Scottish divorce rate falls by 14% in four years

The number of people getting divorced in Scotland has fallen by 14% over four years

The number of divorces granted by Scottish courts fell by 2% in the year to the end of last March, continuing a downward trend.

Scotland's chief statistician has published the latest figures for civil law cases.

A total of 9,700 marriages legally ended in 2012-13, a drop of 14% over the past four years.

The number of civil partnerships which were dissolved quadrupled in the same period, up to 67.

This was a likely reflection of the rising number of people who have entered into civil partnerships since they were introduced in Scotland in 2005.

Other official statistics showed that the number of debt cases raised in Scotland's civil courts had fallen by 45% in the four years following the start of the financial crisis in 2008.

Debt cases accounted for almost half the total number of civil cases brought to court in 2012-13. There were 35,900 cases raised, an 11% drop on the previous year.

Chief statistician Roger Halliday said: "There has been a continuous decline in the number of civil law court cases, a trend driven by the drop in debt cases.

"Despite the decline in debt cases, they still make up nearly half civil law cases in courts, followed by family disputes, eviction cases and personal injury claims."

Repossessions and evictions also fell last year but there was an 11% rise in personal injury cases raised in Scottish courts.