In the first six months of this year, the number of divorces rose to more than 1.8 million in China.

The divorce rate in the country has been on a rise since 2002 when it was 0.90 permillage. The number rose to more than 2 per thousand in 2010, and reached 2.8 permillage in 2015, more than tripling that of 2002. Divorce rate is defined as the number of divorces per year divided by the total population.

Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen are the top three cities with highest divorce rate in China, with Guangzhou, Xiamen, Taipei, Hong Kong, Dalian, Hangzhou and Harbin rounding out the top 10, 21st Century Business Herald reported, citing data from the Ministry of Civil Affairs.

About 1.85 million couples got divorced during the first half of 2017, up 10.7 percent from the same period of the previous year. On the other hand, 5.58 million pairs, down 7.5 percent from 2016, got married in the first half.

The chief culprit of divorce lies in infidelity, followed by domestic violence and character difference, according to the report. Other factors include bad relationship between wives and their mothers-in-law, and property purchase. Some Chinese couples turn to divorce to avoid tax in buying the family's second house.

Men working in IT sector top infidelity, followed by finance and education industry.

As for women, housewives top in cheating, with teachers and doctors coming next. Sixty-seven percent of disloyal wives are housewives. They reportedly stray in search of love and affection.