Countries With the Lowest Married by 18
Every country with a figure for married by 18, ranked from lowest to highest. The top three are Chile (0%), United Kingdom (0%) and Norway (0%). The middle country of the 141 has 17%.
What this measures
Women who were first married by age 18 (% of women ages 20-24), in % of women aged 20-24. Source: UNICEF. For this measure, higher is worse.
From household surveys, mostly in lower-income countries, and only in years a survey ran. No year reaches sixty countries, so the latest value used is up to a decade old for some. Rich countries rarely report it at all, which shapes any link with income.
The full ranking
Each country’s latest figure, from 2010–2025. The year beside each value says when it was measured.
| Rank | Country | Married by 18 | Year | Region |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chile | 0% | 2024 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 2 | United Kingdom | 0% | 2021 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 3 | Norway | 0% | 2022 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 4 | Belgium | 0.1% | 2020 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 5 | Finland | 0.1% | 2017 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 6 | Korea, Dem. People's Rep. | 0.1% | 2017 | East Asia & Pacific |
| 7 | Singapore | 0.1% | 2025 | East Asia & Pacific |
| 8 | Lithuania | 0.2% | 2022 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 9 | Denmark | 0.7% | 2021 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 10 | Israel | 0.8% | 2022 | Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan |
| 11 | Qatar | 1.7% | 2023 | Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan |
| 12 | Tuvalu | 1.8% | 2020 | East Asia & Pacific |
| 13 | Eswatini | 1.9% | 2022 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 14 | Maldives | 2.2% | 2017 | South Asia |
| 15 | Tunisia | 2.4% | 2023 | Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan |
| 16 | China | 2.8% | 2020 | East Asia & Pacific |
| 17 | Saudi Arabia | 3.4% | 2024 | Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan |
| 18 | Uzbekistan | 3.4% | 2022 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 19 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 3.5% | 2012 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 20 | South Africa | 3.6% | 2016 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 21 | Algeria | 3.8% | 2019 | Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan |
| 22 | Fiji | 4% | 2021 | East Asia & Pacific |
| 23 | Oman | 4% | 2014 | Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan |
| 24 | Kosovo | 4% | 2020 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 25 | Libya | 4.1% | 2025 | Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan |
| 26 | Trinidad and Tobago | 4.2% | 2022 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 27 | Belarus | 4.7% | 2019 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 28 | Armenia | 5.3% | 2016 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 29 | Rwanda | 5.5% | 2020 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 30 | Serbia | 5.5% | 2019 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 31 | Montenegro | 5.8% | 2018 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 32 | Lebanon | 6% | 2016 | Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan |
| 33 | Kazakhstan | 6.1% | 2024 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 34 | Turkmenistan | 6.1% | 2024 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 35 | Russian Federation | 6.2% | 2017 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 36 | Djibouti | 6.5% | 2019 | Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan |
| 37 | Namibia | 6.9% | 2013 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 38 | Romania | 6.9% | 2021 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 39 | Samoa | 7.4% | 2020 | East Asia & Pacific |
| 40 | North Macedonia | 7.5% | 2019 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 41 | Mongolia | 8.1% | 2023 | East Asia & Pacific |
| 42 | Cabo Verde | 8.4% | 2018 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 43 | Tajikistan | 8.8% | 2023 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 44 | Bhutan | 9% | 2023 | South Asia |
| 45 | Ukraine | 9.1% | 2012 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 46 | Kyrgyz Republic | 9.2% | 2023 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 47 | Georgia | 9.4% | 2022 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 48 | Philippines | 9.4% | 2022 | East Asia & Pacific |
| 49 | Sri Lanka | 9.8% | 2016 | South Asia |
| 50 | Jordan | 9.9% | 2023 | Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan |
| 51 | Tonga | 10.1% | 2019 | East Asia & Pacific |
| 52 | Albania | 11.8% | 2018 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 53 | Moldova | 12.2% | 2012 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 54 | Kenya | 12.5% | 2022 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 55 | Gabon | 13.3% | 2021 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 56 | Lesotho | 13.4% | 2024 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 57 | West Bank and Gaza | 13.4% | 2020 | Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan |
| 58 | Morocco | 13.7% | 2018 | Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan |
| 59 | Bolivia | 14.5% | 2023 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 60 | Viet Nam | 14.6% | 2021 | East Asia & Pacific |
| 61 | Turkiye | 14.7% | 2018 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 62 | Haiti | 14.9% | 2017 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 63 | Timor-Leste | 14.9% | 2016 | East Asia & Pacific |
| 64 | Azerbaijan | 15% | 2023 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 65 | Argentina | 15.5% | 2020 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 66 | Egypt, Arab Rep. | 15.8% | 2021 | Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan |
| 67 | Myanmar | 16% | 2016 | East Asia & Pacific |
| 68 | Ghana | 16.1% | 2022 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 69 | Indonesia | 16.3% | 2017 | East Asia & Pacific |
| 70 | Iran, Islamic Rep. | 16.7% | 2010 | Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan |
| 71 | Thailand | 17% | 2022 | East Asia & Pacific |
| 72 | Costa Rica | 17.1% | 2018 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 73 | Cambodia | 17.9% | 2022 | East Asia & Pacific |
| 74 | Peru | 17.9% | 2024 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 75 | Mexico | 18.2% | 2023 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 76 | Naoero | 18.2% | 2023 | East Asia & Pacific |
| 77 | Pakistan | 18.3% | 2018 | Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan |
| 78 | Kiribati | 18.4% | 2019 | East Asia & Pacific |
| 79 | Burundi | 19% | 2017 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 80 | El Salvador | 19.7% | 2021 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 81 | Comoros | 20.7% | 2022 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 82 | Vanuatu | 20.9% | 2023 | East Asia & Pacific |
| 83 | Solomon Islands | 21.3% | 2015 | East Asia & Pacific |
| 84 | Paraguay | 21.6% | 2016 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 85 | Ecuador | 22.2% | 2018 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 86 | India | 22.3% | 2021 | South Asia |
| 87 | Angola | 23.1% | 2024 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 88 | Gambia, The | 23.1% | 2020 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 89 | Turks and Caicos Islands | 23.3% | 2020 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 90 | Colombia | 23.4% | 2015 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 91 | Zambia | 23.9% | 2024 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 92 | St. Lucia | 24% | 2012 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 93 | Uruguay | 24.6% | 2013 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 94 | Togo | 24.8% | 2017 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 95 | Liberia | 24.9% | 2020 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 96 | Guinea-Bissau | 25.7% | 2019 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 97 | Cote d'Ivoire | 25.8% | 2021 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 98 | Panama | 26.4% | 2013 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 99 | Jamaica | 26.9% | 2022 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 100 | Congo, Rep. | 27.3% | 2015 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 101 | Papua New Guinea | 27.3% | 2018 | East Asia & Pacific |
| 102 | Benin | 27.5% | 2022 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 103 | Iraq | 27.9% | 2018 | Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan |
| 104 | Sao Tome and Principe | 28% | 2019 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 105 | Afghanistan | 28.7% | 2023 | Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan |
| 106 | Tanzania | 29.1% | 2022 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 107 | Barbados | 29.2% | 2012 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 108 | Cuba | 29.4% | 2019 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 109 | Equatorial Guinea | 29.5% | 2011 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 110 | Guatemala | 29.5% | 2015 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 111 | Sierra Leone | 29.6% | 2019 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 112 | Yemen, Rep. | 29.6% | 2023 | Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan |
| 113 | Cameroon | 29.8% | 2018 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 114 | Congo, Dem. Rep. | 29.9% | 2024 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 115 | Senegal | 30.2% | 2023 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 116 | Lao PDR | 30.5% | 2023 | East Asia & Pacific |
| 117 | Dominican Republic | 31.5% | 2019 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 118 | Guyana | 32.3% | 2020 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 119 | Nigeria | 33.4% | 2024 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 120 | Belize | 33.5% | 2016 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 121 | Zimbabwe | 33.7% | 2019 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 122 | Honduras | 34% | 2019 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 123 | Uganda | 34% | 2016 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 124 | Sudan | 34.2% | 2014 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 125 | Nepal | 34.9% | 2022 | South Asia |
| 126 | Nicaragua | 35.2% | 2012 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 127 | Suriname | 36% | 2018 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 128 | Mauritania | 36.6% | 2021 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 129 | Burkina Faso | 38.2% | 2021 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 130 | Malawi | 38.7% | 2024 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 131 | Madagascar | 38.8% | 2021 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 132 | Ethiopia | 40.3% | 2016 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 133 | Eritrea | 40.7% | 2010 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 134 | Guinea | 46.5% | 2018 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 135 | Bangladesh | 47.2% | 2025 | South Asia |
| 136 | Mozambique | 48.4% | 2023 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 137 | Mali | 48.5% | 2024 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 138 | South Sudan | 51.5% | 2010 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 139 | Chad | 60.6% | 2019 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 140 | Central African Republic | 61% | 2019 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 141 | Niger | 76.3% | 2012 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
More on married by 18
- Countries With the Highest Married by 18
- Married by 18 by country: trend over time and what it goes with
Related rankings
- Countries With the Lowest Gender Wage Gaps
- Countries With the Lowest Gender Inequality Index
- Countries With the Lowest Gender Development Index
- Countries With the Lowest Women's Political Empowerment
- Countries With the Lowest Women Ministers
- Countries With the Lowest Women in Parliament
- Countries With the Lowest Women in Management
- Countries With the Lowest Gender Scores
A ranking describes countries, not the people in them, and a high or low place does not by itself say why. All country rankings.