Latin America and Caribbean
Prevalence rates
Child marriage by 15
Child marriage by 18
Interactive atlas of child marriage
Explore child marriage data in an interactive map view and layer data sets.
Nearly 1 in 4 girls across Latin America are married off before the age of 18 [1]. Due to a lack of data in many countries, however, the scope of child marriage is not fully known.
Current estimates vary widely between and within countries and among rural and indigenous groups. The highest prevalence rates can be observed in the Dominican Republic (36%), Brazil (36%), Mexico (26%) and in Central American countries, such as Nicaragua (41%), Honduras (34%) and Guatemala (30%) [2].
Drivers
A recent study by Population Council (2013) and data from Demographic and Health Surveys indicate that early unions, which are informal, are more prevalent than early marriages or formalised unions in Latin America and the Caribbean [3].
Girls who are most at risk of child marriage are from rural areas and poor households and often belong to indigenous groups. Social stigma around early pregnancies and single motherhood often push adolescent girls into informal unions [4].
Progress and prospects
Latin America and the Caribbean is the only region of the world where child marriage is not on the decline – no significant change has been observed in the prevalence over the last 30 years [5].
Regional initiatives addressing child marriage
In November 2015, UN Women, UNFPA, UNAIDS, UNICEF and the Pan America Health Organization launched a regional programme on preventing violence against women and girls, which promotes changes in the laws to eliminate all exceptions to the minimum age of marriage [6].
Under 18 prevalence in Latin America and Caribbean
Top 5 countries with the highest prevalence rates of child marriage in Latin America and Caribbean
| Position | Country |
|---|---|
| 1 | |
| 2 | |
| 3 | |
| 4 | |
| 5 |
*Percentage of women 20-24 years old who were first married or in union before they were 18 years old. Source: UNICEF global databases 2025, based on Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS), Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS), and other national surveys.
Under 18 burden in Latin America and Caribbean
Top 5 countries with the highest absolute numbers of child marriage in Latin America and Caribbean
National Partnerships and Coalitions in Latin America and Caribbean
In this region we have national partnerships. Many Girls Not Brides member organisations have come together to accelerate progress to end child marriage in their countries by forming National or State Partnerships and coalitions. Below is an overview of what and where these networks are, what they do and how they work with Girls Not Brides.
Countries in Latin America and Caribbean
Data sources
- [1] UNICEF, State of the World’s Children, 2017.
- [2] UNICEF, State of the World’s Children, 2017.
- [3] Population Council, 2013.
- [4] Girls Not Brides, Exploratory research: child marriage in Latin America, 2014.
- [5] UNICEF, Ending child marriage: progress and prospects, 2014.
- [6] UN Women, UN launches regional flagship programme to eradicate child marriage, 27 November 2015.
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Last updated:
11 October 2024