WORLD Policy Analysis Center

Is there a specific exception that allows girls under 18 to be married under religious or customary law?

This map tells us whether girls are permitted to marry at a younger age under religious or customary law than the legal minimum age established in civil law.

In many countries civil law exists alongside parallel customary and religious legal systems. These parallel laws often do not establish an adequate minimum age for marriage, or any at all, weakening civil law prohibitions and exposing girls in particular religious and ethnic communities to early marriage.

Countries

Bahrain - Girls can be married under age 18 in all circumstances

Djibouti - Girls can be married under age 18 in all circumstances

Iran - Girls can be married under age 18 in all circumstances

Democratic People's Republic of Korea - Girls can be married under age 18 in all circumstances

Kuwait - Girls can be married under age 18 in all circumstances

Lebanon - Girls can be married under age 18 in all circumstances

Mali - Girls can be married under age 18 in all circumstances

Mauritania - Girls can be married under age 18 in all circumstances

Micronesia, Federated States of - Girls can be married under age 18 in all circumstances

Pakistan - Girls can be married under age 18 in all circumstances

Qatar - Girls can be married under age 18 in all circumstances

Sudan - Girls can be married under age 18 in all circumstances

Timor-Leste - Girls can be married under age 18 in all circumstances

United Kingdom - Girls can be married under age 18 in all circumstances

Yemen - Girls can be married under age 18 in all circumstances

Bangladesh - There is a religious and/or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

Botswana - There is a religious and/or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

Brunei - There is a religious and/or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

Cameroon - There is a religious and/or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

Equatorial Guinea - There is a religious and/or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

Eritrea - There is a religious and/or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

Greece - There is a religious and/or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

Indonesia - There is a religious and/or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

Iraq - There is a religious and/or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

Israel - There is a religious and/or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

Jordan - There is a religious and/or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

Lesotho - There is a religious and/or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

Malaysia - There is a religious and/or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

Marshall Islands - There is a religious and/or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

Namibia - There is a religious and/or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

Niger - There is a religious and/or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

Nigeria - There is a religious and/or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

Oman - There is a religious and/or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

Palau - There is a religious and/or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

Papua New Guinea - There is a religious and/or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

Saudi Arabia - There is a religious and/or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

Sierra Leone - There is a religious and/or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

Singapore - There is a religious and/or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

Solomon Islands - There is a religious and/or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

South Africa - There is a religious and/or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

Sri Lanka - There is a religious and/or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

Suriname - There is a religious and/or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

Eswatini - There is a religious and/or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

Syria - There is a religious and/or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

Thailand - There is a religious and/or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

Uganda - There is a religious and/or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

United Arab Emirates - There is a religious and/or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

Albania - There is no religious or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

Algeria - There is no religious or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

Andorra - There is no religious or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

Angola - There is no religious or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

Antigua and Barbuda - There is no religious or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

Argentina - There is no religious or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

Armenia - There is no religious or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

Australia - There is no religious or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

Austria - There is no religious or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

Azerbaijan - There is no religious or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

Bahamas - There is no religious or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

Barbados - There is no religious or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

Belarus - There is no religious or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

Belgium - There is no religious or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

Belize - There is no religious or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

Benin - There is no religious or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

Bhutan - There is no religious or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

Bolivia - There is no religious or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

Bosnia and Herzegovina - There is no religious or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

Brazil - There is no religious or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

Bulgaria - There is no religious or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

Burkina Faso - There is no religious or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

Burundi - There is no religious or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

Cambodia - There is no religious or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

Canada - There is no religious or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

Cabo Verde - There is no religious or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

Central African Republic - There is no religious or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

Chad - There is no religious or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

Chile - There is no religious or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

China - There is no religious or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

Colombia - There is no religious or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

Democratic Republic of the Congo - There is no religious or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

Republic of the Congo - There is no religious or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

Costa Rica - There is no religious or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

Cote d'Ivoire - There is no religious or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

Croatia - There is no religious or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

Cuba - There is no religious or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

Cyprus - There is no religious or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

Czech Republic - There is no religious or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

Denmark - There is no religious or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

Dominica - There is no religious or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

Dominican Republic - There is no religious or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

Ecuador - There is no religious or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

Egypt - There is no religious or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

El Salvador - There is no religious or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

Estonia - There is no religious or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

Fiji - There is no religious or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

Finland - There is no religious or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

France - There is no religious or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

Gabon - There is no religious or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

The Gambia - There is no religious or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

Georgia - There is no religious or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

Germany - There is no religious or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

Ghana - There is no religious or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

Greenland - There is no religious or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

Grenada - There is no religious or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

Guatemala - There is no religious or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

Guinea - There is no religious or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

Guyana - There is no religious or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

Haiti - There is no religious or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

Honduras - There is no religious or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

Hungary - There is no religious or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

Iceland - There is no religious or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

India - There is no religious or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

Ireland - There is no religious or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

Italy - There is no religious or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

Jamaica - There is no religious or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

Japan - There is no religious or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

Kazakhstan - There is no religious or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

Kenya - There is no religious or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

Kiribati - There is no religious or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

Republic of Korea - There is no religious or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

Kyrgyzstan - There is no religious or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

Laos - There is no religious or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

Latvia - There is no religious or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

Liberia - There is no religious or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

Libya - There is no religious or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

Liechtenstein - There is no religious or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

Lithuania - There is no religious or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

Luxembourg - There is no religious or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

North Macedonia - There is no religious or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

Madagascar - There is no religious or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

Malawi - There is no religious or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

Maldives - There is no religious or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

Malta - There is no religious or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

Mauritius - There is no religious or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

Mexico - There is no religious or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

Moldova - There is no religious or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

Monaco - There is no religious or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

Mongolia - There is no religious or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

Montenegro - There is no religious or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

Morocco - There is no religious or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

Mozambique - There is no religious or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

Nauru - There is no religious or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

Nepal - There is no religious or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

The Netherlands - There is no religious or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

New Zealand - There is no religious or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

Nicaragua - There is no religious or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

Norway - There is no religious or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

Panama - There is no religious or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

Paraguay - There is no religious or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

Peru - There is no religious or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

The Philippines - There is no religious or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

Poland - There is no religious or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

Portugal - There is no religious or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

Romania - There is no religious or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

Russian Federation - There is no religious or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

Rwanda - There is no religious or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

Samoa - There is no religious or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

San Marino - There is no religious or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

Sao Tome and Principe - There is no religious or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

Senegal - There is no religious or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

Serbia - There is no religious or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

Seychelles - There is no religious or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

Slovakia - There is no religious or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

Slovenia - There is no religious or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

Somalia - There is no religious or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

South Sudan - There is no religious or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

Spain - There is no religious or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

St. Kitts and Nevis - There is no religious or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

St. Lucia - There is no religious or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

St. Vincent and the Grenadines - There is no religious or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

Sweden - There is no religious or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

Switzerland - There is no religious or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

Tajikistan - There is no religious or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

Tanzania - There is no religious or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

Togo - There is no religious or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

Tonga - There is no religious or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

Trinidad and Tobago - There is no religious or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

Tunisia - There is no religious or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

Türkiye - There is no religious or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

Turkmenistan - There is no religious or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

Tuvalu - There is no religious or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

Ukraine - There is no religious or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

United States of America - There is no religious or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

Uruguay - There is no religious or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

Uzbekistan - There is no religious or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

Vanuatu - There is no religious or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

Venezuela - There is no religious or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

Vietnam - There is no religious or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

Zambia - There is no religious or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage

Zimbabwe - There is no religious or customary law exception to the minimum age of marriage