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Women & Children

High confidence

Child marriage rate

40%
2022latest data
5
out of 100 — Early stage
+-1.3% per year
5-year average trend

What this means

Percentage of women aged 20-24 who were married before age 18. Nepal's rate was ~40% in 2022 — despite being illegal. This blocks education and perpetuates poverty.

Historical data & projections to 2040

2001–2022
Current trend
28.26%
by 2040
Moderate reform (+25%)
25.88%
by 2040
Aggressive reform (+50%)
23.69%
by 2040
Stagnation (-50%)
33.65%
by 2040

Historical data

YearValueSourceStatus
202240%UNICEF DataVerified
201940%UNICEF DataVerified
201640%UNICEF DataVerified
201144%UNICEF DataVerified
200651%UNICEF DataVerified
200160%UNICEF DataVerified

At a glance

Developed country benchmark
2%
Nepal's 2040 target
15%
Progress to benchmark
5% of the way there
Direction
Lower is better
Data confidence
High confidence

Regional comparison

Nepal
40%
India
23%
Bangladesh
51%
Pakistan
18%
Benchmark
2%

Sources

Latest available: 2022 · Updated by Nepal Next: 3 Aug 2026