From 21 to 33 years: How average marriage age varies across countries | The Times of India (2024)

FAQs

What is the average age of marriage in India over the years? ›

For women age 25-49, highest median age at first marriage were observed in northern region of the India in all rounds of the NFHS survey. Median age at first marriage increased by almost 3 years in northern region of India, it increased form 17.5 years in 1992-93 to 20.8 in 2015-16.

However, age gaps vary by region, ranging from 8.6 years in sub-Saharan Africa to 2.2 years in North America. The religious group with the largest age gap is Muslims (6.6 years), while the smallest age gap is seen among Jews (2.2 years).

During the British colonial times, the legal age of marriage for girls and boys was set as 14 and 18 respectively. In 1978, according to PCMA, the legal age of marriage was revised as 18 and 21 for girls and boys. The main concern behind the revised legal ages is the increase in maternal mortality rate.

"While men in India are permitted to get married only at the age of 21 years, women are allowed to get married when they are 18.

On December 21, 2021, The Prohibition of Child Marriage (Amendment) Bill, 2021, was introduced in Lok Sabha to increase the minimum age of marriage of women to 21 years, overriding any other law, custom or practice, including faith-based personal laws.

India population is equivalent to 17.76% of the total world population. India ranks number 1 in the list of countries (and dependencies) by population. The population density in India is 481 per Km² (1,244 people per mi²). The median age in India is 28.2 years.

In Indian arranged marriages,the normal age gap between boy and girl is 3-5 years. Normally man 1–3 years elder than his partner is standard these days. But cases with 7–8 years gap are also prevalent especially in rural India. Generally marrying younger man may not be acceptable in all families.

Men and women in Japan are getting married increasingly later than previous generations. In 2021, the average age of women who marry for the first time was 29.5 years, while men were on average 31 years old when they first got married.

Overall, for women age 25-49, the median age at marriage is 18.6 years. This figure is slightly higherin urban areas (19.1 years) than in rural areas (18.4 years). Among Pakistan's four provinces, the median age is highest in NWFP and Punjab and substantially lower in Baloehistan and Sindh.

The new law bans polygamy and sets a uniform age for marriage for men and women — 21 and 18, respectively — across all religions and also includes a uniform process for divorce.

What is the legal age to get married in India 2024? ›

Legal Age of Marriage in India 2024. Legal Marriage Age in India Introduction: The legal age of marriage in India 2024 is a subject of significance and complexity, governed by the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006. This legislation raised the minimum age for marriage to 18 years for women and 21 years for men.

Sudan used to have a unique policy when it came to the legal marriage age. Muslim children were allowed to be legally married as soon as they hit puberty. Non-Muslim children, however, could only marry after they hit 13 if they were a girl, or 15 if they were a boy.

No, getting married in your 30s is not considered too late in India. The average age of marriage has been gradually increasing in the country, and it is now quite common for people, especially in urban areas, to get married in their 30s or even later. No, getting married in your 30s is not considered too late in India.

While it has been 44 years since the anti-child marriage act, the primitive practice continues in several parts of the country. Now, to bring women on equal footing with men, Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led NDA government has decided to raise the legal age of marriage of women to 21 from 18 years.

In India, under The Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006 - a child has been defined as “a person who, if a male, has not completed twenty-one years of age, and if a female, has not completed eighteen years of age.” This act also declares that any marriage solemnised between children below the legal age limit is null ...

Acceptable age gap between husband and wife in India 2020, by gender. According to the results of a survey conducted by Nikah Forever, a majority of respondents agreed that between three and five years was an acceptable age gap between a husband and wife.

Some argue that an age gap of 2-4 years can be considered ideal, some even go on to argue that a gap of 5-6 years is also advisable, but as it has been already said, this is a completely subjective opinion and hence no certain line can be drawn to give out a certain age group which would be accepted by all.

An analysis of UN data (for all 83 countries where data for 2015-2018 was available) shows that the oldest grooms in the world can be found in Estonia, where men get married at the median age of 36 and four months, while the oldest brides live in Slovenia and get married at a median age of 34 years.