UAE – Thousands of UAE nationals took foreign wives of different nationalities over the past ten years.
According to latest statistics, 20,617 citizens opted to marry non-Emirati women, up by 42 per cent compared with the 2016 figures.
The Federal National Council (FNC) discussed the statistics which show a tangible drop in the number of citizens who marry Emirati women.
The recent figures have also revealed an increase in the rate of divorced Emirati women who receive allowances from the UAE government.
Social Affairs, labour and Population Committee chairman Hamad Ahmed Al-Rahoumi unveiled the figures during the FNC parliamentary session last Tuesday.
The statistics show a drop in the number of citizens who marry their female compatriots and a sharp rise in marriages with foreign women.
The survey revealed that the rate of marriage contracts between Emirati men and women plummeted by an alarming 41.7% in Ras Al-Khaima during the period from 2006 to 2016 – compared with 25.6% in the emirate of Ajman.
Marriage contracts between UAE nationals also dropped by 16.3% in Sharjah, 7.1% in Dubai while the emirate of Umm Al-Quwwain had the least drop which did not exceed 1.3%.
The survey submitted by the Social Affairs, labour, and Population Committee has also revealed that the rate of divorce between UAE nationals rose by 41% over the same period.
The rate of divorce of Emirati women married to foreigners rose sharply by 61%, compared with 36% among Emirati citizens married to foreign women.
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