PETALING JAYA: In a recent report from the Statistics Department, Malaysia has seen a 12.5% drop in marriages, from 215,022 in 2022 to 188,100 in 2023.
According to Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Uzir Mahidin, Chief Statistician, the Crude Marriage Rate (CMR) has fallen from 6.6 to 5.7 per thousand people.

Muslim Marriages Decline Sharply

The decrease in marriages was largely due to a significant 16.8% drop in Muslim weddings, which accounted for 74.5% of total marriages in the country, from 168,467 in 2022 to 140,176 in 2023.
Selangor, Kelantan, and Johor recorded the highest declines in Muslim marriages, with reductions of 17.4%, 17.7%, and 15.8%, respectively.

Non-Muslim Marriages See Growth

On a more positive note, non-Muslim marriages rose by 2.9%, from 46,555 in 2022 to 47,924 in 2023, with Johor, Sarawak, and Kuala Lumpur leading in this increase.

Divorce Rates Also Decline

The number of divorces also dropped, showing an 8.7% decrease, from 63,338 in 2022 to 57,835 in 2023. The Crude Divorce Rate (CDR) improved from 1.9 to 1.8 per thousand population.
Muslim divorces fell by 3.9%, while non-Muslim divorces decreased by 21.4%. The largest drops in Muslim divorces were in Kelantan, Johor, and Sabah.