Divorce Rates in Indonesia Surge, Many Caused by Gambling and Adultery
Divorce hearings in Indonesia are bustling again in 2025. Divorces have surged to 438,168 cases, with household quarrels being the most frequent reason leading couples to the judge’s bench.
According to data from the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) and the Supreme Court of the Republic of Indonesia (Directorate General of Religious Courts), the number of divorces rose to 438,168 cases in 2025, a 10% increase from 399,921 cases in 2024.
This rise ends the weakening trend since 2022, when divorces reached 448,126 cases before dropping to 408,347 in 2023.
The increase occurs amid changing household dynamics. Over the past five years, divorce numbers were high in 2021 at 447,743 cases, then declined before rising again in 2025.
In 2025, the causes of divorce remain concentrated on one dominant factor. Continuous disputes and quarrels recorded 282,326 cases, far above other factors. This figure accounts for more than half of the total national divorces. Following that, economic factors ranked second with 105,727 cases, followed by abandonment of one party at 31,029 cases.
Below that, other factors are relatively small in number, such as domestic violence (7,138 cases) and gambling (4,623 cases). Meanwhile, causes like adultery, polygamy, apostasy, and forced marriage are in the hundreds to thousands of cases. This structure shows that relational conflicts remain the core issue in divorces in Indonesia.
Looking at annual growth, the biggest surge in 2025 comes from the same factor.
Disputes and quarrels rose by 31,201 cases compared to 2024 (from 251,125 to 282,326). This increase is the main driver of the national total divorce rise. Economic factors also increased by 5,529 cases, while gambling added 1,734 cases in a year.
Not all factors are rising. Cases of abandonment of one party fell from 31,265 to 31,029. Apostasy and forced marriage also declined. These changes make the structure of divorce causes even more concentrated on household conflicts and economic pressures.
Gambling Still a Contributor
Over the five-year period from 2021 to 2025, a deeper pattern emerges.
The factor with the largest increase is gambling, which rose from 993 cases in 2021 to 4,623 cases in 2025. The increase reaches 3,630 cases or 365% over five years.
The surge in other causes is adultery, at 155% to 1,147 cases in 2025.
Meanwhile, disputes and quarrels only added about 3,121 cases in the same period, although still dominating in number.
On the other hand, some longstanding factors have weakened. Cases of abandonment of one party dropped by more than 11,000 cases since 2021. Economic factors are also lower than their position five years ago. This shift alters the composition of divorce causes, with a heavier portion on relational conflicts and household behaviours.