Ending Child Marriage

Globally, one in five girls were married before age 18.

• About 250 million women were married before age 15.

• Girls with no education are three times as likely to marry by 18 as those with a secondary or higher education.

• 90% of adolescent pregnancies in the developing world are to girls who are already married.

• Girls between the ages of 15 and 19 are twice as likely to die in childbirth as women in their 20s, and newborn children of younger mothers face greater risks of dying.

• Early marriage doubles a teenager’s chances of living in poverty and triples the likelihood she will be beaten by her spouse, compared to married adults.

Reference: https://www.zonta.org/web/Causes/Ending_Child_Marriage