Global Overview of Child Marriages

Child marriage is defined as any formal marriage or informal union where at least one party is under the age of 18. It disproportionately affects girls, though boys are also impacted in smaller numbers. Below is a summary of key global statistics based on recent data from organizations like UNICEF and Plan International, reflecting figures up to 2025. Note that prevalence is often measured as the percentage of women aged 20-24 who were married before specific ages, as this captures recent trends among young adults.

Key Global Statistics

• Total Number Affected: An estimated 650 million girls and women alive today were married before their 18th birthday. 38 This includes both formal marriages and informal unions.
• Annual Incidence: Around 12 million girls under age 18 enter into marriages or unions each year. 38
• Prevalence Rates:
• Globally, about 1 in 5 (21%) of women aged 20-24 were married before age 18, down from 1 in 4 (25%) a decade ago. 38
• Approximately 1 in 3 child brides (about 250 million of those married before 18) entered unions before age 15. 24 Recent reports indicate some girls are married as young as 12, often in regions with high poverty or cultural norms favoring early unions. 13
• Age Gaps Involved: In many cases, child brides are paired with significantly older partners. For instance, 45% of girls in a 2025 study were married to men at least 5 years older, with some gaps exceeding 10 or 20 years. 25 This contributes to power imbalances, violence, and limited agency for the girls.

Regional Distribution and Hotspots

• Child marriage occurs worldwide but is most prevalent in low- and middle-income countries.
• Sub-Saharan Africa: Now the region with the highest burden, accounting for about 18% (115 million) of global child brides. 38 It’s home to nearly 1 in 3 of the most recent child marriages. 38 Countries like Niger have rates as high as 77% of women married before 18. 17
• South Asia: Hosts the largest number of child brides at 44% (285 million) of the global total. 38 Progress has been made here, with rates dropping from 50% to 30% in the last decade, largely due to education and awareness efforts in countries like India. 38
• East Asia and Pacific: About 93 million child brides, with 1 in 13 young women married before 18. 31 Poorer families see rates up to 8 times higher. 23
• Latin America and the Caribbean: No significant progress in 25 years, with stagnant rates. 38
• Other regions like the Middle East, North Africa, and parts of Europe and Central Asia have lower but persistent rates, often tied to informal unions.

Trends and Projections

• Positive Trends: Global rates have declined by 15% over the past decade, shifting the epicenter from South Asia to sub-Saharan Africa. 38 Factors like increased girls’ education, government policies, and awareness campaigns have driven this.
• Challenges and Projections: At current rates, eliminating child marriage by 2030 (SDG target) is unlikely; progress needs to accelerate 12-20 times faster. 37 38 Without faster action, it could take 300 years to end the practice. 37
• Impacts on Ages Involved: Early marriage often leads to school dropout (35% of child brides in recent studies), early pregnancy, violence (over 10% report abuse), and limited opportunities. 13 Drivers include poverty, cultural norms, and lack of alternatives, with 25% of girls having no say in the decision. 13

This data highlights that while progress is being made, child marriage remains a widespread issue affecting millions, particularly girls in their early teens. For more detailed country-level data, resources like UNICEF’s Data Portal or Girls Not Brides Atlas are recommended.