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ST/ESA/STAT/SER.K/WWW/16/Rev.5
24 August 2005

The World's Women reports

 
Table 2c - Legal age for marriage

Country

Year

Legal age for marriage

 

 

W

Notes

M

Notes

Africa

 

 

 

 

 

Algeria

2003

18

 

21

 

Benin

2003

16

 

18

 

Botswana

2003

21

 

21

 

Burkina Faso

2003

18

 

21

 

Cape Verde

2003

18

 

18

 

Côte d'Ivoire

2003

18

 

21

 

Egypt

2003

16

 

18

 

Ethiopia

2003

18

 

18

 

Gabon

2003

15

 

18

 

Ghana

2003

18

 

18

 

Kenya

2003

18

 

18

 

Madagascar

2003

18

 

18

 

Malawi

2003

18

 

18

 

Mali

2003

18

 

20

 

Mauritius

2003

18

 

18

 

Morocco

2003

18

 

18

 

Namibia

2003

21

 

21

 

Niger

2003

21

 

21

 

Rwanda

2003

21

 

21

 

South Africa

2003

18

 

18

 

Togo

2003

17

 

20

 

Tunisia

2003

20

 

20

 

Uganda

2003

18

 

18

 

United Republic of Tanzania

2003

18

 

18

 

Zambia

2003

21

 

21

 

America, North

 

 

 

 

 

Bahamas

2003

18

 

18

 

Barbados

2003

18

 

18

 

Belize

2003

18

 

18

 

Canada

2003

18

 

18

 

Costa Rica

2003

18

 

18

 

Cuba

2003

18

 

18

 

Dominica

2003

16

 

16

 

Dominican Republic

2003

18

 

18

 

El Salvador

2003

18

 

18

 

Guatemala

2003

18

 

18

 

Jamaica

2003

18

 

18

 

Mexico

2003

18

 

18

 

Panama

2003

18

 

18

 

Trinidad and Tobago

2003

18

 

18

 

United States of America

2003

18-19

(1)

18-21

(1)

America, South

 

 

 

 

 

Argentina

2003

21

(2)

21

 

Brazil

2003

21

 

21

 

Chile

2003

18

 

18

 

Colombia

2003

18

 

18

 

Ecuador

2003

18

 

18

 

Paraguay

2003

18

 

18

 

Peru

2003

18

 

18

 

Suriname

2003

20

 

20

 

Uruguay

2003

18

 

18

 

Asia

 

 

 

 

 

Armenia

2003

17

 

18

 

Azerbaijan

2003

17

 

18

 

Bangladesh

2003

18

 

20

 

Cambodia

2003

18

 

20

 

China

2003

20

 

22

(3)

Cyprus

2003

18

 

18

 

Democratic People's Republic of Korea

2003

18

 

18

 

India

2003

18

 

21

 

Iran (Islamic Republic of)

2003

 

 

18

 

Iraq

2003

18

 

18

 

Israel

2003

17

 

17

 

Japan

2003

20

 

20

 

Jordan

2003

18

 

18

 

Kazakhstan

2003

18

 

18

 

Kuwait

2003

15

 

17

 

Kyrgyzstan

2003

18

 

18

 

Malaysia

2003

18

 

..

 

Myanmar

2003

18

 

..

 

Nepal

2003

20

 

20

 

Oman

2003

18

 

18

 

Pakistan

2003

16

 

18

 

Philippines

2003

18

 

18

 

Republic of Korea

2003

20

 

20

 

Thailand

2003

17

 

17

 

Turkey

2003

17

 

17

 

Europe

 

 

 

 

 

Austria

2003

18

 

18

 

Belarus

2003

18

 

18

 

Belgium

2003

18

 

18

 

Bulgaria

2003

18

 

18

 

Croatia

2003

18

 

18

 

Czech Republic

2003

18

 

18

 

Denmark

2003

18

 

18

 

Estonia

2003

18

 

18

 

Finland

2003

18

 

18

 

France

2003

18

 

18

 

Germany

2003

18

 

18

 

Greece

2003

18

 

18

(4)

Hungary

2003

18

 

18

 

Iceland

2003

18

 

18

 

Italy

2003

18

 

18

 

Latvia

2003

18

 

18

 

Liechtenstein

2003

18

 

18

 

Lithuania

2003

18

 

18

 

Malta

2003

16

 

16

 

Netherlands

2003

18

 

18

 

Norway

2003

18

 

18

 

Poland

2003

18

 

18

 

Portugal

2003

18

 

18

 

Russian Federation

2003

18

 

18

 

San Marino

2003

18

 

18

 

Serbia and Montenegro

2003

18

 

18

 

Slovenia

2003

18

 

18

 

Spain

2003

18

 

18

 

Sweden

2003

18

 

18

 

Switzerland

2003

18

 

18

 

Ukraine

2003

17

 

18

 

United Kingdom

2003

18

 

18

 

Oceania

 

 

 

 

 

Fiji

2003

21

 

21

 

New Zealand

2003

20

 

20

 

Papua New Guinea

2003

21

 

21

 

Samoa

2003

16

 

18

 

Top

 

Sources
 
Legal age for marriage

Population Division of the United Nations, “Eighth and ninth United Nations inquiry on population and development”, supplemented by periodic country reports to the Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW).

 
Footnotes
 

1

The legal minimum age for marriage varies by State.

2

Exceptions require legal recourse - only acceptable if woman is pregnant from man she wishes to marry.

3

Exceptions apply.

4

Court may permit marriage of minors, if justified.

 
Technical notes
 

The legal age for marriage shown in the table is the legal minimum age at which marriage can be performed without parental consent. Marriage is defined in terms of the laws of the individual country or area. In most countries or areas, a lower minimum legal age than the one shown is specified for marriage with parental consent.

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United Nations Statistics Division - Demographic and Social Statistics