An anti-divorce banner from the 2011 referendum Photo: Reuters 

Malta used to be one of only two countries in the world to outlaw divorce, but it has now embraced it full-on, with a divorce now being registered practically every single day. 

Statistics revealed by One News yesterday on occasion of the seventh anniversary of the divorce referendum show that 2,328 divorces have been registered since then – an average of 0.9 divorces a day. 

Malta used to be one of only two countries in the world, along with the Philippines, to ban divorce until 2011 – when 53% of the public voted in favour of it in a referendum. 

The pro-divorce vote is widely considered a watershed moment in Maltese politics, which kickstarted a flurry of progressive legislation – including civil unions and gay marriage, a gender identity law, cohabitation rights and IVF legislation.

READ NEXT: Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando ‘Pressured To Remarry’ After His Successful Campaign To Legalise Divorce In Malta

Tim Diacono

Tim is interested in the rapid evolution of human society and is passionate about justice, human rights and cutting-edge political debates. You can follow him on Instagram or Twitter/X at @timdiacono or reach out to him at [email protected]