Marry in haste, repent at leisure: lowest, highest age for marriages worldwide
India tops the list of highest absolute numbers of child marriages with 1,00,6300 marriages
(Web Desk) – Government of Spain announced that it will raise the minimum age for tying the matrimonial knot from 14 to 16 in order to bring it with par with standards prevalent Europe-wide.
The decision has brought into highlight an issue not commonly debated upon; the lowest and highest ages worldwide for trying the knot.
According to a list extracted from U.N sources by The Independent, the lowest age for getting hitched in Europe is 15, in Estonia. The top two countries which rank for the lowest marriage ages are Iran and Saudi Arabia with 9 and 10 years each.
| Country | Boys | Girls |
| Afghanistan | 18 | 16 |
| Albania | 18 | 18 |
| Algeria | 19 | 19 |
| Andorra** | 14 | 14 |
| Angola | 16 | 15 |
| Antigua and Barbuda | 15 | 15 |
| Argentina | 18 | 18 |
| Armenia | 16 | 16 |
| Australia | 16 | 16 |
| Austria | 16 | 16 |
| Azerbajian | 18 | 17 |
| The Bahamas | 15 | 15 |
| Bahrain | 18 | 15 |
| Bangladesh | 21 | 18 |
| Barbados | 18 | 18 |
| Belarus | 16 | 14 |
| Belgium** | 18 | 18 |
| Belize | 16 | 16 |
| Benin | 18 | 18 |
| Bhutan | 18 | 18 |
| Bolivia | 16 | 14 |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | 16 | 16 |
| Botswana | 18 | 18 |
| Brazil | 16 | 16 |
| Brunei | 13 | 13 |
| Bulgaria** | 16 | 16 |
| Burkina Faso** | 20 | 17 |
| Burundi | 21 | 18 |
| Cambodia | 20 | 18 |
| Cameroon | 18 | 15 |
| Canada | 16 | 16 |
| Cape Verde | 18 | 18 |
| Central African Republic | 18 | 18 |
| Chad | 18 | 17 |
| Chile | 16 | 16 |
| China | 22 | 20 |
| Colombia | 14 | 12 |
| Comoros | 18 | 18 |
| Congo Brazzaville | 21 | 18 |
| Costa Rica | 15 | 15 |
| Cote D Ivoire | 20 | 18 |
| Croatia | 18 | 18 |
| Cuba | 16 | 14 |
| Cyprus | 16 | 16 |
| Czech Republic** | 16 | 16 |
| Democratic Republic of Congo | 18 | 15 |
| Denmark | 18 | 18 |
| Djibouti | 18 | 18 |
| Dominica | 16 | 16 |
| Dominican Republic | 16 | 15 |
| Ecuador** | 14 | 12 |
| El Salvador** | 14 | 14 |
| Egypt | 18 | 18 |
| Equatorial Guinea | 18 | 18 |
| Eritrea | 18 | 18 |
| Estonia** | 15 | 15 |
| Ethiopia | 18 | 18 |
| Fiji | 16 | 16 |
| Finland | 18 | 18 |
| France | 18 | 18 |
| Gabon | 18 | 15 |
| Gambia | 18 | 18 |
| Georgia | 16 | 16 |
| Germany | 16 | 16 |
| Ghana | 18 | 18 |
| Greece | 18 | 18 |
| Grenada | 18 | 18 |
| Guinea | 18 | 18 |
| Guatemala | 16 | 14 |
| Guyana | 16 | 16 |
| Haiti | 18 | 18 |
| Honduras | 18 | 16 |
| Hungary** | 16 | 16 |
| Iceland | 18 | 18 |
| India | 18 | 21 |
| Indonesia | 19 | 16 |
| Ireland** | 16 | 16 |
| Israel and occupied territories** | 16 | 16 |
| Italy** | 16 | 16 |
| Iran** ^ | 9 | 9 |
| Iraq (not including Isis controlled territory) | 15 | 15 |
| Jamaica | 16 | 16 |
| Japan | 18 | 16 |
| Jordan | 15 | 15 |
| Kazakhstan | 16 | 16 |
| Kenya | 18 | 18 |
| Kiribati | 16 | 16 |
| Kosovo | 16 | 16 |
| Kuwait*** | 17 | 15 |
| Kyrgyzstan | 16 | 16 |
| Latvia | 16 | 16 |
| Nevada | 16 | 18 |
| North Korea^ | 17 | 18 |
| Norway | 16 | 16 |
| Oman** | 18 | 18 |
| Pakistan | 18 | 16 |
| Palau | 0 | 0 |
| Panama | 16 | 14 |
| Papua New Guinea** | 16 | 14 |
| Paraguay** | 14 | 14 |
| Peru | 16 | 16 |
| Philippines | 18 | 18 |
| Poland | 18 | 18 |
| Portugal | 16 | 16 |
| Qatar*** | 18 | 16 |
| Romania | 18 | 15 |
| Russia & | 16 | 16 |
| Rwanda** | 18 | 18 |
| Saint Kitts and Nevis | 18 | 18 |
| Saint Lucia | 16 | 16 |
| Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 18 | 18 |
| Samoa^ | 18 | 18 |
| San Marino** | 16 | 16 |
| Sao Tome and Principe** | 16 | 14 |
| Saudi Arabia**** | 10 | 10 |
| Senegal | 18 | 16 |
| Serbia** | 16 | 16 |
| Seychelles | 18 | 15 |
| Slovakia | 16 | 16 |
| Slovenia | 15 | 15 |
| Sierra Leone | 18 | 18 |
| Singapore** | 18 | 18 |
| Solomon Islands | 14 | 14 |
| Somalia** | 18 | 16 |
| South Africa | 18 | 15 |
| South Korea | 18 | 16 |
| Sri Lanka | 18 | 16 |
| Sudan**** | 10 | 10 |
| Suriname | 17 | 15 |
| South Sudan | 18 | 18 |
| Spain | 16 | 16 |
| Swaziland | 18 | 18 |
| Sweden | 18 | 18 |
| Switzerland | 18 | 18 |
| Syria** (not including Isis controlled territory) | 15 | 13 |
| Tajikistan** | 17 | 17 |
| Tanzania** | 14 | 14 |
| Taiwan | 18 | 16 |
| Timor-Leste | 16 | 16 |
| Thailand | 17 | 17 |
| Togo** | 16 | 16 |
| Tonga | 18 | 18 |
| Trindad and Tobago*** | 16 | 12 |
| Tunisia | 18 | 18 |
| Turkey** | 16 | 16 |
| Turkmenistan | 18 | 18 |
| Tuvalu | 18 | 18 |
| Uganda | 18 | 18 |
| Ukraine** | 16 | 16 |
| United Arab Emirates | 18 | 18 |
| United Kingdom | 16 | 16 |
| United States*,** | 14 | 12 |
| Uruguay | 14 | 12 |
| Uzbekistan** | 17 | 16 |
| Vanuatu | 18 | 18 |
| Venezuela | 16 | 14 |
| Vietnam | 20 | 18 |
| Yemen | 0 | 0 |
| Zambia | 18 | 16 |
| Zimbabwe | 18 | 16 |
The Iranian claim, however comes unconfirmed along with tag of judicial consent, meaning that the marriage would have to be validated in court before it could happen.
Iran has lowest age for marriage at 9 years* while Saudi Arabia comes a close second at 10 years*
The Saudi Arabian claim of 10 years of age required for the marriage involves considerations from Shariah law as well. India claims to have plethora of laws regarding prevention of underage marriage. It has declared the legal age for marriage as 18 for women and 21 for me. The ground reality is however different as authorities have been found turning a blind eye to child marriages from time to time.
According to statistics by NGO ‘Girls not brides’, over 700 million women alive today were married off as child brides.
India tops the list of highest absolute numbers of child marriages with 1,00,6300 marriages*
Niger currently boasts the highest percentage of women which are married off as children. The figure stands at a tall 76 percent. India tops the list of highest absolute numbers of child marriages with 1,00,6300 marriages.
India stands at 11th place for highest percentage of women married off as child brides.
China has the highest age required for men to marry at 21 years*
Bad news for love birds looking to join the union in matrimony are residents of China which stipulates that men must be aged 22 while women must reach age of 18 before they can marry.
The policy stems more in line out of preventing population boom than any other reason.
* Taken from UNICEF, Brides Not Girls sources.
