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Marriage and divorce

Collection and dissemination of data from the Demographic Yearbook
The United Nations Statistics Division collects official statistics on marriage and divorce through the Demographic Yearbook data collection system.
The five questionnaires used are:
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Vital Statistics Questionnaire (PDF 128 KB)
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Population Estimates Questionnaire (PDF 49 KB)
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Population Census Questionnaire (PDF 146 KB)
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Population Census Questionnaire on Economic Characteristics (PDF 47 KB)
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Population Census Questionnaire on Household Characteristics (PDF 52 KB)
   

These five questionnaires generate 18 tables on marriage, divorce, annulment, population by marital status etc. cross-tabulated by various social and demographic characteristics such as age, sex, number of children, occupational status, etc.

Three of these tables are disseminated through the Demographic Yearbook on an annual basis. The remaining tables on marital formation and dissolution are published in the special editions of the Demographic Yearbook dedicated to the topic of marriage and divorce. To date, five issues of the Demographic Yearbook have been dedicated to this topic, namely the 1990, 1982, 1976, 1968 and 1958 issues of the Demographic Yearbook. Print copies of the Demographic Yearbook can be purchased through the UN Publications Order Form. 

The most recent technical reports review the collection and dissemination of data on marriage and divorce within the Demographic Yearbook.