Report

Reducing child marriage in India

A model to scale up results.

Lipika Morah with children during her storytelling session at Govindapur Moraline Primary School, Bandarchalia Tea Garden in Jorhat, Assam.

UNICEF/UN032724/Singh

Highlights

Prevalence and trends of child marriage: Child marriage remains widespread in India, where about 30 per cent of all women 20-24 years of age were married before reaching their 18th birthday. Child marriage rates declined by 1 per cent per year between 1990 and 2005. Over the past decade, the rate of decline has accelerated to about 2 per cent per annum. The decline has been particularly pronounced among girls below the age of 15 years.