In 2013, 3.5 million Chinese couples divorced, a 12.8-percent increase on the previous year, Jinghua Times reported on Wednesday.

According to a Social Service Development Statistics Bulletin issued on Tuesday by the Ministry of Civil Affairs, China's divorce rate has continued to increase since 2004. In 2004, China's divorce rate was 1.28 couples in 1,000, and the 2013 rate was 2.6 of 1,000 couples.

The data showed that 13.47 million Chinese couples registered their marriages in 2013, of whom 35.2 percent were aged between 25 and 29, 1 percent more of that age group than in 2012.

In the same year, 3.5 million couples divorced, 0.3 of each 1,000 couples higher than in 2012.