A total of 32,999 couples ended their marriage in the capital city last year, a fifth year's growth since 2007, Beijing Times reported Friday.

According to the Ministry of Civil Affairs, 404 more couples got divorced than in 2010.

Some marriage registration offices in Beijing have been offering mediation services to divorcing couples, which had a major hand in curbing the divorce rate last year, according to the ministry.

In 2011, more than 2.1 million couples got divorced across the country, 710,000 more than in 2007.