% · UNICEF
Child marriage by 18 (girls)
Percentage of women aged 20-24 who were first married or in union before age 18.
Methodology & source
How this is measured.
Definition
Percentage of women aged 20-24 who were first married or in union before age 18.
Calculation
UNICEF compilation from DHS, MICS, and other national surveys.
Primary source
Update frequency
Periodic
Caveats
Retrospective survey question — captures past practice, not current trend in the youngest cohorts.
Cross the bridge
Behind the numbers, the country.
Numbers tell you the trajectory. Tourism shows you the people, the parks, the streets — the lives the data is measuring.