Marriage ages around the world

What are the minimum marriage ages from around the world?

The Spanish government raised the marriage age from 14 to 16 years of age so as to bring it in line with the laws of the rest of Europe. Following this change, Estonia is now the country with the lowest marriage age of women, allowing teenagers to marry at the age of 15 provided they have parental permission.

The average marriage age for women is at 17 years for boys and 16 for girls, but there are a number of countries that allow girls to marry much younger. In Massachusetts in the United States, girls as young as 12 are able to marry with the consent of a judge.

Muslims allow boys to get married at 16 and 12 years for girls, whereas Hindus allow marriage at 18 and 14 for girls. China, however, is the country that makes people wait the ongest due to China’s population control policy that has women waiting until 20 to marry and men at 22 years.

BRIDE

COUNTRY – MEN – WOMEN
Afghanistan 18 16
Albania 18 18
Algeria 19 19
Andorra** 14 14
Angola 16 15
Antigua and Barbuda 15 15
Argentina 18 18
Armenia 16 16
Australia 16 16
Austria 16 16
Azerbajian 18 17
Bahrain 18 15
Bangladesh 21 18
Barbados 18 18
Belarus 16 14
Belgium 18 18
Belize 16 16
Benin 18 18
Bhutan 18 18
Bolivia 16 14
Bosnia and Herzegovina 16 16
Botswana 18 18
Brazil 16 16
Brunei 13 13
Bulgaria** 16 16
Burkina Faso** 20 17
Burundi 21 18
Cambodia 20 18
Cameroon 18 15
Canada 16 16
Cape Verde 18 18
Central African Republic 18 18
Chad 18 17
Chile 16 16
China 22 20
Colombia 14 12
Comoros 18 18
Congo Brazzaville 21 18
Costa Rica 15 15
Cote D’Ivoire 20 18
Croatia 18 18
Cuba 16 14
Cyprus 16 16
Czech Republic 16 16
Democratic Republic of Congo 18 15
Denmark 18 18
Djibouti 18 18
Dominica 16 16
Dominican Republic 16 15
Ecuador 14 12
Egypt 18 18
El Salvador 14 14
Equatorial Guinea 18 18
Eritrea 18 18
Estonia 15 15
Ethiopia 18 18
Fiji 16 16
Finland 18 18
France 18 18
Gabon 18 15
Gambia 18 18
Georgia 16 16
Germany 16 16
Ghana 18 18
Greece 18 18
Grenada 18 18
Guatemala 16 14
Guinea 18 18
Guyana 16 16
Haiti 18 18
Honduras 18 16
Hungary 16 16
Iceland 18 18
India 18 21
Indonesia 19 16
Iran 9 9
Iraq (not including Isis controlled territory) 15 15
Ireland 16 16
Israel and occupied territories** 16 16
Italy 16 16
Jamaica 16 16
Japan 18 16
Jordan 15 15
Kazakhstan 16 16
Kenya 18 18
Kiribati 16 16
Kosovo 16 16
Kuwait 17 15
Kyrgyzstan 16 16
Laos 15 15
Latvia 16 16
Lebanon 18 17
Lesotho 21 21
Liberia 18 18
Libya 20 20
Liechtenstein 18 18
Lithuania 15 15
Luxembourg 16 16
Macedonia 16 16
Madagascar 18 18
Malawi 18 18
Malaysia 18 16
Maldives 18 18
Mali 18 16
Malta 16 16
Marshall Islands 18 16
Mauritania 18 18
Mexico 16 14
Micronesia 0 0
Moldova 18 16
Monaco 18 18
Mongolia 18 18
Montenegro 16 16
Morocco 18 18
Mozambique 18 18
Myanmar 20 20
Namibia 18 18
Nauru 0 0
Nepal 18 18
Netherlands 16 16
New Zealand 16 16
Nicaragua 15 14
Niger 18 15
Nigeria 18 18
North Korea 17 18
Norway 16 16
Oman 18 18
Pakistan 18 16
Palau 0 0
Panama 16 14
Papua New Guinea 16 14
Paraguay 14 14
Peru 16 16
Philippines 18 18
Poland 18 18
Portugal 16 16
Qatar 18 16
Romania 18 15
Russia & 16 16
Rwanda 18 18
Saint Kitts and Nevis 18 18
Saint Lucia 16 16
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 18 18
Samoa 18 18
San Marino 16 16
Sao Tome and Principe 16 14
Saudi Arabia 10 10
Senegal 18 16
Serbia 16 16
Seychelles 18 15
Sierra Leone 18 18
Singapore 18 18
Slovakia 16 16
Slovenia 15 15
Solomon Islands 14 14
Somalia 18 16
South Africa 18 15
South Korea 18 16
South Sudan 18 18
Spain 16 16
Sri Lanka 18 16
Sudan 10 10
Suriname 17 15
Swaziland 18 18
Sweden 18 18
Switzerland 18 18
Syria (not including Isis controlled territory) 15 13
Taiwan 18 16
Tajikistan 17 17
Tanzania 14 14
Thailand 17 17
The Bahamas 15 15
Timor-Leste 16 16
Togo 16 16
Tonga 18 18
Trindad and Tobago 16 12
Tunisia 18 18
Turkey 16 16
Turkmenistan 18 18
Tuvalu 18 18
Uganda 18 18
Ukraine 16 16
United Arab Emirates 18 18
United Kingdom 16 16
United States 14 12
Uruguay 14 12
Uzbekistan 17 16
Vanuatu 18 18
Venezuela 16 14
Vietnam 20 18
Yemen 0 0
Zambia 18 16
Zimbabwe 18 16