Social Behavioural Determinants and Consequences of Child Marriage in Tajikistan

Highlights

Child marriage is defined as a formal or informal union occurring before the age of 18 years. While progress has been observed in some regions of the world, advances have stalled elsewhere. In the Republic of Tajikistan, which has one of the higher prevalence rates of child marriage in Central Asia, measurable but gradual progress has been made. According to the 2023 Demographic and Health Survey (DHS), 8.8 percent of women aged 20–24 were married before the age of 18. This proportion is lower than among older cohorts, suggesting that child marriage has declined over the past decade. Early childbirth remains closely linked to early marriage, with 1.2 percent of women aged 20–24 reporting a first birth before age 18, and most early births occurring within marriage.

Ending child marriage is a target under the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), yet investments remain limited. The Republic of Tajikistan has adopted policies and legal frameworks aimed at protecting children and women, but further action is required. This study documents the multi-level drivers of child marriage, examines its associated impacts across key development domains, and provides order-of magnitude estimates of selected economic costs to inform policy and programming.

In the context of child marriage and violence against women and girls, there is a risk that an overly prominent cost-benefit framing could inadvertently suggest that protecting girls’ bodily autonomy, safety and rights is important principally because of the economic returns it generates.