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Statistics and indicators on women and men
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Table 2.A - Indicators on marriage and marital status
Sources Technical notes
	% 15-19 ever married, 1991/1998				Singulate mean age at marriage, 1991/1997			% 60+ widowed, 1991/1997
Country or area	W		M		W		M	W		M
Africa
Algeria	10	^a	1	^a	24	^a	28	55	^a	6	^a
Benin	29		..		..		..	..		..
Botswana	6		3		27		31	45		9
Burkina Faso	45		..		19		28	37		6
Burundi	9	^a	2	^a	23	^a	26	54	^a	7	^a
Cameroon	36		4		20		..	..		..
Cape Verde	7	^a	1	^a	26	^a	28	26	^a	8	^a
Central African Rep.	42		8		19	^a	24	44	^a	9	^a
Chad	49		6		..		..	..		..
Comoros	12		3		22		29	23	^b	3	^b
Côte d'Ivoire	28		2		20	^a	28	55	^a	9	^a
Djibouti	7	^c	1	^c	19	^a	27	..		..
Egypt	14		..		22	^a	26	60	^a	12	^a
Eritrea	38		2		..		..	..		..
Ethiopia	49	^{a d}	8	^{a d}				43	^{a d}	6	^{a d}
Gabon	16		2		..		..	46		9
Ghana	22		2		21	^a	..	..		..
Guinea	49		..		..		..	..		..
Kenya	17		1		21	^a	..	33	^a	5	^a
Lesotho	17	^{a c}	2	^{a c}	..		..	..		..
Liberia	46	^a	..		20	^a	..	..		..
Madagascar	34		..		..		..	..		..
Malawi	45	^a	9	^a	19	^a	24	40	^a	6	^a
Mali	50		5		19	^a	28	46	^a	5	^a
Mauritania	..		..		23	^a	30	..		..
Mauritius	11	^a	1	^a	24	^a	28	71	^a	13	^a
Morocco	13		1		22	^a	..	71		6
Mozambique	47		4		..		..	..		..
Namibia	7		3		..		..	30	^e	5	^e
Niger	62		4		17	^a	23	64	^a	5	^a
Nigeria	36		7		..		..	46		5
Reunion	2	^a	<1	^a	28	^a	30	45	^a	12	^a
Rwanda	10		..		..		..	..		..
Sao Tome and Principe	20		2		18		23	..		..
Senegal	29		..		20	^a	29	54	^a	5	^a
Seychelles	6	^a	1	^a	24	^a	26	27	^a	9	^a
Sierra Leone	..		..		18	^a	27	..		..
South Africa	4	^f	1	^f	27	^f	29	49		12
Sudan	16	^{a g}	..		24		..	..		..
Swaziland	10		2		26		29	25		2
Togo	20		2		20	^a	..	..		..
Tunisia	3		<1		25	^a	..	49		7
Uganda	50		11		19		24	53		11
United Rep. of Tanzania	25		3		21		..	..		..
Zambia	27		1		21	^a	26	34	^{a b}	4	^{a b}
Zimbabwe	21		2		21		26	53		7

Latin America/Caribbean
Argentina	12		8		23		26	44		30
Aruba	3		<1		26		29	37		13
Bahamas	4	^a	1	^a	27	^a	29	43	^a	14	^a
Belize	7	^h	1	^h	..		..	32		13
Bolivia	12		..		23		25	43	^a	17	^a
Brazil	17		..		..		..	42		11
Chile	12		5		23		26	39		13
Colombia	17		..		23	^a	26	41		12
Costa Rica	6	ⁱ	1	ⁱ	..		..	34		11
Dominican Republic	29		..		..		..	..		..
Ecuador	20	^a	7	^a	22	^a	25	31	^a	12	^a
El Salvador	16		4		22		25	35		13
French Guiana	1	^a	<1	^a	29	^a	32	25	^a	7	^a
Guadeloupe	1	^a	<1	^a	30	^a	32	28	^a	9	^a
Guatemala	23		..		21	^a	24	46	^a	12	^a
Haiti	17		3		24	^a	27	30		9
Jamaica	1		1		..		..	31		12
Martinique	1	^a	<1	^a	31	^a	33	30	^a	11	^a
Mexico	16	^a	6	^a	..		..	37	^a	12	^a
Netherlands Antilles	2		1		29		32	..		13
Nicaragua	34		..		..		..	..		..
Panama	21	^a	5	^a	22	^a	25	32	^a	11	^a
Paraguay	17		3		22		26	30		11
Peru	13		..		..		..	..		..
Puerto Rico	15	^a	6	^a	24	^a	26	40	^a	13	^a
Trinidad and Tobago	11	^a	5	^a	..		..	41	^a	16	^a
Uruguay	13		3		23	^a	25	42		10
Venezuela	20	^a	8	^a	..		..	35	^a	10	^a

Asia
Armenia	15	^{a c}	2	^{a c}	23		27	..		..
Azerbaijan	9	^{a c}	1	^{a c}	23		27	..		..
Bahrain	7		<1		26		28	53		8
Bangladesh	50		..		18	^a	26	56		4
Brunei Darussalam	8		1		25		27	43		13
China ^j	2		1		22	^a	24	45		19
China, Hong Kong SAR	2		1		28		30	43	^b	11	^b
China, Macao SAR	2		1		26		28	45		13
Cyprus	8		1		23		27	39		13
Georgia	17	^{a c}	3	^{a c}	25		28	..		..
India	39		..		..		..	54		15
Indonesia	14		2		22		25	57		12
Iran (Islamic Rep. of)	22		3		21		25	48		7
Iraq	28	^a	15	^a	22	^a	26	45	^a	8	^a
Israel	5		<1		24		28	..		..
Jordan	9		1		25		28	50		7
Kazakhstan	13		..		22		25	59	^a	14	^a
Kuwait	13		1		25		30	51		4
Kyrgyzstan	14		..		22		25	59	^a	12	^a
Malaysia	8		1		..		..	51		12
Maldives	36	^a	6	^a	19	^a	23	..		..
Nepal	44		..		..		..	48	^a	18	^a
Oman	..		..		19	^a	26	..		..
Pakistan	22		6		22	^a	27	..		..
Philippines	10		3		24	^a	26	41		14
Qatar	14	^a	4	^a	23	^a	27	53	^a	5	^a
Republic of Korea	1		<1		25	^a	29	62		12
Saudi Arabia	16	^a	1	^a	22	^a	26	..		..
Singapore	1	^a	<1	^a	27	^a	30	54	^a	16	^a
Sri Lanka	7	^a	..		..		..	..		..
Tajikistan	12	^a	2	^a	21	^a	23	56	^a	14	^a
Thailand	6		6		24	^a	26	47	^a	16	^a
Turkey	14		..		22	^a	25	45	^a	11	^a
Turkmenistan	6	^{a c}	1	^{a c}	24	^a	..	..		..
United Arab Emirates	19	^a	3	^a	23	^a	26	..		..
Uzbekistan	13		..		20		..	..		..
Viet Nam	11	^a	5	^a	23	^a	24	53	^a	15	^a
Yemen	24		5		19	^{a k}	23	..		..

Oceania
American Samoa	5	^a	2	^a	26	^a	28	46	^a	11	^a
Fiji	13	^a	2	^a	23	^a	25	49	^a	14	^a
French Polynesia	3	^{a c}	1	^{a c}	28	^a	30	..		..
Guam	6	^{a c}	2	^{a c}	24	^a	27	..		..
Kiribati	16	^{a c}	6	^{a c}	22	^a	25	..		..
Marshall Islands	23	^{a c}	7	^{a c}	..		..	..		..
Micronesia (Fed. States of)	10		4		..		..	..		..
New Caledonia	2	^a	<1	^a	28	^a	31	46	^a	15	^a
Palau	3	^{a c}	1	^{a c}	..		..	..		..
Papua New Guinea	21		..		21	^a	25	..		..
Samoa	4	^{a c}	1	^{a c}	25	^a	28	..		..
Solomon Islands	18	^{a c}	3	^{a c}	21	^a	25	..		..
Tonga	6	^a	3	^a	25	^a	27	39	^a	16	^a
Vanuatu	13	^a	3	^a	23	^a	25	38	^a	17	^a

Developed regions
Albania	..		..		22		27	..		..
Australia	2		1		27		29	38		11
Austria	3		1		26		29	47		13
Belarus	8	^a	2	^a	22		24	53	^a	12	^a
Belgium	2		<1		25		28	44		14
Bermuda	1		<1		29		31	38		11
Bosnia and Herzegovina	..		..		23	^a	..	..		..
Bulgaria	16	^a	3	^a	23		27	43	^a	17	^a
Canada	1		<1		26		29	39		11
Croatia	5		1		25		28	48		12
Czech Republic	2		<1		23		26	50		13
Denmark	5		1		30	^l	32	41		14
Estonia	7	^{a c}	2	^{a c}	24		26	..		..
Finland	1		<1		29		32	41		11
France	1	^a	<1	^a	28	^a	30	43	^a	11	^a
Germany	2		<1		28		30	46		13
Greece	6		1		25		29	42		10
Hungary	3		<1		24		27	52		16
Iceland	<1		<1		30		32	34		12
Ireland	<1		<1		28		29	41		12
Italy	..		..		27	^l	30	..		..
Japan	1		1		27	^a	30	41		10
Latvia	9	^a	3	^a	24		26	51	^a	14	^a
Liechtenstein	1	^a	<1	^a	26	^a	29	41	^a	8	^a
Lithuania	7	^a	3	^a	23		25	50	^a	13	^a
Luxembourg	3	^a	<1	^a	26	^a	28	23	^a	14	^a
Malta	3	^a	<1	^a	22	^a	26	37	^a	16	^a
Netherlands	1		<1		28		31	40		11
New Zealand	2		2		27		29	41		12
Norway	<1		<1		29		31	42		13
Poland	2		<1		23	^a	26	45		20
Portugal	6		1		24		27	39		12
Republic of Moldova	14	^{a c}	2	^{a c}	22		24	..		..
Romania	7		<1		23		26	45		11
Russian Federation	11	^a	3	^a	23		25	55	^a	12	^a
San Marino	1		<1		27		29	41		10
Serbia and Montenegro	12		3		24		28	41		14
Slovakia	7		1		21		24	53		15
Slovenia	2		1		26		29	45		12
Spain	3		1		26		28	38		11
Sweden	<1		<1		31		33	38		12
Switzerland	1		<1		27		30	38		11
The FYR of Macedonia	9		2		23	^a	..	37		16
Ukraine	16	^a	3	^a	21	^a	24	54	^a	13	^a
United Kingdom	1		<1		26	^a	28	43		14
United States	4		2		25	^{a l}	26	34	^b	10	^b

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Sources:

Women's Indicators and Statistics Database (Wistat), Version 4, CD-ROM (United Nations publication, Sales No. E.00.XVII.4), based on various international and national sources, in particular the Demographic Yearbook (United Nations publication, various years up to 1997) and unpublished updates.

Footnotes:

^aData refer to a year between 1985 and 1990.

^bData refer to the population aged 55+.

^cPer cent currently married. ^dData refer to former Ethiopia. ^eData refer to the population aged 50+. ^fExcluding Bophuthatswana, Ciskei, Transkei and Venda.
^gData refer to urban and settled rural population only.
^hData refer to ages 14-19. ⁱData refer to ages 9-19.
^jFor statistical purposes, data for China do not include Hong Kong and Macao Special Administrative Regions.
^kData refer to the former Yemen Arab Republic.
^lAverage age at first marriage.

Technical notes:

Table 2.A presents indicators on the timing of first marriage and selected marital status of women and men at selected ages. The series on singulate mean age at marriage are those published in the 1995 Demographic Yearbook, supplemented by national sources and compilations prepared by the Population Division of the United Nations Secretariat from a worldwide review of the available information; for countries in transition, data were obtained from the MONEE Project database of the United Nations Children's Fund. The indicators % 15-19 ever married and % 60+ widowed were derived from statistics reported in the Demographic Yearbook and unpublished updates, and from the Demographic and Health Surveys country reports; these data are also available in Women's Indicators and Statistics Database (Wistat).

Singulate mean age at first marriage, the average age at which women and men first marry, is an estimate of the average number of years lived prior to first marriage by a hypothetical cohort, if they marry before age 50. Singulate mean age at marriage is calculated on the basis of a single census or survey according to procedures described by Hajnal in "Age at marriage and proportions marrying" (Population Studies, vol. 7, No. 2. 1953).

Statistics and indicators on women and men

Sources:

Footnotes:

Technical notes: