Khomas region divorce statistics: 63% of divorcees are women

A total of 3 088 women in the Khomas region have gone through divorce, representing 63% of the divorced population in the region, the Namibia Statistics Agency has revealed.

Analysts blame the high female divorce rate on foreign men marrying for false reasons.

The statistics contained in the agency’s latest 2023 housing and population profile for the Khomas region show that women make up the majority of divorcees, compared to the 1 747 divorced men.

Men make up 36% of divorcees.

In total, the region has recorded 4 835 divorced individuals. Of this total, 3 069 are urban women while 19 are women from rural areas.

Data shows that from the total eligible population in the Khomas region – 15 years and older – 2.5% of these are divorced women, while 0.6% are divorced men.

Meanwhile, 72% of women from the region’s eligible population have never been married, while 72.9% of men have never been married.

A total of 131 842 Khomas women have never been married, while the number of men is 126 286. In contrast, 49.8% of women are married with certificates while 46.1% are married traditionally or customarily.

Human activist Rosa Namises attributes the high divorce rate among women to foreign men marrying for land.

She says some foreign men marry Namibian women to acquire land and then divorce them later.

“Foreign men come to marry for convenience and passports, and then apply for divorce,” she says.

Another contributing factor, she says, is the abuse of women by men, adding that women divorce abusive men for mental peace.

Namibia Marriage Council founder and executive director Paulus Hawanga says some women apply for divorce to protect their mental health, escaping abuse and absent spouses.

He says some women portray their lives differently to get men to marry them.

“This is very disturbing. Marriage should be an honourable thing and not a lie,” he says.

He also attributes the high divorce rate to unfaithfulness, saying some men want to have many women at the same time.

“This infidelity is a contributing factor. Windhoek can easily expose someone to a toxic social network, with many influential people,” Hawanga says.

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