WORLD Policy Analysis Center

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When loophole exceptions are taken into account, do laws prohibit early marriage and ensure girls have as much legal protection as boys?

We consider two forms of loophole exceptions: parental consent (because most early marriages happen with parental consent and involvement), and religious or customary law.

We do not consider countries with legislation that requires marriage with parental consent to be in the best interest of the child and/or to be to a spouse that is above the age of majority to be more protective than countries that require parental consent alone.

In some 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.

Unknown minimum age set by religious or customary law means that legislation recognizes marriages under religious and/or customary law, but there is no written legislation regarding the minimum age of marriage under these systems, or the minimum age is only explicit for some but not all systems.

Countries

Bangladesh - Girls can be married at age 13 or younger

Colombia - Girls can be married at age 13 or younger

Djibouti - Girls can be married at age 13 or younger

Equatorial Guinea - Girls can be married at age 13 or younger

Greece - Girls can be married at age 13 or younger

Indonesia - Girls can be married at age 13 or younger

Iran - Girls can be married at age 13 or younger

Lebanon - Girls can be married at age 13 or younger

Malaysia - Girls can be married at age 13 or younger

Mauritania - Girls can be married at age 13 or younger

Micronesia, Federated States of - Girls can be married at age 13 or younger

Nigeria - Girls can be married at age 13 or younger

Oman - Girls can be married at age 13 or younger

Qatar - Girls can be married at age 13 or younger

Saudi Arabia - Girls can be married at age 13 or younger

Sierra Leone - Girls can be married at age 13 or younger

Singapore - Girls can be married at age 13 or younger

South Africa - Girls can be married at age 13 or younger

Sri Lanka - Girls can be married at age 13 or younger

Sudan - Girls can be married at age 13 or younger

Suriname - Girls can be married at age 13 or younger

Thailand - Girls can be married at age 13 or younger

Uganda - Girls can be married at age 13 or younger

United Arab Emirates - Girls can be married at age 13 or younger

Yemen - Girls can be married at age 13 or younger

Angola - Gender inequality in age, and girls can be married at ages 14 to 17

Burkina Faso - Gender inequality in age, and girls can be married at ages 14 to 17

Haiti - Gender inequality in age, and girls can be married at ages 14 to 17

Democratic People's Republic of Korea - Gender inequality in age, and girls can be married at ages 14 to 17

Kuwait - Gender inequality in age, and girls can be married at ages 14 to 17

Mali - Gender inequality in age, and girls can be married at ages 14 to 17

Pakistan - Gender inequality in age, and girls can be married at ages 14 to 17

Samoa - Gender inequality in age, and girls can be married at ages 14 to 17

Senegal - Gender inequality in age, and girls can be married at ages 14 to 17

Somalia - Gender inequality in age, and girls can be married at ages 14 to 17

St. Vincent and the Grenadines - Gender inequality in age, and girls can be married at ages 14 to 17

Vanuatu - Gender inequality in age, and girls can be married at ages 14 to 17

Argentina - Gender inequality in age, or girls can be married at ages 14 to 17

Armenia - Gender inequality in age, or girls can be married at ages 14 to 17

Bahamas - Gender inequality in age, or girls can be married at ages 14 to 17

Barbados - Gender inequality in age, or girls can be married at ages 14 to 17

Belize - Gender inequality in age, or girls can be married at ages 14 to 17

Bolivia - Gender inequality in age, or girls can be married at ages 14 to 17

Brazil - Gender inequality in age, or girls can be married at ages 14 to 17

Burundi - Gender inequality in age, or girls can be married at ages 14 to 17

Cambodia - Gender inequality in age, or girls can be married at ages 14 to 17

Canada - Gender inequality in age, or girls can be married at ages 14 to 17

Cabo Verde - Gender inequality in age, or girls can be married at ages 14 to 17

China - Gender inequality in age, or girls can be married at ages 14 to 17

Republic of the Congo - Gender inequality in age, or girls can be married at ages 14 to 17

Dominica - Gender inequality in age, or girls can be married at ages 14 to 17

Grenada - Gender inequality in age, or girls can be married at ages 14 to 17

Guyana - Gender inequality in age, or girls can be married at ages 14 to 17

India - Gender inequality in age, or girls can be married at ages 14 to 17

Israel - Gender inequality in age, or girls can be married at ages 14 to 17

Jamaica - Gender inequality in age, or girls can be married at ages 14 to 17

Jordan - Gender inequality in age, or girls can be married at ages 14 to 17

Latvia - Gender inequality in age, or girls can be married at ages 14 to 17

Malta - Gender inequality in age, or girls can be married at ages 14 to 17

Nicaragua - Gender inequality in age, or girls can be married at ages 14 to 17

Paraguay - Gender inequality in age, or girls can be married at ages 14 to 17

Portugal - Gender inequality in age, or girls can be married at ages 14 to 17

St. Kitts and Nevis - Gender inequality in age, or girls can be married at ages 14 to 17

St. Lucia - Gender inequality in age, or girls can be married at ages 14 to 17

Timor-Leste - Gender inequality in age, or girls can be married at ages 14 to 17

Tonga - Gender inequality in age, or girls can be married at ages 14 to 17

Türkiye - Gender inequality in age, or girls can be married at ages 14 to 17

United Kingdom - Gender inequality in age, or girls can be married at ages 14 to 17

United States of America - Gender inequality in age, or girls can be married at ages 14 to 17

Uruguay - Gender inequality in age, or girls can be married at ages 14 to 17

Vietnam - Gender inequality in age, or girls can be married at ages 14 to 17

Albania - Gender parity, and cannot be married until 18 years old or older

Algeria - Gender parity, and cannot be married until 18 years old or older

Andorra - Gender parity, and cannot be married until 18 years old or older

Antigua and Barbuda - Gender parity, and cannot be married until 18 years old or older

Australia - Gender parity, and cannot be married until 18 years old or older

Austria - Gender parity, and cannot be married until 18 years old or older

Azerbaijan - Gender parity, and cannot be married until 18 years old or older

Belarus - Gender parity, and cannot be married until 18 years old or older

Belgium - Gender parity, and cannot be married until 18 years old or older

Benin - Gender parity, and cannot be married until 18 years old or older

Bhutan - Gender parity, and cannot be married until 18 years old or older

Bosnia and Herzegovina - Gender parity, and cannot be married until 18 years old or older

Bulgaria - Gender parity, and cannot be married until 18 years old or older

Central African Republic - Gender parity, and cannot be married until 18 years old or older

Chad - Gender parity, and cannot be married until 18 years old or older

Chile - Gender parity, and cannot be married until 18 years old or older

Democratic Republic of the Congo - Gender parity, and cannot be married until 18 years old or older

Costa Rica - Gender parity, and cannot be married until 18 years old or older

Cote d'Ivoire - Gender parity, and cannot be married until 18 years old or older

Croatia - Gender parity, and cannot be married until 18 years old or older

Cuba - Gender parity, and cannot be married until 18 years old or older

Cyprus - Gender parity, and cannot be married until 18 years old or older

Czech Republic - Gender parity, and cannot be married until 18 years old or older

Denmark - Gender parity, and cannot be married until 18 years old or older

Dominican Republic - Gender parity, and cannot be married until 18 years old or older

Ecuador - Gender parity, and cannot be married until 18 years old or older

Egypt - Gender parity, and cannot be married until 18 years old or older

El Salvador - Gender parity, and cannot be married until 18 years old or older

Estonia - Gender parity, and cannot be married until 18 years old or older

Fiji - Gender parity, and cannot be married until 18 years old or older

Finland - Gender parity, and cannot be married until 18 years old or older

France - Gender parity, and cannot be married until 18 years old or older

Gabon - Gender parity, and cannot be married until 18 years old or older

The Gambia - Gender parity, and cannot be married until 18 years old or older

Georgia - Gender parity, and cannot be married until 18 years old or older

Germany - Gender parity, and cannot be married until 18 years old or older

Ghana - Gender parity, and cannot be married until 18 years old or older

Greenland - Gender parity, and cannot be married until 18 years old or older

Guatemala - Gender parity, and cannot be married until 18 years old or older

Guinea - Gender parity, and cannot be married until 18 years old or older

Honduras - Gender parity, and cannot be married until 18 years old or older

Hungary - Gender parity, and cannot be married until 18 years old or older

Iceland - Gender parity, and cannot be married until 18 years old or older

Ireland - Gender parity, and cannot be married until 18 years old or older

Italy - Gender parity, and cannot be married until 18 years old or older

Japan - Gender parity, and cannot be married until 18 years old or older

Kazakhstan - Gender parity, and cannot be married until 18 years old or older

Kenya - Gender parity, and cannot be married until 18 years old or older

Kiribati - Gender parity, and cannot be married until 18 years old or older

Republic of Korea - Gender parity, and cannot be married until 18 years old or older

Kyrgyzstan - Gender parity, and cannot be married until 18 years old or older

Laos - Gender parity, and cannot be married until 18 years old or older

Liberia - Gender parity, and cannot be married until 18 years old or older

Libya - Gender parity, and cannot be married until 18 years old or older

Liechtenstein - Gender parity, and cannot be married until 18 years old or older

Lithuania - Gender parity, and cannot be married until 18 years old or older

Luxembourg - Gender parity, and cannot be married until 18 years old or older

North Macedonia - Gender parity, and cannot be married until 18 years old or older

Madagascar - Gender parity, and cannot be married until 18 years old or older

Malawi - Gender parity, and cannot be married until 18 years old or older

Maldives - Gender parity, and cannot be married until 18 years old or older

Mauritius - Gender parity, and cannot be married until 18 years old or older

Mexico - Gender parity, and cannot be married until 18 years old or older

Moldova - Gender parity, and cannot be married until 18 years old or older

Monaco - Gender parity, and cannot be married until 18 years old or older

Mongolia - Gender parity, and cannot be married until 18 years old or older

Montenegro - Gender parity, and cannot be married until 18 years old or older

Morocco - Gender parity, and cannot be married until 18 years old or older

Mozambique - Gender parity, and cannot be married until 18 years old or older

Nauru - Gender parity, and cannot be married until 18 years old or older

Nepal - Gender parity, and cannot be married until 18 years old or older

The Netherlands - Gender parity, and cannot be married until 18 years old or older

New Zealand - Gender parity, and cannot be married until 18 years old or older

Norway - Gender parity, and cannot be married until 18 years old or older

Panama - Gender parity, and cannot be married until 18 years old or older

Peru - Gender parity, and cannot be married until 18 years old or older

The Philippines - Gender parity, and cannot be married until 18 years old or older

Poland - Gender parity, and cannot be married until 18 years old or older

Romania - Gender parity, and cannot be married until 18 years old or older

Russian Federation - Gender parity, and cannot be married until 18 years old or older

Rwanda - Gender parity, and cannot be married until 18 years old or older

San Marino - Gender parity, and cannot be married until 18 years old or older

Sao Tome and Principe - Gender parity, and cannot be married until 18 years old or older

Serbia - Gender parity, and cannot be married until 18 years old or older

Seychelles - Gender parity, and cannot be married until 18 years old or older

Slovakia - Gender parity, and cannot be married until 18 years old or older

Slovenia - Gender parity, and cannot be married until 18 years old or older

South Sudan - Gender parity, and cannot be married until 18 years old or older

Spain - Gender parity, and cannot be married until 18 years old or older

Sweden - Gender parity, and cannot be married until 18 years old or older

Switzerland - Gender parity, and cannot be married until 18 years old or older

Tajikistan - Gender parity, and cannot be married until 18 years old or older

Togo - Gender parity, and cannot be married until 18 years old or older

Trinidad and Tobago - Gender parity, and cannot be married until 18 years old or older

Tunisia - Gender parity, and cannot be married until 18 years old or older

Turkmenistan - Gender parity, and cannot be married until 18 years old or older

Tuvalu - Gender parity, and cannot be married until 18 years old or older

Ukraine - Gender parity, and cannot be married until 18 years old or older

Uzbekistan - Gender parity, and cannot be married until 18 years old or older

Venezuela - Gender parity, and cannot be married until 18 years old or older

Zambia - Gender parity, and cannot be married until 18 years old or older

Zimbabwe - Gender parity, and cannot be married until 18 years old or older

Botswana - Unknown minimum age set by religious and customary law

Brunei - Unknown minimum age set by religious and customary law

Cameroon - Unknown minimum age set by religious and customary law

Eritrea - Unknown minimum age set by religious and customary law

Lesotho - Unknown minimum age set by religious and customary law

Marshall Islands - Unknown minimum age set by religious and customary law

Namibia - Unknown minimum age set by religious and customary law

Niger - Unknown minimum age set by religious and customary law

Palau - Unknown minimum age set by religious and customary law

Papua New Guinea - Unknown minimum age set by religious and customary law

Solomon Islands - Unknown minimum age set by religious and customary law

Eswatini - Unknown minimum age set by religious and customary law

Syria - Unknown minimum age set by religious and customary law