Child Marriage in the Middle East

In April 2007, the International Center for Research on Women (ICRW) published a new study on child marriage in the world, "New Insights on Preventing Child Marriage: A Global Analysius of Factors and Programs" (pdf). The study included the latest ranking of the countries with the world's highest incidence of child marriage.

The chart included 68 countries. Topping the list was Niger, where 76.6% of women were found to have married before age 18, followed by Chad, at 71.5%. The proportion of child brides was above 60% in Bangladesh, Mali and Guinea, and above 50% in Nepal, Mozambique, Uganda, Burkina Faso and India.

The following is a chart excerpting the Middle East's countries and their rankings in the context of ICRW's research. Afghanistan does not appear on the list only because reliable facts are not available from that country. However, the incidence of child marriage in Afghanistan is believed to be quite high.

Child Marriage Rankings in the Middle East

World Rank	Country	% Women Married before 18
12	Ethiopia	49.1
14	Yemen	48.4
25	Mauritania	37.2
32	Pakistan	31.6
34	Comoros	39.7
38	Sudan	26.9
47	Turkey	23
51	Egypt	19.5
57	Morocco	15.9
63	Jordan	11.1
66	Tunisia	9.7
67	Turkmenistan	7.9
Source: International Center for Research on Women (ICRW)