© UNICEF/BANA2013-01082/Kiron
ENDiNG
CHilD
marriaGE
Number of women and men aged 18 years and older who were married or in union before ages 15 and 18
Note: Estimates are based on a subset of countries covering around 50 per cent of the global population of
women and men aged 18 years and older. Note: Estimates are based on a subset of countries covering around 50 per cent of the global population of women aged 18 years and older.
Note: Estimates are based on a subset of countries covering around 50 per cent of the global population of women aged 20 to 49 years. Regional estimates represent data covering at least 50 per cent of the regional population. Data coverage is below 50 per cent for East Asia and the Pacific region due to the lack of comparable data on child marriage for China in UNICEF global databases.
Percentage of women aged 20 to 49 years who were married or in union before ages 15 and 18, by region
Percentage distribution of women aged 18 years and older who were married or in union before age 18, by region
Percentage of women aged 20 to 49 years who were married or in union before ages 15 and 18, in the 10 countries with the highest prevalence of child marriage Worldwide, more than 700 million women alive today were
married before their 18th birthday. More than one in three (about 250 million) entered into union before age 15.
Boys are also married as children, but girls are disproportionately affected. In Niger, for instance, 77 per cent of women aged 20 to 49 were married before age 18 in contrast to 5 per cent of men in the same age group. Even in countries where child marriage is less common, the same gender differences are found. In the Republic of Moldova, for example, 15 per cent of women aged 20 to 49 were married before age 18 compared to 2 per cent of men. Furthermore, girls are often married to considerably older men. In Mauritania and Nigeria, more than half of adolescent girls
aged 15 to 19 who are currently married have husbands who are 10 or more years older than they are. Child marriage is a manifestation of gender inequality, reflecting social norms that perpetuate discrimination against girls.
Child marriage among girls is most common in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, and the 10 countries with the highest rates are found in these two regions. Niger has the highest overall prevalence of child marriage in the world. However, Bangladesh has the highest rate of marriage involving girls under age 15. South Asia is home to almost half (42 per cent) of all child brides worldwide; India alone accounts for one third of the global total.
tHE CUrrENt sitUatioN
The 10 countries with the highest rates of
child marriage
The highest rates of child marriage are found in
South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa
Almost half of all child brides worldwide live in
South Asia; 1 in 3 are in India
Child marriage affects girls in far greater numbers
than boys
Industrialized countries, 2% Central and Eastern Europe and
the Commonwealth of Independent States (CEE/CIS), 4%
West and Central Africa, 7% Eastern and Southern Africa, 6%
Middle East and North Africa, 5%
Latin America and the Caribbean, 9% East Asia and the Pacific, 25%
South Asia, 42%
0
Central African
Republic
Burkina Faso
Nepal Mali
Ethiopia Guinea Chad
Bangladesh
India Niger
100
80
50
10 90
60
20 70
30 40
52 52
58 58 60 61
69
74 77
58
Married before age 15
Married after age 15 but before age 18
India, 33%
South Asia West and Central Africa Eastern and Southern Africa Latin America and the Caribbean Middle East and North Africa East Asia and the Pacific
Least developed countries World CEE/CIS
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
56 46
52 29
38 30 24 21 14
Married before age 15
Married after age 15 but before age 18
Women Men
720 million
156 million
Married before age 15
Note: Estimates are based on a subset of countries covering around 50 per cent of the global population of women aged 20 to 49 years. Regional estimates represent data covering at least 50 per cent of the regional population. Data coverage is below 50 per cent for East Asia and the Pacific and Latin America and the Caribbean.
Not all girls face the same risk of becoming child brides, even within countries. In Ethiopia, the rate of child marriage is three times higher in the northern region of Amhara (75 per cent) than in the capital city of Addis Ababa (26 per cent). Child marriage is also more common among certain population groups. In Serbia, for example, 8 per cent of women overall were married as children; however, the share is more than half (54 per cent) among women in Roma communities.
There is also a substantial gap in the prevalence of child marriage between the poorest and richest. Females in the poorest quintile are 2.5 times more likely to marry in childhood than those living in the wealthiest quintile. This disparity is particularly pronounced in certain countries. In India, the
median age at first marriage is 19.7 years for women in the richest quintile compared to 15.4 for the poorest women. The same pattern is also observed in the Dominican Republic, where at least half of the poorest women entered into their first marriage or union at about age 17 compared to age 21 among the richest women. Across all regions, girls who live in rural areas are more likely to become child brides than their urban counterparts. This difference is especially striking in some countries in West and Central Africa and in Latin American and the Caribbean, where the prevelence of child marriage in rural areas is about twice the level found in urban areas.
Girls most at risk
Each dot represents a country
In every region, the poor are most at risk of child marriage
Percentage of women aged 20 to 49 years who were married or in union before age 18, by place of residence
Child marriage is most common in rural areas
100
80
50
10 90
60
20 70
30 40
0
10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
Rural
Urban
Child marriage is more common in rural areas
Child marriage is more common in urban areas Togo
Suriname Ghana Guyana
Peru Senegal
Nigeria
15.6 17.5 18.3
16.3
19.6
21.3
17.0 19.7 Median age at first marriage or union among women aged 25 to 49 years, by wealth quintile, in selected countries
In the Dominican Republic and India, the
wealthiest women marry about four years later
than the poorest women
14 years 15 years 16 years 17 years 18 years 19 years 20 years 21 years 22 years
Dominican Republic
India
Bangladesh
17.2
15.0 15.4
17.8
15.0 15.6
15.2
Richest quintile Fourth quintile
Middle quintile Second quintile
Poorest quintile
Percentage of women aged 20 to 49 years who were married or in union before age 18, by wealth quintile and by region
100 80
50
10 90
60
20 70
30 40
0
CEE/CIS Middle East and
North Africa and the CaribbeanLatin America Central AfricaWest and South Asia Least developedcountries World East Asia and
the Pacific Southern AfricaEastern and
Richest quintile Fourth quintile
Middle quintile Secondquintile
Percentage of women aged 20 to 49 years who were married or in union before age 18, by level of education
Percentage of women aged 20 to 24 years attended at least four times during pregnancy by any provider, by age at first marriage or union, in selected countries Girls who marry are not only denied their childhood. They
are often socially isolated – cut off from family and friends and other sources of support – with limited opportunities for education and employment. Households typically make decisions about girls’ schooling and marriage jointly, not sequentially, and education tends to lose out. Accordingly, lower levels of education are found among women who married in childhood. In Malawi, for instance, nearly two thirds of women with no formal education were child brides compared to 5 per cent of women who attended secondary school or higher levels of education.
Child brides are often unable to effectively negotiate safer sex, leaving themselves vulnerable to sexually transmitted infections, including HIV, along with early pregnancy. The
pressure to become pregnant once married can be intense, and child brides typically end up having many children to care for while still young. In Nepal, for example, over one third of women aged 20 to 24 who married before their 15th birthday had three or more children compared to 1 per cent of women who married as adults. Child brides are also less likely to receive proper medical care while pregnant. In countries including Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Nepal and Niger, women who married as adults were at least twice as likely to have delivered their most recent baby in a health facility compared to women who married before age 15. This, along with the fact that girls are not physically mature enough to give birth, places both mothers and their babies at risk.
liFEloNG – somEtimEs iNtErGENEratioNal – CoNsEqUENCEs
Child brides are less likely to receive medical care during pregnancy than women who married as adults
Child brides tend to have low levels of education
Percentage of women aged 20 to 24 years who have had three or more children, by age at first marriage or union, in selected countries
Each dot represents a country
Child brides end up having many children to care
for while still young
Note: Each dot represents a country.
100
80
50
10 90
60
20 70
30 40
0 100
80
50
10 90
60
20 70
30 40
0
10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
Secondar
y education or higher
No education
Child marriage is more common among educated women
Child marriage is more common among uneducated women Peru
Ghana Malawi Uganda Sierra Leone
Niger
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
10
16
11 43
29
59 59
53
62 84
72 91
50 98
78
38
23
42
Viet Nam Egypt
Niger Mali Peru
Bangladesh Nepal Burkina Faso
Ethiopia
Married before age 15 Married at age 18 or older
Mozambique Burkina Faso Mali Niger Dominican Republic Egypt Ethiopia Nepal Viet Nam Peru Bangladesh
Married before age 15 Married at age 18 or older
Median age at first marriage or union among women aged 20 to 24 years, in selected countries
The practice of child marriage is slowly declining. Progress is most dramatic when it comes to the marriage of girls under 15 years of age. Globally, 1 in 4 young women alive today were married in childhood versus 1 in 3 in the early 1980s. The proportion of young women who entered into marriage before age 15 declined from 12 per cent to 8 per cent over the same period.
But progress has been uneven across regions and countries. In the Middle East and North Africa, the percentage of women married before age 18 has dropped by about half, from 34 per cent to 18 per cent, over the last three decades. In South Asia, the decline has been especially marked for marriages
involving girls under age 15, dropping from 32 per cent to 17 per cent; the marriage of girls under age 18, however, is still commonplace. Although rates of child marriage are lower overall in Latin America and the Caribbean, no significant change has been seen in the prevalence of child marriage. In Indonesia and Morocco, the risk of marrying before age 18 is less than half of what it was three decades ago. In Ethiopia, women aged 20 to 24 are marrying about three years later than their counterparts three decades ago. However, in some countries where child marriage is common, including Burkina Faso and Niger, the median age at first marriage has not changed significantly.
ProGrEss to DatE
In Ethiopia, young women are marrying later
than their counterparts three decades ago
Percentage of women aged 20 to 24 years who were married or in unionbefore age 18, by region
The Middle East and North Africa has made the
fastest progress in reducing child marriage
Note: Estimates are based on a subset of countries covering at least 50 per cent of the global population of women aged 20 to 24 years. Regional estimates represent data covering at least 50 per cent of the regional population. Data coverage is below 50 per cent for East Asia and the Pacific region due to the lack of comparable data on child marriage for China in UNICEF global databases.
Percentage of women aged 20 to 24 years who were married or in union before ages 15 and 18
Globally, the practice of child marriage is declining, especially when it comes to the marriage of girls
under age 15
Note: Estimates are based on a subset of countries covering at least 50 per cent of the global population of women aged 20 to 24 years.
50
10 20 30 40
0
Married before age 15
Married after age 15 but before age 18
1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010
33
31 31 31
28
26
50
10 60
20 70
30 40
0
1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010
South Asia West and Central Africa Eastern and Southern Africa Middle East and North Africa
East Asia and the Pacific
CEE/CIS
Latin America and the Caribbean
18.9 17.9
14 years 15 years 16 years 17 years 18 years 19 years 20 years
Niger Burkina Faso
Ethiopia
15.6 15.6 18.0
1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010
But that was the past. What does the future hold for present and future generations of girls?
Of the world’s 1.1 billion girls, 22 million are already married. Hundreds of millions more are at risk, and the number will only grow as populations increase. Here are a couple of possible scenarios:
If there is no reduction in the practice of child marriage, up to 280 million girls alive today are at risk of becoming brides by the time they turn 18. Due to population growth, this number will approach 320 million by 2050. The total number of women married in childhood will grow from more than 700 million today to approximately 950 million by 2030, and
nearly 1.2 billion by 2050. The number of girls under age 18 married each year will grow from 15 million today to 16.5 million in 2030 to over 18 million in 2050.
However, we know that progress has occurred over the last three decades. If the current rate of progress is sustained, the proportion of women married as children will continue to decrease: from 33 per cent in 1985 to 22 per cent by 2030 and to 18 per cent by 2050. Despite gains, this rate of decline is barely fast enough to keep pace with population growth. Even if progress continues, the total number of women married as children will still be around 700 million in 2050, although nearly 490 million girls will have avoided early marriage.
ProsPECts
If progress is accelerated, there will be 1 in 10 child brides in the world in 2050 compared to 1 in 4 today
Unless progress is accelerated, the global number of child brides will remain at least as high as it is today
Today 2020 2025 2035 2045
1995 2000 2015 2020 2035 2040 2045 2050
1985 1990 2005 2010 2025 2030
2030 2040 2050
Married before age 15
Married after age 15 but before age 18
720 million
33%
18%
11% 26%
1.2 billion
710 million
450 million
Number of women aged 18 and older who were married or in union before age 18 If prevalence remains at today's levels
If observed decline continues If progress is accelerated
Percentage of women aged 20 to 24 years who were married or in union before age 18
Percentage of women aged 20 to 24 expected to be married or in union before age 18 if observed decline continues
Percentage of women aged 20 to 24 expected to be married or in union before age 18 if progress is accelerated
Number of women aged 20 to 24 years who were married or in union before age 18, according to three scenarios
Prevalence remains at today’s levels Observed decline continues Progress is accelerated
To reduce the number to under 700 million, progress will need to accelerate. If the rate of decline seen over the past three decades is doubled, the total number of women who married as children would drop to approximately 570 million by 2030 and 450 million by 2050. We know such progress is possible since the rate of decline from 2000 is already faster than the average achieved over the past three decades. Sub-Saharan Africa presents the most extreme scenario. Even if the current pace of progress is maintained, it will not be fast enough to offset population growth. The number of women married as children will double by 2050, and the region will surpass South Asia in having the largest number of child brides from the current level. In this region, even
doubling the current rate of decline would not be enough to reduce the number of child brides.
In Africa, Nigeria is expected to have the largest absolute number of child brides. The country has seen a decline in child marriage of about 1 per cent per year over the past three decades. At this pace, the total number of child brides is expected to double by 2050.
In contrast to global trends, some countries have experienced stagnant or even increasing levels of child marriage. In Burkina Faso, prevalence has remained constant at around 50 per cent for the past three decades. If this persists, the number of child brides will increase substantially in the coming years as the population expands.
In Nigeria, a continued decline in child marriage
will not be enough to offset population growth, in
contrast to Indonesia
Due to rapid population growth, the number
of child brides in Burkina Faso will increase
dramatically, unlike Colombia
Sub-Saharan Africa will have the largest number and global share of child brides by 2050
72 90 56 36 72 72 2050 2015 2045 2010 2040 2005 2035 2000 2030 1995 2025 1990 2020 1985 2050 2015 2045 2010 2040 2005 2035 2000 2030 1995 2025 1990 2020 1985 2050 2015 2045 2010 2040 2005 2035 2000 2030 1995 2025 1990 2020
1985 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 2020 2025 2030 2035 2040 2045 2050
0 Millions 9 36 24 17 1 12 6 20 8 4 10 34 11 9 9
21 21 21
28 28 28
14 14 14
6,000,000 5,000,000 4,000,000 3,000,000 2,000,000 1,000,000 56% 44% 43% 28% 4% 33% 7% 17% 2050 2015 2045 2010 2040 2005 2035 2000 2030 1995 2025 1990 2020 1985 1,000,000 800,000 600,000 400,000 200,000 0
Steady around 52%
Steady around 23%
Percentage of women aged 20 to 24 years married or in union before age 18
Burkina Faso Colombia
Number of women aged 20 to 24 years married or in union before age 18
Burkina Faso Colombia
Rest of world South Asia East Asia and the Pacific Sub-Saharan Africa
Percentage of women aged 20 to 24 years married or in union before age 18
Indonesia Nigeria
Number of women aged 20 to 24 years married or in union before age 18
Indonesia Nigeria
UNiCEF
Data and Analytics Section Division of Policy and Research 3 United Nations Plaza
New York, NY 10017, USA
telephone: +1 212 326 7000 E-mail: [email protected]
data.unicef.org
Ending child marriage
will help
break the intergenerational cycle of
poverty by allowing girls and women
to participate more fully in society.
Empowered and educated girls are
better able to nourish and care for
their children, leading to healthier,
smaller families. When girls are
allowed to be girls, everybody wins.
Data sources: UNICEF global databases, 2014, based on Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS), Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS) and other nationally
representative surveys, 2005-2013. Population data are from: United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division, World Population
Prospects: The 2012 revision, CD-ROM edition, United Nations, New York, 2013.
