The majority of divorces in South Africa are initiated by women. Data from Statistics South Africa show that 52% of divorces in Limpopo in 2024 were initiated by the wife. This increases to 60% wife-initiated divorces in the Western Cape. 

Divorce rates peak in midlife, particularly between the ages of 35 and 49. The highest number of divorces are in the 40-44 age group. And while women tend to get divorced younger, men dominate filings in older age groups.

Most divorces also come from the first marriage. Men however are more likely to get divorced more than once, with 2,307 men and 1,799 women recorded as getting divorced more than once.