By Sandra Kenneth
Despite significant global efforts averting an estimated 68 million child marriages over the last quarter-century, one in five girls worldwide continues to be married before reaching the age of 18, according to data released by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
The figures were published to mark the International Day of the Girl Child under the theme, “End child marriage and invest in girls’ rights!”
UNICEF attributed the positive strides made over the past 25 years primarily to targeted investments in girls’ education, strong legal reforms, and expanded social protection programs. However, the agency warned that progress remains uneven and dangerously slow in vulnerable regions.
A Continuing Crisis
According to the report, approximately 650 million women and girls alive today were married as children. Every year, more than 12 million girls—roughly one every three seconds—are married before adulthood.
Sub-Saharan Africa bears the heaviest burden, reporting the highest global prevalence, with 31% of young women married in childhood.
The impacts extend far beyond early marriage itself:
Gender Disparity in Opportunity: Adolescent girls aged 15 to 19 are twice as likely as boys of the same age to be out of education, employment, or training.
Impact of Conflict: In fragile or conflict-affected areas, girls are nearly 90% more likely to be out of secondary school compared to those in stable environments, sharply increasing their exposure to forced marriage.
Partner Violence & Mental Health: Nearly 25% of ever-married or partnered girls aged 15 to 19 have faced intimate partner violence. UNICEF noted that child marriage frequently leads to social isolation and severe emotional distress, contributing to self-harm remaining a leading cause of death among adolescent girls globally.
Call for Accelerated Action
UNICEF stressed that solutions are well-known and proven: keeping girls in school, expanding access to healthcare and legal protections, challenging harmful social norms, and directly supporting girls’ leadership.
“Every girl deserves a childhood,” the agency stated. “Every girl deserves the freedom to learn, to grow, to make her own choices, and to define her own future. When girls are safe, educated, and empowered, they don’t just transform their own lives—they help build healthier families, stronger communities, and more peaceful, prosperous societies.”
The agency called on global leaders, governments, and community organizations to accelerate investments and legal enforcement to eliminate child marriage entirely.
