BAGHDAD 

Iraq’s divorce rate has risen noticeably in recent years, a local judiciary source said Wednesday.

“Indications suggest a steadily increasing national rate of divorce, which is now significantly higher than previously,” Ahmed al-Saaedi, a judge at Baghdad’s Personal-Status Court, told Anadolu Agency.

Al-Saaedi attributed the phenomenon to “rising illiteracy, underage marriage, and a host of economic reasons, including high levels of unemployment”.

In the past, the number of divorce cases in Iraq had averaged roughly 50,000 a year. This number now exceeds 70,000, however, according to estimates.

Reporting by Naza Mohamed:Writing by Mahmoud Barakat