Authorities in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, have recorded 358 marriages involving at least one minor since April 2012, yet only eight have been formally annulled, according to data released following a parliamentary inquiry by Alternative for Germany (AfD) lawmakers.

The figures, provided by the state interior ministry, show that 350 of the cases have been logged since 2015. The vast majority involve partners from Syria, Iraq, Pakistan, Afghanistan and other countries where child marriage remains common. Nearly 40 per cent of the recorded unions were between Syrian nationals, while marriages between two German citizens accounted for just 0.3 per cent.

Among the most striking cases was the 2020 marriage of an 11-year-old Iraqi girl to a 17-year-old Iraqi teenager, which was later annulled. In 2018, a 14-year-old Afghan girl was married to a 30-year-old Afghan man; that union was also annulled. Other recorded cases include marriages involving 12- and 13-year-old girls. The state government confirmed that no annulment proceedings were pending at the time of the inquiry.

AfD politician Nikolaos Boutakoglou highlighted the demographic pattern on social media, stating that almost every child marriage in the state since 2017 can be traced to migration. His colleague Emely Knoll said child marriages are incompatible with German values and called for stronger protection, early intervention and decisive action against forced marriages.

Germany raised the legal minimum marriage age to 18 in 2017 under the Act to Combat Child Marriages, which generally refuses to recognise foreign marriages involving anyone under 16. UNICEF describes child marriage as a fundamental violation of human rights that interrupts education, increases the risk of early pregnancy and domestic violence, and limits future opportunities. Globally, nearly one in five women marry before 18.

The Baden-Württemberg data covers only one state and reflects marriages contracted abroad that came to the attention of German authorities. With only a fraction of cases resulting in formal annulment, the figures have renewed scrutiny of enforcement and the long-term consequences for the girls involved.