WORLD Policy Analysis Center

When loophole exceptions are taken into account, what is the minimum age of marriage for 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 - 13 years old or younger

Djibouti - 13 years old or younger

Greece - 13 years old or younger

Indonesia - 13 years old or younger

Iran - 13 years old or younger

Lebanon - 13 years old or younger

Malaysia - 13 years old or younger

Mauritania - 13 years old or younger

Micronesia, Federated States of - 13 years old or younger

Nigeria - 13 years old or younger

Oman - 13 years old or younger

Qatar - 13 years old or younger

Saudi Arabia - 13 years old or younger

Sierra Leone - 13 years old or younger

South Africa - 13 years old or younger

Sri Lanka - 13 years old or younger

Sudan - 13 years old or younger

Thailand - 13 years old or younger

Uganda - 13 years old or younger

United Arab Emirates - 13 years old or younger

Yemen - 13 years old or younger

Bahamas - 14 to 15 years old

Colombia - 14 to 15 years old

Suriname - 14 to 15 years old

Tonga - 14 to 15 years old

Angola - 16 to 17 years old

Argentina - 16 to 17 years old

Armenia - 16 to 17 years old

Barbados - 16 to 17 years old

Belize - 16 to 17 years old

Bolivia - 16 to 17 years old

Brazil - 16 to 17 years old

Cambodia - 16 to 17 years old

Canada - 16 to 17 years old

Cabo Verde - 16 to 17 years old

Dominica - 16 to 17 years old

Grenada - 16 to 17 years old

Guyana - 16 to 17 years old

Israel - 16 to 17 years old

Jamaica - 16 to 17 years old

Jordan - 16 to 17 years old

Kuwait - 16 to 17 years old

Latvia - 16 to 17 years old

Malta - 16 to 17 years old

Nicaragua - 16 to 17 years old

Paraguay - 16 to 17 years old

Portugal - 16 to 17 years old

St. Kitts and Nevis - 16 to 17 years old

St. Lucia - 16 to 17 years old

St. Vincent and the Grenadines - 16 to 17 years old

Timor-Leste - 16 to 17 years old

Türkiye - 16 to 17 years old

United Kingdom - 16 to 17 years old

United States of America - 16 to 17 years old

Uruguay - 16 to 17 years old

Albania - 18 years old or older

Algeria - 18 years old or older

Andorra - 18 years old or older

Antigua and Barbuda - 18 years old or older

Australia - 18 years old or older

Austria - 18 years old or older

Azerbaijan - 18 years old or older

Belarus - 18 years old or older

Belgium - 18 years old or older

Benin - 18 years old or older

Bhutan - 18 years old or older

Bosnia and Herzegovina - 18 years old or older

Bulgaria - 18 years old or older

Burkina Faso - 18 years old or older

Burundi - 18 years old or older

Central African Republic - 18 years old or older

Chad - 18 years old or older

Chile - 18 years old or older

China - 18 years old or older

Democratic Republic of the Congo - 18 years old or older

Republic of the Congo - 18 years old or older

Costa Rica - 18 years old or older

Cote d'Ivoire - 18 years old or older

Croatia - 18 years old or older

Cuba - 18 years old or older

Cyprus - 18 years old or older

Czech Republic - 18 years old or older

Denmark - 18 years old or older

Dominican Republic - 18 years old or older

Ecuador - 18 years old or older

Egypt - 18 years old or older

El Salvador - 18 years old or older

Estonia - 18 years old or older

Fiji - 18 years old or older

Finland - 18 years old or older

France - 18 years old or older

Gabon - 18 years old or older

The Gambia - 18 years old or older

Georgia - 18 years old or older

Germany - 18 years old or older

Ghana - 18 years old or older

Greenland - 18 years old or older

Guatemala - 18 years old or older

Guinea - 18 years old or older

Haiti - 18 years old or older

Honduras - 18 years old or older

Hungary - 18 years old or older

Iceland - 18 years old or older

India - 18 years old or older

Ireland - 18 years old or older

Italy - 18 years old or older

Japan - 18 years old or older

Kazakhstan - 18 years old or older

Kenya - 18 years old or older

Kiribati - 18 years old or older

Democratic People's Republic of Korea - 18 years old or older

Republic of Korea - 18 years old or older

Kyrgyzstan - 18 years old or older

Laos - 18 years old or older

Liberia - 18 years old or older

Libya - 18 years old or older

Liechtenstein - 18 years old or older

Lithuania - 18 years old or older

Luxembourg - 18 years old or older

North Macedonia - 18 years old or older

Madagascar - 18 years old or older

Malawi - 18 years old or older

Maldives - 18 years old or older

Mali - 18 years old or older

Mauritius - 18 years old or older

Mexico - 18 years old or older

Moldova - 18 years old or older

Monaco - 18 years old or older

Mongolia - 18 years old or older

Montenegro - 18 years old or older

Morocco - 18 years old or older

Mozambique - 18 years old or older

Nauru - 18 years old or older

Nepal - 18 years old or older

The Netherlands - 18 years old or older

New Zealand - 18 years old or older

Norway - 18 years old or older

Pakistan - 18 years old or older

Panama - 18 years old or older

Peru - 18 years old or older

The Philippines - 18 years old or older

Poland - 18 years old or older

Romania - 18 years old or older

Russian Federation - 18 years old or older

Rwanda - 18 years old or older

Samoa - 18 years old or older

San Marino - 18 years old or older

Sao Tome and Principe - 18 years old or older

Senegal - 18 years old or older

Serbia - 18 years old or older

Seychelles - 18 years old or older

Singapore - 18 years old or older

Slovakia - 18 years old or older

Slovenia - 18 years old or older

Somalia - 18 years old or older

South Sudan - 18 years old or older

Spain - 18 years old or older

Sweden - 18 years old or older

Switzerland - 18 years old or older

Tajikistan - 18 years old or older

Togo - 18 years old or older

Trinidad and Tobago - 18 years old or older

Tunisia - 18 years old or older

Turkmenistan - 18 years old or older

Tuvalu - 18 years old or older

Ukraine - 18 years old or older

Uzbekistan - 18 years old or older

Vanuatu - 18 years old or older

Venezuela - 18 years old or older

Vietnam - 18 years old or older

Zambia - 18 years old or older

Zimbabwe - 18 years old or older

Botswana - Set by religious or customary law

Brunei - Set by religious or customary law

Cameroon - Set by religious or customary law

Equatorial Guinea - Set by religious or customary law

Eritrea - Set by religious or customary law

Lesotho - Set by religious or customary law

Marshall Islands - Set by religious or customary law

Namibia - Set by religious or customary law

Niger - Set by religious or customary law

Palau - Set by religious or customary law

Papua New Guinea - Set by religious or customary law

Solomon Islands - Set by religious or customary law

Eswatini - Set by religious or customary law

Syria - Set by religious or customary law