SHANGHAI: Economic tough times are tying families closer together and reducing divorces in this financial hub, authorities said on Friday.

In Shanghai, 36,811 couples filed for divorce at the city's civil affairs department in 2008 - 284 fewer than in 2007, according to officials at the Shanghai Municipal Civil Affairs Bureau.

In 2006, the number was 37,395, following a continuous increase since 1978 when 422 couples filed for divorce.