South Asia continues to drive global reductions in child marriage and is on pace to eliminate child marriage in about 55 years, according to a new analysis issued by UNICEF South Asia today.
Child marriage has declined steadily in South Asia. In the last decade alone, a girl’s likelihood of marrying in childhood in South Asia has dropped by nearly half, from 46 per cent to 26 per cent. This progress is driven largely by India, with notable declines in Bangladesh, the Maldives and Pakistan.