WUNRN
Equality Now - Child Marriage
Factsheet
MINIMUM AGE OF MARRIAGE FOR GIRLS -
LAWS AROUND THE WORLD
See tables below, broken down by region. Exceptions noted in second column. (Research conducted summer 2010.)
18 years or above |
Algeria,
Benin, Botswana, Burundi, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Côte
d’Ivoire, Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Namibia,
Nigeria (18 in 18 states), Rwanda, Seychelles |
18 or above with exceptions
|
Angola
(15 based on physical development), Congo (Republic of) (18 but younger with
permission from court), Eritrea (18 but 16 if pregnant), Ghana (18 but varies
under customary law), Madagascar (18 but 14 with parental consent and court
order), Malawi (18 but 15 with consent), Mauritius (16 with parental
consent), Mozambique (18 but 16 with consent), Senegal (18 but 16 with consent
(13-16 with court order)), Somalia (18 but 16 with consent), South Africa (21
but 15 with parental consent), Swaziland (21 but 16 with consent), Tunisia
(20 but 17 with consent), Uganda (18 but 16 with consent), Zambia (21 but 16
with parental consent) |
Below 18 |
Burkina
Faso (17 but 15 with court waiver), Cameroon (15), Chad (13), Democratic
Republic of Congo (15), Equatorial Guinea (none), Gabon (15), Gambia (none),
Guinea (17), Guinea-Bissau (17), Lesotho (none),Mali (15), Niger (15), Sierra
Leone (none under customary law, 21 but younger with consent under Christian
marriage act), Sudan (16),Tanzania (15, 14 with court order, 12 under
customary/religious law), Togo (17), Tunisia (17), Zimbabwe (16) |
18 years or above |
Bangladesh,
Bhutan, Cambodia, China, Iraq, Mongolia, Oman, Singapore, Taiwan, Tajikistan,
Vietnam |
18 or above with exceptions
|
India
(18 except under Mohammedan Law), Iraq (18 but 16 with consent), Japan (20
but 16 with parental consent), Jordan (18 but 15 with civil court consent),
Kazakhstan (18 but 16 with court permission), Kyrgyzstan (18 but can be
lowered to 17), Laos (18 but 15 under special circumstances), Malaysia (18
but 16 with court order: non-Muslims), Maldives (18 with exceptions), Myanmar
(20 but 14 with consent), Nepal ( 18 but 16 with consent), Philippines (21
years but 18 with consent for non-Muslims), Russia (18 but 16 with parental
consent), Sri Lanka (18 but not for Muslims) |
Below 18 |
Armenia
(17), Azerbaijan (17), Bahrain (15), Brunei (14), Indonesia (16), Iran (13),
Israel (17 but 14 with parental consent), N. Korea (17), S. Korea (16),
Kuwait (15), Lebanon (depends on religion), Malaysia (16 but under 16 with
court consent: Muslims), Pakistan (16), Papua New Guinea (16 but 14 under
special circumstances), Qatar (16), Saudi Arabia (none), Syria (17 but 13
with judicial consent), Thailand (17 but 13 with parental consent),
Turkmenistan (16), Uzbekistan (17 but 16 under special circumstances), Yemen
(None) |
18 years or above |
Belgium,
Finland , France, Germany, Ireland, Lithuania, Slovakia, |
18 or above with exceptions
|
Albania
(18 but lower in case of pregnancy), Austria (18 but 16 with consent),
Belarus (18 but 15 under special circumstances), Bulgaria (18 but 16 with
court order), Bosnia (18 but 16 with court order), Croatia (18 but 16 with
court order), Cyprus (18 years but younger with parental consent), Czech
republic (18 years but 17 with parental consent), Denmark (18 but lower with
consent of High Commissioner), Estonia (18 but 16 with parental consent),
Georgia (18 but 16 with consent), Greece (18 but younger with court order),
Hungary (18 but 16 with parental consent), Iceland (18 but younger with court
order), Italy (18 but 16 with parental consent), Latvia (18 but 16 with
consent), Liechtenstein (18 but younger with parental consent), Malta (18 but
16 with parental consent), Montenegro (18 or lower with courts consent),
Netherlands (18 except in case of pregnancy), Norway (18 but younger with
permission of authorities), Poland (18 but 16 with permission from the
court), Portugal (18 but 16 in special circumstances), San Marino (18 but 16
in special circumstances), Serbia (18 but 16 with permission of court),
Slovenia (18 but 15 with consent), Spain (18 but 14 with court permission),
Sweden (18 but below with permit), UK (18 but 16 with parental consent) |
Below 18 |
Andorra
(16), Armenia (17), Azerbaijan (17 but 16 under special circumstances),
Luxembourg, 16 but lower with parental consent), Macedonia (16), Moldova
(16), Monaco (15), Romania (16 and 15 in special circumstances), Switzerland
(17), Turkey (17 but lower with consent), Ukraine (17) |
18 years or above |
El
Salvador, Honduras |
18 or above with exceptions
|
Anguilla
(18 but under with consent), Antigua and Barbuda (18 but 15 with consent),
Brazil (21 but 16 with consent), Bahamas (18 but lower with permission),
Belize (18 but 16 with consent), Bermuda (18 but 16 with consent), Cayman
Islands (18 but lower with consent), Colombia (18 years but 12 with
consent), Cuba (18 but 14 with consent), Dominican Republic (18 but 15
with consent), Ecuador (18 but earlier in special circumstances), Grenada (21
but lower with consent), Guatemala (18 but 14 with consent), Jamaica (18 but
16 with consent), Nicaragua (18 but 14 with consent), Panama (18
but 14 with consent), Saint Lucia (18 but 16 with consent), Trinidad and
Tobago (18 but 12 with consent), Venezuela (18 but 14 with consent)
|
Below 18 |
Argentina
(16), Barbados (16), Bolivia (14), Chile (16), Costa Rica (15), Dominica
(16), Guyana(16), Haiti (15), Mexico (Varies by State –ranges from 14-16),
Paraguay(16), Peru(16), Suriname(15), Uruguay (12) |
18 years or above |
New
Zealand |
18 or above with exceptions
|
Australia
(18 but 16 with courts approval), Canada (varies in provinces, 18, 19, 16
with consent), Fiji (21 but 16 with consent), Samoa (19 but 16 with consent),
United States |
Below 18 |
Vanuatu
(16), Solomon Islands (15) |