Sharp Increase in Divorce Lawsuits: Nearly 40,000 Filed in Poland in the First Half of 2024

Poles have filed nearly 40,000 divorce lawsuits in courts within half a year. The increase year on year is more than 4 percent.

According to the latest data obtained from all district courts in Poland, 39.7k divorce lawsuits were filed in the first half of 2024. This is a 4.2% increase compared to the same period last year when the exact number was 38.1k. The data also shows that the most such cases were filed in the Poznan District Court with 2.6k cases. 2.3k cases were filed in the Warsaw District Court and the third-largest number, 2.1k, were registered at the Cracow District Court. Following these are Warsaw-Praga District Court with 1.7k and Lodz District Court with 1.5k cases. Experts commenting on the data suggest that the upward trend is evident and it doesn’t seem likely to change in the near future. Subject matter experts are certain that the number of divorces will increase, claiming it to be a broad societal issue.

The data obtained from all 47 district courts in the country shows a total of 39.7k divorce lawsuits were filed in the first half of 2024. This is a 4.2% increase compared to the same period last year, which had seen a total of 38.1k cases.

– The trend is indeed rising and there appears to be no sign of a change in the near future. This could result from a snowball effect where people know someone in an unhappy marriage who was able to come out of it. The increasing number of divorces is also a result of a wealthier society. Today, we do not fix broken devices – we replace them with new ones. The same happens with marriages – says attorney Michal Dziedzic, specializing in family matters.

The expert also points out that there was a time when divorces seemed unattainable because they were expensive and complicated. Today, this is no longer a “luxury goods”, and there’s now an increase in their number virtually in every social stratum. Therefore, the increase in the number of lawsuits does not come as a surprise and the trend can be expected to continue in the coming months.

– People get divorced at any age. I know couples who were married for 35 years and those for whom I wrote a lawsuit just eight months after their wedding. The decision to divorce is too layered and multifaceted to be adjusted only to the marital duration. And in around 100% of cases, it is not the result of an impulse or a decision made as a result of a single event – comments legal counsel Pawel Budrewicz from Budrewicz Law Firm.

Detailed data also reveals that in the first half of the year, the most such lawsuits were filed with district courts in large cities. The Poznan District Court received 2.6k of such cases, Warsaw District Court received 2.3k, and Cracow District Court received 2.1k cases. The next capital city court, Warsaw-Praga, received another 1.7k cases. Lodz recorded 1.5k such cases. The annual change in the number of lawsuits varies slightly by district courts.

– The high number of divorce lawsuits in big cities is the result of a larger population and a higher level of anonymity in life. Couples can make such decisions more easily due to better access to legal advice, mediations, and psychological support – assesses Kamil Jura, a lawyer, and longtime divorce mediator.

Kamil Jura also highlights that the annual change in the number of lawsuits filed at individual courts is usually small, which suggests social and legal stability in those regions. Fluctuations may be due to local conditions such as demographic, economic, or cultural changes, but these numbers generally remain quite constant, reflecting long-lasting societal tendencies.

– Recently, there is a noticeable increase in divorces among couples with a very short marriage – even a few months. This mainly affects twenty-somethings and thirty-somethings. As soon as the first marriage obstacles appear, they decide on a divorce, often before having a child – notes attorney Michal Dziedzic.

Attorney Pawel Budrewicz, on the other hand, emphasizes that the pace of divorce cases being adjudicated depends on the complexity of the case. A no-fault divorce with no children can end in 3-4 months, essentially at a half-hour hearing. However, a divorce with a battle for guilt and children can mean a several years long process. The waiting time for a hearing depends largely on the judge.

– In Warsaw, you wait for a divorce from three to fifteen months. But there are also courts where the first hearing will take place after three years from filing a lawsuit. A potential appeal can also be problematic. Due to the flood of Swiss Franc loan cases, the Warsaw Court of Appeals is literally clogged. Recognition of the appeal from a divorce judgment currently takes about two years. And this waiting time is only lengthening – asserts the expert from Budrewicz Law Firm.

Moreover, Kamil Jura points out that the number of new divorce lawsuits may pose a problem for district courts, affecting the speed of decision-making not only in divorce cases but also in other civil cases. The increase in the number of divorce cases increases the burden on the courts, which can lead to delays in the hearing of other lawsuits. To counter that, it is worth considering introducing improvements such as increasing the number of judges specializing in family matters.

– A way would also be to better utilize pre-litigation mediation and the development of electronic court case management systems. This can reduce the burden on courts and speed up decision-making processes. An interesting solution that could speed up the whole process could also be the introduction of the conduct of amicable divorces by notaries, which the Ministry of Justice is currently working on – indicates the expert from Nowy-Etap.pl Divorce Law Firm.

Additionally, attorney Michal Dziedzic notes that there is an annual increase in divorce cases around October and November. This could be related to several factors. The vacation period is often the time of the so-called last chance. Spouses believe that carefree holidays will allow them to save the relationship. Unfortunately, staying together for a longer period often only exacerbates the crisis but does not ease it.

– Generally after every major break from work, such as holidays, long weekends, school vacations, and summer holidays, I observe an increased interest in divorces. Planning a breakup in autumn may also be related to the start of the school year, when spouses want to settle issues of child custody – explains attorney Dziedzic.

On the other hand, Kamil Jura believes that the increase in the number of divorce lawsuits can be seen as worrying, especially in the context of the widespread opinion about a large number of lawsuits. This may suggest certain societal problems, such as escalating conflicts in marriages, economic difficulties, or changing social norms. However, as a divorce mediator, the expert also sees a positive side to this phenomenon.

– The increase in the number of divorce lawsuits may mean that couples not seeing a possibility to fix their relationship choose a formal dissolution of the marriage instead of remaining in toxic relationships. Divorce mediation plays a key role here, helping couples to end their marriage amicably and constructively, which minimizes the negative effects of divorce, especially for their children – summarizes Kamil Jura from Nowy-Etap.pl Divorce Law Firm.