Child marriage is a truly global problem that cuts across countries, cultures, religions and ethnicities. Child brides can be found in every region in the world, from the Middle East to Latin America, South Asia to Europe.
Child marriage: 20 highest-prevalence countries in the world (%)
* Child marriage prevalence is the percentage of women 20-24 years old who were married or in union before they were 18 years old (UNICEF State of the World’s Children, 2012). It is based on Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS), Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) and other national surveys, and refers to the most recent year available during the period 2000-2010.
If we do nothing, by the end of the decade an estimated 142 million girls will be married as children.
In the developing world are said to be married before 18.
Globally, almost 400 million women aged 20-49 were married before 18.