Niger has the highest child marriage rate in the world among girls. According to the most recent data, in this West African country, more than three-fourths of girls aged under 18 were married, with nearly 30 percent of them being younger than 15 years old. The Central African Republic, Chad, and Mali followed behind with rates ranging from 61 to 54 percent. This issue is globally spread, particularly in African countries. In many of these countries, the legal age to get married is lower for females than for males. In Niger and Chad, for instance, the legal age is 15 years for females and 18 for males. In Guinea, instead, the legal age for marriage is 17 for females and 18 for males. Child marriage is often related to poverty, with poor families choosing to marry away their girls, both to earn money as a wedding gift and as this means fewer mouths to feed.

In 2024, Bangladesh had the highest prevalence of female child marriage across the Asia-Pacific region, as over **** percent of girls and young women between the ages of 15 and 19 years in the country were married or had been married before. In contrast, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore all had female child marriage shares of below *** percent.

In 2024, almost one in five young women were married before their 18th birthday worldwide. Sub-Saharan Africa had the largest share of girls married before the age of 18, but also the largest share of girls married before 15 (9.4 percent).

The graph shows the share of women aged 20 to 24 who were first married or in union before they turned ** in selected countries in Latin America and the Caribbean in 2016. In Nicaragua, the share was the highest and amounted to ** percent. Fertility rate in Nicaragua was at **** in 2015, i.e. that on average, Nicaraguan women bore **** children in their lifetime (data as of 2015).

This asset contains disaggregated data on the prevented child marriages in Bangladesh by location. The Protecting Human Rights (PHR) Program works to reduce domestic violence, child marriage and related human rights abuses in 102 unions under eight upazilas of six districts. With support from USAID from March 2011 to March 2017, PHR was implemented by Plan International Bangladesh, the Bangladesh National Women Lawyers’ Association and 11 local NGOs. PHR uses an integrated and broad-based approach that includes advocacy, capacity building, access to justice, services for survivors, and mass awareness and educational projects.

BackgroundGirl education is believed to be the best means of reducing girl child marriage (marriage <18 years) globally. However, in South Asia, where the majority of girl child marriages occur, substantial improvements in girl education have not corresponded to equivalent reductions in child marriage. This study examines the levels of education associated with female age at marriage over the previous 20 years across four South Asian nations with high rates (>20%) of girl child marriage- Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Pakistan.MethodsCross-sectional time series analyses were conducted on Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) from 1991 to 2011 in the four focal nations. Analyses were restricted to ever-married women aged 20–24 years. Multinomial logistic regression models were used to assess the effect of highest level of education received (none, primary, secondary or higher) on age at marriage (<14, 14–15, 16–17, 18 and older).ResultsIn Bangladesh and Pakistan, primary education was not protective against girl child marriage; in Nepal, it was protective against marriage at <14 years (AOR = 0.42) but not for older adolescents. Secondary education was protective across minor age at marriage categories in Bangladesh (<14 years AOR = 0.10; 14–15 years AOR = .25; 16–17 years AOR = 0.64) and Nepal (<14 years AOR = 0.21; 14–15 years AOR = 0.25; 16–17 years AOR = 0.57), but protective against marriage of only younger adolescents in Pakistan (<14 years AOR = 0.19; 14–15 years AOR = 0.23). In India, primary and secondary education were respectively protective across all age at marriage categories (<14 years AOR = 0.34, AOR = 0.05; 14–15 years AOR = 0.52, AOR = 0.20; 16–17 years AOR = 0.71, AOR = 0.48).ConclusionPrimary education is likely insufficient to reduce girl child marriage in South Asia, outside of India. Secondary education may be a better protective strategy against this practice for the region, but may be less effective for prevention of marriage among older relative to younger adolescents.

We study the impact of a scholarship-based intervention aimed to reduce child marriage by fostering secondary education among adolescent girls in Niger. Using a large-scale randomized controlled trial, we find that, after three years of implementation, the intervention led to large and positive effects: it halved both dropout and marriage rates, and raised girls’ and their parents’ aspirations. Importantly, there is no displacement effect detrimental to the education and marriage status of non-beneficiary girls. This paper shows that financial aid for education has the potential to transform girl adolescents’ life.

BackgroundAdolescent girls aged 15–19 bear a disproportionate burden of negative sexual and reproductive health outcomes in low- and middle-income countries. Research from several high-income countries suggests that early age at menarche is an important determinant of sexual and reproductive health. We conducted this systematic review to better understand whether and how early menarche is associated with various negative sexual and reproductive health outcomes in low- and middle-income countries and the implications of such associations.MethodsWe systematically searched eight health and social sciences databases for peer-reviewed literature on menarche and sexual and reproductive health in low- and middle-income countries. Two reviewers independently assessed all studies for inclusion, overall quality and risk of bias, and performed data extraction on all included studies.ResultsTwenty-four articles met all inclusion criteria–nine of moderate quality and fifteen with several methodological weaknesses. Our review of the minimal existing literature showed that early menarche is associated with early sexual initiation, early pregnancy and some sexually transmitted infections in low- and middle-income countries, similar to what has been observed in high-income countries. Early menarche is also associated with early marriage–an association that may have particularly important implications for countries with high child marriage rates.ConclusionsEarly age at menarche may be an important factor affecting the sexual and reproductive health of adolescent girls and young women in low- and middle-income countries. More research is needed to confirm the existence of the identified associations across different settings and to better understand the process through which early menarche and other markers of early pubertal development may contribute to the increased vulnerability of girls to negative sexual and reproductive health outcomes in low- and middle-income countries. Given the association of early menarche with early marriage, ongoing efforts to reduce child marriage may benefit from targeting efforts to early maturing girls.

Percentage of women aged 20 to 24 years who were first married or in union before ages 15 and 18, including country breakdown

Definition: Percentage of women aged 20 to 24 years who were first married or in union before ages 15 and 18.

Child marriage, defined by the United Nations as marriage before the age of 18, is considered a violation of human rights with negative consequences for girls’ health. We systematically reviewed existing academic literature and news media to learn what is known about the frequency of child marriage in Canada and its effects on health. Approximately 1% of 15-19-year-olds in Canada were married or in common law unions in 2016. News reports document cases of child marriage among religious minority communities but no nationwide estimates of the frequency of marriage before the age of 18 were identified. Sources consistently show girls are more likely to marry as teens than boys. Information on married teens between 15 and 19 years of age suggests similarities in marriage patterns among this age group in Canada and child marriage practices globally. Further research is needed to measure Canada’s progress toward eliminating child marriage.

As of 2020, around **** percent of young women in Sub-Saharan Africa were married before the age of **. Child marriage was a common practice in the region. In the Central African Republic, one out of four young women were married or in a union before turning 15 years. Chad registered a similar rate - ** percent. On the other hand, South Africa and Lesotho were the countries with the lowest share of girls marrying before **, at around *** percent.

These data are part of NACJD's Fast Track Release and are distributed as they were received from the data depositor. The files have been zipped by NACJD for release, but not checked or processed except for the removal of direct identifiers. Users should refer to the accompanying readme file for a brief description of the files available with this collection and consult the investigator(s) if further information is needed. The Urban Institute, in collaboration with Tahirih Justice Center, sought to examine forced marriages in the United States via an exploratory study of the victimization experiences of those subjected to and threatened with forced marriage. The study also sought to begin to understand elements at the intersection of forced marriage with intimate partner and sexual violence, such as: how perpetrators threaten and actually force victims into marriages; the elements of force, fraud, or coercion in the tactics used to carry out victimization; other case demographics and dynamics (e.g., overseas marriages versus those in the United States); factors that put individuals at risk of forced marriage or that trigger or elevate their risk of related abuses; help-seeking behavior; the role of social, cultural, and religious norms in forced marriage; and the ability (or lack thereof) of service providers, school officials, and government agencies with protection mandates (law enforcement, child protection, and social workers) to screen for, and respond to, potential and reported cases of forced marriage. This collection contains 1 Stata file: ICPSR-Data-File.dta (21007 cases; 48 variables). The qualitative data are not available as part of this data collection at this time.

United States US: Law Prohibits or Invalidates Child or Early Marriage: 1=Yes; 0=No data was reported at 1.000 NA in 2017. This stayed constant from the previous number of 1.000 NA for 2015. United States US: Law Prohibits or Invalidates Child or Early Marriage: 1=Yes; 0=No data is updated yearly, averaging 1.000 NA from Sep 2015 (Median) to 2017, with 2 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 1.000 NA in 2017 and a record low of 1.000 NA in 2017. United States US: Law Prohibits or Invalidates Child or Early Marriage: 1=Yes; 0=No data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s USA – Table US.World Bank: Policy and Institutions. Law prohibits or invalidates child or early marriage is whether there are provisions that prevent the marriage of girls, boys, or both before they reach the legal age of marriage or the age of marriage with consent, including, for example, a prohibition on registering the marriage or provisions stating that such a marriage is null and void.; ; World Bank: Women, Business and the Law.; ;

In India, the underage marriage rate among female children of 15 years or younger amounted to ***** percent from 2014 to 2020. During the same period, approximately ** percent of female children got married by the age of ** across the country.

Characteristics of the moderate quality studies included in the systematic review on early menarche and sexual and reproductive health in low- and middle-income countries.

El Salvador SV: Law Prohibits or Invalidates Child or Early Marriage: 1=Yes; 0=No data was reported at 1.000 NA in 2017. This stayed constant from the previous number of 1.000 NA for 2015. El Salvador SV: Law Prohibits or Invalidates Child or Early Marriage: 1=Yes; 0=No data is updated yearly, averaging 1.000 NA from Dec 2015 (Median) to 2017, with 2 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 1.000 NA in 2017 and a record low of 1.000 NA in 2017. El Salvador SV: Law Prohibits or Invalidates Child or Early Marriage: 1=Yes; 0=No data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s El Salvador – Table SV.World Bank.WDI: Policy and Institutions. Law prohibits or invalidates child or early marriage is whether there are provisions that prevent the marriage of girls, boys, or both before they reach the legal age of marriage or the age of marriage with consent, including, for example, a prohibition on registering the marriage or provisions stating that such a marriage is null and void.; ; World Bank: Women, Business and the Law.; ;

San Marino Law Prohibits or Invalidates Child or Early Marriage: 1=Yes; 0=No data was reported at 1.000 NA in 2017. This stayed constant from the previous number of 1.000 NA for 2015. San Marino Law Prohibits or Invalidates Child or Early Marriage: 1=Yes; 0=No data is updated yearly, averaging 1.000 NA from Dec 2015 (Median) to 2017, with 2 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 1.000 NA in 2017 and a record low of 1.000 NA in 2017. San Marino Law Prohibits or Invalidates Child or Early Marriage: 1=Yes; 0=No data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s San Marino – Table SM.World Bank.WDI: Policy and Institutions. Law prohibits or invalidates child or early marriage is whether there are provisions that prevent the marriage of girls, boys, or both before they reach the legal age of marriage or the age of marriage with consent, including, for example, a prohibition on registering the marriage or provisions stating that such a marriage is null and void.; ; World Bank: Women, Business and the Law.; ;

A clustered randomized trial in Bangladesh examines alternative strategies to reduce child marriage and teenage childbearing and increase girl's education. Communities were randomized into three treatment and one control group in a 2:1:1:2 ratio. From 2008, girls in treatment communities received either i) a six-month empowerment program, ii) a financial incentive to delay marriage, or iii) empowerment plus incentive. Data from 15,739 girls 4.5 years after program completion show that girls eligible for the incentive for at least two years were less likely to be married under 18, less likely to have given birth under 20, and more likely to be in school at age 22. Unlike other incentive programs that are conditional on girls staying in school, an incentive conditional on marriage alone has the potential to benefit out-of-school girls. We find insignificantly different effects for girls in and out of school at baseline. The empowerment program did not decrease child marriage or teenage childbearing. However, girls eligible for the empowerment program were more likely to be in-school.

PubMed specifications of search strategy for systematic review on early menarche and sexual and reproductive health in low- and middle-income countries.

CR: Law Prohibits or Invalidates Child or Early Marriage: 1=Yes; 0=No data was reported at 1.000 NA in 2017. This stayed constant from the previous number of 1.000 NA for 2015. CR: Law Prohibits or Invalidates Child or Early Marriage: 1=Yes; 0=No data is updated yearly, averaging 1.000 NA from Dec 2015 (Median) to 2017, with 2 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 1.000 NA in 2017 and a record low of 1.000 NA in 2017. CR: Law Prohibits or Invalidates Child or Early Marriage: 1=Yes; 0=No data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Costa Rica – Table CR.World Bank.WDI: Governance: Policy and Institutions. Law prohibits or invalidates child or early marriage is whether there are provisions that prevent the marriage of girls, boys, or both before they reach the legal age of marriage or the age of marriage with consent, including, for example, a prohibition on registering the marriage or provisions stating that such a marriage is null and void.; ; World Bank: Women, Business and the Law.; ;