil Code, Taiwan Tanzania Divorce & Family Law How to get Divorced in Thailand? How to get Divorced in Turkey? The right to 'unlove': The constitutional case for no-fault divorce in Uganda (except Northern Ireland) colspan="2" 1973: Unilateral divorce with separation requirement2022: Fault-based divorce abolished colspan="2" Divorcio en Uruguay: Procedimientos a Seguir 1907: Divorce by mutual consent1913: Divorce by the sole will of the woman Vietnam Divorce & Family Law Venezuelan Divorce & Family Law Zambia Divorce & Family Law Matrimonial Causes Act ,5:13 colspan="2"

Muslim societies

Historically, the rules of divorce were governed by sharia, as interpreted by traditional Islamic jurisprudence, though they differed depending on the legal school, and historical practices sometimes diverged from legal theory.

Divorce in Islam is permitted, but the theology provides different rules for husbands from wives. Husbands may initiate divorce through ‘Talaq’, for any reason without requiring the wife's agreement. Some also include this to mean the stating of ‘Talaq’ three times at once to a wife, resulting in an instant divorce without route for reconciliation.

A wife seeking divorce from her husband may use the Khula process, where she must have solid grounds to end the marriage and then return to him her Mahr or a similar symbolic payment in return for his mutual consent to a divorce. If a wife cannot get her husband's agreement to a divorce, and he refuses to give ‘Talaq’, her final option is to seek approval from a judge at an Islamic court through the Faskh process.

However, the validity of a divorce from the spoken and instant Triple Talaq is controversial and debated, with many arguing it arises from an incorrect Quranic interpretation. Some scholars say that Triple Talaq should mean a husband saying ‘Talaq’ to his wife one time in each of three consecutive menstrual cycles (the Iddah period), or that a formal three-step process including notice, arbitration and separation should be followed. Consequently, laws and regulations regarding divorce proceedings vary in different Muslim majority countries (and countries with significant Muslim populations), with several criminalising Triple Talaq.

Countries that have abolished instant ‘Triple Talaq’ divorces include Pakistan, Egypt, Tunisia, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Turkey, Indonesia, Iraq and India. It is important to note that belief in the validity of a Triple Talaq divorce may persist culturally among individuals, even in countries where it is legally invalid.

The main traditional legal categories are talaq (repudiation), khulʿ (mutual divorce), and faskh (dissolution/annulment of a marriage by an Islamic Court), which is the only route that a wife can take unilaterally. Islamically, only the husband has the right of talaq, unless the power of talaq has also been provided to the wife in the marriage contract (known as ). Faskh is an annulment, meaning it rescinds the marriage as though it was never valid, and a wife must provide grounds and witnesses for a court to grant it.

Argentina In Argentina, the legalisation of divorce was the result of a struggle between different governments and conservative groups, mostly connected to the Catholic Church.

In 1888, Law 2,393 established that marriage and divorce in Argentina would be controlled by the State, not the Church. The law allowed for separation of the spouses by judicial order on the grounds of adultery, insults, violence, or desertion, but did not allow for dissolution of marriage.

Only in 1954, President Juan Domingo Perón had Law 14,394 passed over the objections of the Catholic Church. For the first time in the country, marriages could be ended and divorcees could remarry. But Perón was forced out of the presidency one year later by a military coup, and the government that succeeded him abolished the law.

From 1968 onwards, couples could legally separate without proving fault, but marriages still could not be dissolved.

Finally, in 1987, President Raúl Alfonsín was successful in passing the divorce law (Law 23,515), following a ruling of the Supreme Court. The new law also provided for gender equality between the wife and husband.Sex and the State: Abortion, Divorce, and the Family Under Latin American Dictatorships and Democracies, by Mala Htun, pp 102

A new Civil and Commercial Code, modernizing family law and simplifying divorce, came into force in August 2015.

Australia

Australia's laws on divorce and other legal family matters were overhauled in 1975 with the enactment of the Family Law Act 1975, which established no-fault divorce in Australia. Since 1975, the only ground for divorce is the irretrievable breakdown of the marriage, evidenced by a twelve-month separation. However, a residual "fault" element remains in relation to child custody and property settlement issues.

Belgium

Brazil Due to the influence of the Roman Catholic Church, divorce became legal in Brazil only in 1977, by Law 6.515/77. In Brazil, before 1977, marriage was considered an indissoluble bond by the state. Couples who could no longer stand each other had only the desquite (legal separation) as legal outlet. This process separated assets and allowed for living apart but did not dissolve the marriage, meaning separated individuals could never legally remarry. Those who found new partners lived in what was then stigmatized a "concubinage," facing brutal prejudice, especially toward women, who were often viewed as "second-class" by conservative society.

The Catholic Church exerted strong political pressure against the legalization of divorce in Brazil. Nevertheless, Senator Nelson Carneiro became the central figure in the struggle for divorce legislation, advocating for its approval over a period of 26 years. In June 1977, Constitutional Amendment No. 9 was narrowly approved after intense conflict in Congress, and on December 26, 1977, President Ernesto Geisel sanctioned Law No. 6.515, officially legalizing divorce in Brazil. However, the law imposed significant restrictions designed to discourage marital dissolution. Divorce was permitted only after proof of a prior legal separation lasting at least three years, or a de facto separation of five years. Moreover, under the original 1977 legislation, individuals were allowed to divorce only once in their lifetime.