Kuwait

There is no publicly available government data on child marriage in Kuwait.

The practice is reportedly common among tribal groups in the country and amongst the Bedouin communities Data on child marriage, its prevalence and frequency is limited and it is unclear whether the government collects this data. In recent reports, it was estimated that 6% of girls under the age of 18 were married.

Child marriage is driven by gender inequality and the belief that women and girls are somehow inferior to men and boys.

There is limited information on child marriage in Kuwait, but available evidence indicates that is exacerbated by:

• Sexual violence against girls: As reported by a local NGO, the Kuwaiti Penal Code includes provisions that exonerates a perpetrator of sexual violence if he marries his victim.
  

Kuwait has committed to ending child, early and forced marriage by 2030 in line with target 5.3 of the Sustainable Development Goals.

During its Voluntary National Review at the 2019 High Level Political Forum, the government provided an update on progress towards this target, highlighting that the number of girls getting married below the age of 15, and between the ages of 15-19 years, have been progressively decreasing in recent years.

The government submitted a Voluntary National Review at the 2023 High-Level Political Forum, but there was no mention of child marriage.

Kuwait ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1991, which the Committee on the Rights of the Child has interpreted to recommend the establishment of a minimum age of marriage of 18, and acceded to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) in 1994, which obligates states to ensure free and full consent to marriage.

During its 2017 review, the CEDAW Committee expressed regret about the limited efforts made by Kuwait to eliminate child marriage. It highlighted serious concerns regarding the government’s stance that revision of any discriminatory provisions related to child marriage would contravene the Sharia and the Constitution. It also raised concerns about the legalisation of child marriage under Articles 24 and 26 of the Personal Status Act 1984 and recommended that the government repeal all discriminatory provisions related to child marriage.

During its 2015 Universal Periodic Review, Kuwait agreed to examine recommendations to raise the minimum age of marriage to 18. In the 2019 Universal Periodic Review, the Human Rights Committee highlighted the lack of progress in raising the minimum age for marriage and other discriminatory marriage laws.

In 2022, the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child recommended that the government raise awareness on the harmful effects of child marriage and FGM/C on the mental and physical health of girls, and that this should be targeted towards religious and community leaders, healthcare workers, teachers and law enforcement.

In 2013 the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child expressed concern over the government not raising the minimum age of marriage (17 years for boys and 15 years for girls). The Committee urged the government to raise the minimum age in line with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Under Decree-Law No. 10 of 2025, which came into effect on 16 March 2025, the minimum legal age for marriage in Kuwait is set at 18 years for both girls and boys. The law amends Article 26 of Law No. 51 of 1984 (Personal Status Law) and Article 15 of the Jaafari Personal Status Law No. 124/2019, prohibiting the documentation or ratification of marriage contracts involving individuals under the age of 18.

Previously, the minimum legal age for marriage was 15 for girls and 17 for boys, with parental or judicial consent. Article 24 of the Personal Status Law has also been cited as permitting marriage below the minimum age if the individuals had reached puberty.