The report shows that divorce-related cases remained the most common category of civil cases, rising from 2,674 cases in 2024/25 to 6,799 in 2025/26.

Of the cases recorded in 2025/26, 5,980 were filed at first-instance courts, a figure the Judiciary says corresponds to the number of families that sought divorce at that level. During the first six months of 2026 alone, courts received 3,620 divorce-related cases.

Other major civil cases included disputes over immovable property, with 1,866 cases; breach of contracts and obligations, 1,081; civil registration matters, 815; and disputes involving movable property, 244.

Meanwhile, data from the National Institute of Statistics of Rwanda (NISR) show that 4,479 divorces were registered in civil records in 2025. Of these, 2,629 involved couples who had obtained divorce through the courts and subsequently registered it.

Kigali recorded the highest number of registered divorces at 1,820, followed by the Southern Province with 920, Eastern Province with 820, Northern Province with 520 and Western Province with 339.

NISR said couples who had been married for five to 14 years accounted for the largest share of divorces recorded in 2025.

Lawyer Marie Louise Mukashema recently told IGIHE that common factors behind rising divorce cases include disagreements between spouses, property-related conflicts and lack of honesty. She said families should play a greater role in resolving marital disputes before couples turn to courts.

“Traditionally, when people got married, it was considered a union between two families. When problems arose, instead of taking them to social media or making them public, they were resolved within the family.

"I think the problem today lies within the family, and parents and children have a major role to play in understanding the value of family as children grow up. That is where the solution lies, because people seeking divorce no longer take such matters to their families as they used to in the past,” she said.

Lawyer Maurice Munyentwari said mutually agreed divorces have also increased, with couples often choosing to separate without disclosing the reasons for their decision. In contested cases, he said, common complaints include domestic conflict, harassment, violence and exclusion from family property.

Rwanda’s 2024 law governing persons and family provides for a Family Council to oversee family welfare, protect members’ interests and help resolve family disputes. However, the ministerial order required to establish its composition, responsibilities and operations has not yet been issued.