WORLD Policy Analysis Center

Is there a gender disparity in the minimum legal age of marriage?

This map tells us the difference in the age at which girls can legally be married compared to boys.

In 16 countries, the approval of a guardian is required for females to be married at any age. The minimum age of marriage with guardian approval is reflected in the data for this variable.

There are no cases where the minimum age for boys is younger than the minimum age for girls.

In 6 countries, the minimum age of marriage for girls is 18 years old or older, but legislation specifies a higher minimum age of marriage for boys.

Countries

Djibouti - No specific minimum age for girls

Lebanon - No specific minimum age for girls

Mauritania - No specific minimum age for girls

Micronesia, Federated States of - No specific minimum age for girls

Sudan - No specific minimum age for girls

Yemen - No specific minimum age for girls

Bangladesh - Girls can be married 3 years younger than boys

Republic of the Congo - Girls can be married 3 years younger than boys

India - Girls can be married 3 years younger than boys

Bahrain - Girls can be married 1 to 2 years younger than boys

China - Girls can be married 1 to 2 years younger than boys

Iran - Girls can be married 1 to 2 years younger than boys

Democratic People's Republic of Korea - Girls can be married 1 to 2 years younger than boys

Kuwait - Girls can be married 1 to 2 years younger than boys

Mali - Girls can be married 1 to 2 years younger than boys

Pakistan - Girls can be married 1 to 2 years younger than boys

Qatar - Girls can be married 1 to 2 years younger than boys

Samoa - Girls can be married 1 to 2 years younger than boys

Vietnam - Girls can be married 1 to 2 years younger than boys

Albania - No difference in minimum age

Algeria - No difference in minimum age

Andorra - No difference in minimum age

Angola - No difference in minimum age

Antigua and Barbuda - No difference in minimum age

Argentina - No difference in minimum age

Armenia - No difference in minimum age

Australia - No difference in minimum age

Austria - No difference in minimum age

Azerbaijan - No difference in minimum age

Bahamas - No difference in minimum age

Barbados - No difference in minimum age

Belarus - No difference in minimum age

Belgium - No difference in minimum age

Belize - No difference in minimum age

Benin - No difference in minimum age

Bhutan - No difference in minimum age

Bolivia - No difference in minimum age

Bosnia and Herzegovina - No difference in minimum age

Botswana - No difference in minimum age

Brazil - No difference in minimum age

Brunei - No difference in minimum age

Bulgaria - No difference in minimum age

Burkina Faso - No difference in minimum age

Burundi - No difference in minimum age

Cambodia - No difference in minimum age

Cameroon - No difference in minimum age

Canada - No difference in minimum age

Cabo Verde - No difference in minimum age

Central African Republic - No difference in minimum age

Chad - No difference in minimum age

Chile - No difference in minimum age

Colombia - No difference in minimum age

Comoros - No difference in minimum age

Democratic Republic of the Congo - No difference in minimum age

Costa Rica - No difference in minimum age

Cote d'Ivoire - No difference in minimum age

Croatia - No difference in minimum age

Cuba - No difference in minimum age

Cyprus - No difference in minimum age

Czech Republic - No difference in minimum age

Denmark - No difference in minimum age

Dominica - No difference in minimum age

Dominican Republic - No difference in minimum age

Ecuador - No difference in minimum age

Egypt - No difference in minimum age

El Salvador - No difference in minimum age

Equatorial Guinea - No difference in minimum age

Eritrea - No difference in minimum age

Estonia - No difference in minimum age

Ethiopia - No difference in minimum age

Fiji - No difference in minimum age

Finland - No difference in minimum age

France - No difference in minimum age

Gabon - No difference in minimum age

The Gambia - No difference in minimum age

Georgia - No difference in minimum age

Germany - No difference in minimum age

Ghana - No difference in minimum age

Greece - No difference in minimum age

Greenland - No difference in minimum age

Grenada - No difference in minimum age

Guatemala - No difference in minimum age

Guinea - No difference in minimum age

Guinea-Bissau - No difference in minimum age

Guyana - No difference in minimum age

Haiti - No difference in minimum age

Honduras - No difference in minimum age

Hungary - No difference in minimum age

Iceland - No difference in minimum age

Indonesia - No difference in minimum age

Iraq - No difference in minimum age

Ireland - No difference in minimum age

Israel - No difference in minimum age

Italy - No difference in minimum age

Jamaica - No difference in minimum age

Japan - No difference in minimum age

Jordan - No difference in minimum age

Kazakhstan - No difference in minimum age

Kenya - No difference in minimum age

Kiribati - No difference in minimum age

Republic of Korea - No difference in minimum age

Kyrgyzstan - No difference in minimum age

Laos - No difference in minimum age

Latvia - No difference in minimum age

Lesotho - No difference in minimum age

Liberia - No difference in minimum age

Libya - No difference in minimum age

Liechtenstein - No difference in minimum age

Lithuania - No difference in minimum age

Luxembourg - No difference in minimum age

North Macedonia - No difference in minimum age

Madagascar - No difference in minimum age

Malawi - No difference in minimum age

Malaysia - No difference in minimum age

Maldives - No difference in minimum age

Malta - No difference in minimum age

Marshall Islands - No difference in minimum age

Mauritius - No difference in minimum age

Mexico - No difference in minimum age

Moldova - No difference in minimum age

Monaco - No difference in minimum age

Mongolia - No difference in minimum age

Montenegro - No difference in minimum age

Morocco - No difference in minimum age

Mozambique - No difference in minimum age

Myanmar - No difference in minimum age

Namibia - No difference in minimum age

Nauru - No difference in minimum age

Nepal - No difference in minimum age

The Netherlands - No difference in minimum age

New Zealand - No difference in minimum age

Nicaragua - No difference in minimum age

Niger - No difference in minimum age

Nigeria - No difference in minimum age

Norway - No difference in minimum age

Oman - No difference in minimum age

Palau - No difference in minimum age

Panama - No difference in minimum age

Papua New Guinea - No difference in minimum age

Paraguay - No difference in minimum age

Peru - No difference in minimum age

The Philippines - No difference in minimum age

Poland - No difference in minimum age

Portugal - No difference in minimum age

Romania - No difference in minimum age

Russian Federation - No difference in minimum age

Rwanda - No difference in minimum age

San Marino - No difference in minimum age

Sao Tome and Principe - No difference in minimum age

Saudi Arabia - No difference in minimum age

Senegal - No difference in minimum age

Serbia - No difference in minimum age

Seychelles - No difference in minimum age

Sierra Leone - No difference in minimum age

Singapore - No difference in minimum age

Slovakia - No difference in minimum age

Slovenia - No difference in minimum age

Solomon Islands - No difference in minimum age

Somalia - No difference in minimum age

South Africa - No difference in minimum age

South Sudan - No difference in minimum age

Spain - No difference in minimum age

Sri Lanka - No difference in minimum age

St. Kitts and Nevis - No difference in minimum age

St. Lucia - No difference in minimum age

St. Vincent and the Grenadines - No difference in minimum age

Suriname - No difference in minimum age

Eswatini - No difference in minimum age

Sweden - No difference in minimum age

Switzerland - No difference in minimum age

Syria - No difference in minimum age

Tajikistan - No difference in minimum age

Tanzania - No difference in minimum age

Thailand - No difference in minimum age

Timor-Leste - No difference in minimum age

Togo - No difference in minimum age

Tonga - No difference in minimum age

Trinidad and Tobago - No difference in minimum age

Tunisia - No difference in minimum age

Türkiye - No difference in minimum age

Turkmenistan - No difference in minimum age

Tuvalu - No difference in minimum age

Uganda - No difference in minimum age

Ukraine - No difference in minimum age

United Arab Emirates - No difference in minimum age

United Kingdom - No difference in minimum age

United States of America - No difference in minimum age

Uruguay - No difference in minimum age

Uzbekistan - No difference in minimum age

Vanuatu - No difference in minimum age

Venezuela - No difference in minimum age

Zambia - No difference in minimum age

Zimbabwe - No difference in minimum age