Shared Custody Becomes Most Common Outcome in Brazilian Divorces Involving Children, IBGE Says

Overview

• Shared custody accounted for 44.6% of judicial divorces with minors in 2024, overtaking sole-mother custody at 42.6%, with father-only custody near 2.8–3%.
• Brazil recorded 428,301 divorces in 2024, a 2.8% decline from 2023, which the IBGE says is not enough to confirm a sustained downward trend.
• Most dissolutions were handled by the courts, with about 350,000 judicial divorces compared with 77,900 extrajudicial divorces at notary offices.
• Adoption of joint custody increased nationwide, highest in Amazonas, Mato Grosso and the Federal District, and lowest in Roraima.
• The average time from marriage to divorce fell to 13.8 years in 2024, extending a two-decade pattern of shorter unions.