Country

year(s)
Child Marriage
Child Marriage: Levels & Disaggregates

Marriage before Age 15 & Age 18: SDG 5.3.1 Disaggregates in Marriage before Age 18

Total 23

38

Total

Pre-primary or no education 46
13

Primary 21

Secondary+ 3
42

Rural

16
Poorest 54

Second 51

29
Middle 40

Urban
Fourth 34
9

Richest 19

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 0 20 40 60 80 100
Percent
Percent
Married by 18 Married by 15

Percentage of women age 20-24 years who were first married or in union before Percentage of women age 20-49 years who were first married or in union
age 15 and before age 18*, by residence before age 18, by wealth quintile and education

Key Messages
• 1 in 5 adolescent girls age 15-19 are • 1 in 10 married adolescents age 15-19 have a married or in union before age 18
currently married, half of which are in a partner who is 10 or more years older
polygynous union

• 15% of men aged 20 to 24 years were first

Regional Data on Child Marriage

Region Marriage by age 18

Marriage before the age of 18 is a reality for many
National 87 young girls. In many parts of the world parents
encourage the marriage of their daughters while
Region 1 19 they are still children in hopes that the marriage
Region 2 21 will benefit them both financially and socially,
Region 3 32 while also relieving financial burdens on the
Region 4 45 family. In actual fact, child marriage is a violation
Region 5 49 of human rights, compromising the development
Region 6 26 of girls and often resulting in early pregnancy and
Region 7 29 social isolation, with little education and poor
Region 8 19 vocational training reinforcing the gendered nature
Region 9 21 of poverty. The right to 'free and full' consent to a
Region 10 32 marriage is recognized in the Universal
Region 11 45 Declaration of Human Rights - with the
Region 12 49 recognition that consent cannot be 'free and full'
Region 13 26 when one of the parties involved is not sufficiently
Region 14 29 mature to make an informed decision about a life
Region 15 19 partner.
Region 16 21
Percentage of women aged 20 to 49 years who were first married or in union before age 18, by region

Trends in Child Marriage

100

80

60
Percent

40

20

0
45-49 40-44 35-39 30-34 25-29 20-24
Age cohort
Married by 15 Married by 18

Percentage of women age 20-49 years who were first married or in union before age 15 and before age 18, by age cohort

The Country Multiple Indicator Cluster
Survey (MICS) was carried out in 2014 by the
National Bureau of Statistics as part of the
global MICS programme. Technical support
was provided by the United Nations Children’s
Fund (UNICEF). UNICEF and Name of other
organizations providing financial support
provided financial support.
The objective of this snapshot is to
disseminate selected findings from the
Country MICS 2014 related to Early
Marriage. Data from this snapshot can be
found in tables PR4.1W.
Further statistical snapshots and the Survey
Findings Report for this and other surveys are
available on mics.unicef.org/surveys.