WORLD Policy Analysis Center

Under what circumstances can 17-year-old girls be married?

This map tells us the circumstances in which 17-year-old girls can legally be married.

No restrictions means that there are no legal restrictions on girls marrying at age 17.

Can marry with parental consent and/or under religious or customary law means that girls may be married at age 17 with parental permission and/or under religious or customary law. We do not consider that these requirements are protective of at-risk children.

Only permitted with court approval and/or pregnancy means girls may be married at age 17 only with approval that is likely to be more protective (such as court or social welfare center approval), or in the case of pregnancy or after the birth of a child.

Marriage legally prohibited means that there are no circumstances in which a 17-year-old girl can legally be married.

Countries

Bahrain - No restrictions

Djibouti - No restrictions

Iran - No restrictions

Democratic People's Republic of Korea - No restrictions

Kuwait - No restrictions

Lebanon - No restrictions

Mali - No restrictions

Mauritania - No restrictions

Micronesia, Federated States of - No restrictions

Pakistan - No restrictions

Qatar - No restrictions

Sudan - No restrictions

Timor-Leste - No restrictions

United Kingdom - No restrictions

Yemen - No restrictions

Angola - Can marry with parental consent and/or under religious or customary law

Argentina - Can marry with parental consent and/or under religious or customary law

Armenia - Can marry with parental consent and/or under religious or customary law

Bahamas - Can marry with parental consent and/or under religious or customary law

Bangladesh - Can marry with parental consent and/or under religious or customary law

Barbados - Can marry with parental consent and/or under religious or customary law

Belize - Can marry with parental consent and/or under religious or customary law

Bolivia - Can marry with parental consent and/or under religious or customary law

Botswana - Can marry with parental consent and/or under religious or customary law

Brazil - Can marry with parental consent and/or under religious or customary law

Brunei - Can marry with parental consent and/or under religious or customary law

Burkina Faso - Can marry with parental consent and/or under religious or customary law

Cambodia - Can marry with parental consent and/or under religious or customary law

Cameroon - Can marry with parental consent and/or under religious or customary law

Canada - Can marry with parental consent and/or under religious or customary law

Cabo Verde - Can marry with parental consent and/or under religious or customary law

Colombia - Can marry with parental consent and/or under religious or customary law

Dominica - Can marry with parental consent and/or under religious or customary law

Equatorial Guinea - Can marry with parental consent and/or under religious or customary law

Eritrea - Can marry with parental consent and/or under religious or customary law

Greece - Can marry with parental consent and/or under religious or customary law

Grenada - Can marry with parental consent and/or under religious or customary law

Guinea-Bissau - Can marry with parental consent and/or under religious or customary law

Guyana - Can marry with parental consent and/or under religious or customary law

Haiti - Can marry with parental consent and/or under religious or customary law

Indonesia - Can marry with parental consent and/or under religious or customary law

Israel - Can marry with parental consent and/or under religious or customary law

Jamaica - Can marry with parental consent and/or under religious or customary law

Jordan - Can marry with parental consent and/or under religious or customary law

Latvia - Can marry with parental consent and/or under religious or customary law

Lesotho - Can marry with parental consent and/or under religious or customary law

Malaysia - Can marry with parental consent and/or under religious or customary law

Malta - Can marry with parental consent and/or under religious or customary law

Marshall Islands - Can marry with parental consent and/or under religious or customary law

Namibia - Can marry with parental consent and/or under religious or customary law

Nicaragua - Can marry with parental consent and/or under religious or customary law

Niger - Can marry with parental consent and/or under religious or customary law

Nigeria - Can marry with parental consent and/or under religious or customary law

Oman - Can marry with parental consent and/or under religious or customary law

Palau - Can marry with parental consent and/or under religious or customary law

Papua New Guinea - Can marry with parental consent and/or under religious or customary law

Paraguay - Can marry with parental consent and/or under religious or customary law

Portugal - Can marry with parental consent and/or under religious or customary law

Samoa - Can marry with parental consent and/or under religious or customary law

Saudi Arabia - Can marry with parental consent and/or under religious or customary law

Senegal - Can marry with parental consent and/or under religious or customary law

Sierra Leone - Can marry with parental consent and/or under religious or customary law

Singapore - Can marry with parental consent and/or under religious or customary law

Solomon Islands - Can marry with parental consent and/or under religious or customary law

Somalia - Can marry with parental consent and/or under religious or customary law

South Africa - Can marry with parental consent and/or under religious or customary law

Sri Lanka - Can marry with parental consent and/or under religious or customary law

St. Kitts and Nevis - Can marry with parental consent and/or under religious or customary law

St. Lucia - Can marry with parental consent and/or under religious or customary law

St. Vincent and the Grenadines - Can marry with parental consent and/or under religious or customary law

Suriname - Can marry with parental consent and/or under religious or customary law

Eswatini - Can marry with parental consent and/or under religious or customary law

Syria - Can marry with parental consent and/or under religious or customary law

Tanzania - Can marry with parental consent and/or under religious or customary law

Thailand - Can marry with parental consent and/or under religious or customary law

Tonga - Can marry with parental consent and/or under religious or customary law

Türkiye - Can marry with parental consent and/or under religious or customary law

Uganda - Can marry with parental consent and/or under religious or customary law

United Arab Emirates - Can marry with parental consent and/or under religious or customary law

United States of America - Can marry with parental consent and/or under religious or customary law

Uruguay - Can marry with parental consent and/or under religious or customary law

Vanuatu - Can marry with parental consent and/or under religious or customary law

Albania - Only permitted with court approval and/or pregnancy

Algeria - Only permitted with court approval and/or pregnancy

Australia - Only permitted with court approval and/or pregnancy

Austria - Only permitted with court approval and/or pregnancy

Azerbaijan - Only permitted with court approval and/or pregnancy

Belarus - Only permitted with court approval and/or pregnancy

Belgium - Only permitted with court approval and/or pregnancy

Bosnia and Herzegovina - Only permitted with court approval and/or pregnancy

Bulgaria - Only permitted with court approval and/or pregnancy

Burundi - Only permitted with court approval and/or pregnancy

Republic of the Congo - Only permitted with court approval and/or pregnancy

Croatia - Only permitted with court approval and/or pregnancy

Czech Republic - Only permitted with court approval and/or pregnancy

France - Only permitted with court approval and/or pregnancy

Gabon - Only permitted with court approval and/or pregnancy

Greenland - Only permitted with court approval and/or pregnancy

Guinea - Only permitted with court approval and/or pregnancy

Hungary - Only permitted with court approval and/or pregnancy

Iceland - Only permitted with court approval and/or pregnancy

Italy - Only permitted with court approval and/or pregnancy

Kazakhstan - Only permitted with court approval and/or pregnancy

Kyrgyzstan - Only permitted with court approval and/or pregnancy

Laos - Only permitted with court approval and/or pregnancy

Libya - Only permitted with court approval and/or pregnancy

Liechtenstein - Only permitted with court approval and/or pregnancy

Lithuania - Only permitted with court approval and/or pregnancy

Luxembourg - Only permitted with court approval and/or pregnancy

North Macedonia - Only permitted with court approval and/or pregnancy

Madagascar - Only permitted with court approval and/or pregnancy

Moldova - Only permitted with court approval and/or pregnancy

Monaco - Only permitted with court approval and/or pregnancy

Montenegro - Only permitted with court approval and/or pregnancy

Morocco - Only permitted with court approval and/or pregnancy

New Zealand - Only permitted with court approval and/or pregnancy

Peru - Only permitted with court approval and/or pregnancy

Poland - Only permitted with court approval and/or pregnancy

Romania - Only permitted with court approval and/or pregnancy

Russian Federation - Only permitted with court approval and/or pregnancy

San Marino - Only permitted with court approval and/or pregnancy

Serbia - Only permitted with court approval and/or pregnancy

Slovakia - Only permitted with court approval and/or pregnancy

Slovenia - Only permitted with court approval and/or pregnancy

Tajikistan - Only permitted with court approval and/or pregnancy

Togo - Only permitted with court approval and/or pregnancy

Tunisia - Only permitted with court approval and/or pregnancy

Turkmenistan - Only permitted with court approval and/or pregnancy

Ukraine - Only permitted with court approval and/or pregnancy

Uzbekistan - Only permitted with court approval and/or pregnancy

Venezuela - Only permitted with court approval and/or pregnancy

Andorra - Marriage legally prohibited

Antigua and Barbuda - Marriage legally prohibited

Benin - Marriage legally prohibited

Bhutan - Marriage legally prohibited

Central African Republic - Marriage legally prohibited

Chad - Marriage legally prohibited

Chile - Marriage legally prohibited

China - Marriage legally prohibited

Democratic Republic of the Congo - Marriage legally prohibited

Costa Rica - Marriage legally prohibited

Cote d'Ivoire - Marriage legally prohibited

Cuba - Marriage legally prohibited

Cyprus - Marriage legally prohibited

Denmark - Marriage legally prohibited

Dominican Republic - Marriage legally prohibited

Ecuador - Marriage legally prohibited

Egypt - Marriage legally prohibited

El Salvador - Marriage legally prohibited

Estonia - Marriage legally prohibited

Fiji - Marriage legally prohibited

Finland - Marriage legally prohibited

The Gambia - Marriage legally prohibited

Georgia - Marriage legally prohibited

Germany - Marriage legally prohibited

Ghana - Marriage legally prohibited

Guatemala - Marriage legally prohibited

Honduras - Marriage legally prohibited

India - Marriage legally prohibited

Ireland - Marriage legally prohibited

Japan - Marriage legally prohibited

Kenya - Marriage legally prohibited

Kiribati - Marriage legally prohibited

Republic of Korea - Marriage legally prohibited

Liberia - Marriage legally prohibited

Malawi - Marriage legally prohibited

Maldives - Marriage legally prohibited

Mauritius - Marriage legally prohibited

Mexico - Marriage legally prohibited

Mongolia - Marriage legally prohibited

Mozambique - Marriage legally prohibited

Nauru - Marriage legally prohibited

Nepal - Marriage legally prohibited

The Netherlands - Marriage legally prohibited

Norway - Marriage legally prohibited

Panama - Marriage legally prohibited

The Philippines - Marriage legally prohibited

Rwanda - Marriage legally prohibited

Sao Tome and Principe - Marriage legally prohibited

Seychelles - Marriage legally prohibited

South Sudan - Marriage legally prohibited

Spain - Marriage legally prohibited

Sweden - Marriage legally prohibited

Switzerland - Marriage legally prohibited

Trinidad and Tobago - Marriage legally prohibited

Tuvalu - Marriage legally prohibited

Vietnam - Marriage legally prohibited

Zambia - Marriage legally prohibited

Zimbabwe - Marriage legally prohibited