Egyptian couples file for divorce every six minutes, the state-run statistics bureau reported last week. According to the report, approximately one-third of marriages in the North African nation fail in the first year.

The Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS) said that Egyptian courts rule on around 250 divorces daily.

In most cases men are the one to take the initiative in filing for divorce because under Muslim shari'a law they are allowed to seek unrestricted legal separation from their spouses, while women must face long court procedures.

According to the law, men do not need to go to court to file for divorce and can take up to four wives, although the vast majority of Egyptians do not take more than one wife.

Egypt has a population of 76 million people and now has 2.5 million divorced women, CAPMAS reported.