Child marriage is mostly prevalent in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. Niger, in sub-Saharan Africa, has the highest rate of child brides globally. Seventy-six percent of girls are married before the age of 18.
Countries with the highest share of married girls 2022
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.
In Australia the marriageable age is 18. It is illegal under Australian law for any person under the age of 16, and two people under the age of 18, to marry. The Australian Federal Police (AFP) has specialised teams to investigate forced marriage.
Uttar Pradesh is home to the largest population of child brides, with 36 million.
Niger. Forced marriage is common in Niger. Niger has the highest prevalence of child marriage in the world; and also the highest total fertility rate. Girls who attempt to leave forced marriages are most often rejected by their families and are often forced to enter prostitution in order to survive.
While “Indian Matchmaking” may have been America's first exposure to the practice of arranged marriages, in India, the phenomenon is as prevalent as Western dating apps, if not more. In fact, approximately 90 percent of the marriages in India today are reported to be arranged marriages.
UNICEF reports that the top eight nations in the world with the highest observed child marriage rates are Niger (75%), Chad (72%), Mali (71%), Bangladesh (64%), Guinea (63%), Central African Republic (61%), Mozambique (56%), and Nepal (51%).
12 million girls – every year, 12 million girls marry before their 18th birthday – that's nearly half the Australian population. 1 in 5 girls – one in five girls is married, or in union, before turning 18.
Jammu and Kashmir was reported to be the only state with lowest child marriage cases at 0.4% in 2009.
As per the 1929 Act, marriage of girls below the age of 14 years and boys below the age of 18 years was prohibited. This Act was amended in 1978 to increase the minimum age to 18 years for females, and 21 years for men.
Between 2019-20 the Australian Federal Police reported 223 cases relating to human trafficking and slavery, 92 of which were forced marriage cases. Of those forced marriage cases, 51% involved victims under the age of 18 years.
You must be at least 18 years old to get married, unless one of you is aged between 16 and 18 and: you have court approval by a judge or magistrate to marry. consent by your parent or guardian has been given or dispensed with.
A marriage will not be valid if the parties are in a 'prohibited relationship' (s 23B(1)(b) Marriage Act). A prohibited relationship is one between a brother and sister (including half-blood) or between a person and an ancestor (i.e. a parent or grandparent) or descendant (i.e. a child or grandchild).
For example, in India, where 40 percent of the world's known child brides reside, child marriage is prevalent among both Muslims and Hindus. In Burkina Faso and Ethiopia, child marriage is practiced by Christians and Muslims alike.
The highest percent is in Iceland, where nearly 7 out of 10 children (69.4%) are born outside of marriage. Second is France, with well over 6 out of 10 births (62.2%) out of wedlock.
Similarly, in Equatorial Guinea and São Tomé and Principe, children can marry at the age of 14 with their parents' consent but have to wait until they are 18 otherwise.
The share of married-couple families without children also declined slightly to 28 percent between 1980 and 2010, but increased to 30 percent between 2010 and 2017—almost back to the 1960 level of 31 percent.
Marriage Age for Girls in India 2023: Girls in India can get married at the age of 18, which is the legal age. According to the PCMA, any marriage involving a girl below the age of 18 years is considered child marriage and is punishable by law.
“The good news is that child marriage has been declining all over the world,” said Claudia Cappa, the lead author of the report. “In the last 10 years, the percentage of child marriages has dropped from 23% to 19% [of all marriages].
Divorce Rates in Australia
The most recent divorce rates stand at 2.2 divorces per 1,000 Australian residents. 56,244 divorces were granted in 2021, with 48,432 involving children.
The average age of mothers has been rising over time, from 30.0 in 2010 to 30.9 in 2020. Average maternal age has risen for both first-time mothers (from 28.3 years in 2010 to 29.6 in 2020) and those who have given birth previously (from 31.3 years in 2010 to 32.0 in 2020).
In Australia, the average age gap between opposite-sex couples is 1.8 years. This statistic is a telling indication of the reality of age difference between couples in Australia.
The Maldives has the highest divorce rate in the world, at approximately 5.5 divorces per 1,000 people. This has been an issue for some time now, with more and more couples deciding to end their marriages instead of choosing to stay together.
Joan of France, Duchess of Berry (age 12), was betrothed in a wedding contract at age 8-days-old, she was officially married at the age of twelve in 1476, to her cousin Louis, Duke of Orléans (aged 14).
Sub-Saharan Africa has 86.6 million child laborers, more than anywhere else. Family poverty and ill-equipped schools are two major reasons children in low-income countries are in the labor force.