In Niger at 17 and in Slovenia at 34, at what age do women marry in different countries of the world?

That the fortune of being born at one point or another on the planet determines, to a great extent, our possibilities for future development is no secret. But there is also another factor that vary greatly in our lives if we were born elsewhere: the age when we married (or married). A quick glance at the map of age at marriage contracts in different countries of the world leaves a fairly clear general conclusion: the countries where marriage contracts before match those of lower human development index.

Obtaining data on the age at which marriage is contracted, on average, in different countries is difficult. The United Nations has published a compilation of data on different aspects of marriage in the world, but not all countries have updated information. In any case, there is enough data to draw some conclusions.

Women get married younger than men get

The woman always marries at an earlier age than the man. In all the countries analyzed (we have taken as reference the countries with updated information for the last five years), the female marriage age is lower than the male one. The world average is 3.7 years between the age of each spouse with greater imbalances in the poorest countries (e.g. Egypt, with five years between men and women) and the richest (1.6 years in France).

Poorer countries have earlier marriages

There are enormous differences between the age at which marriage is contracted in Africa (especially Central Africa), the Indian subcontinent and other developing areas, and the age chosen in Europe, Australia or particular areas of America. These are the most striking of the study data.

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The age at which women marry in Niger (17.2), the Central African Republic (17.3), Mali (18.5), Bangladesh (18.6), Mozambique (18.9) or Mali (19) Are very far from those of Slovenia (33.9), Estonia (32.8), Germany (32), France (32), Ireland (31.9) or Norway (31.8).

In Spain, the latest data come from the 2011 census, and indicate that the average age at which women get married is 27.7 years, while men do at 30.3 years. In Latin America, the situation varies greatly from country to country: while in Cuba or the Dominican Republic women marry, on average, to 20.5 years in Chile age rises to 27.4 and in Costa Rica, At 26.6.

Marriages below the age of majority

If we consider the age of majority in most countries, 18 years, the study tells us that in 39 countries, 20% of women get married under that age. In 20 of them, approximately 10% married around 15. This figure is again exclusive for women, since in only two countries (Central African Republic and Mozambique) there are significant figures, about 10%, of men who marry below the 18-year barrier.

How the marriage age has evolved in recent decades

One thing they do agree in which all countries of the world is that marriage is delayed more and more. The world average in the 70s of the last century was 21.8 years, while the figures of the middle of the last decade amount to 24.7. It is also confirmed that although marriage remains the preferred marital status in adulthood, there are fewer and fewer married couples.