(ANSA) - Rome, April 14 - Divorce is on the up in Italy thanks to a new quickie divorce introduced a couple of years ago, ISTAT said Friday.

Divorces were 13.6 per 10,000 inhabitants in 2015, up from 8.6 a year previously, the statistics agency said.

There were more divorces in the centre-north, 15.7 per 10,000 inhabitants, than in the south, 9.5, ISTAT said in an annual report.

Marriages in Italy have also "plunged", ISTAT said, reaching third-last place in the EU, ahead only of Luxembourg and Portugal.

