The State of the Nigerian Girl Report II 2025

The State of the Nigerian Girl Report II – 2025 provides a comprehensive, data‑driven analysis of child marriage trends, drivers, and interventions across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones. Building on the 2020 baseline study, the 2025 report reveals a significant national decline in child marriage—from 44% to 28.6%—while highlighting persistent regional disparities, especially in the Northwest and Northeast. Using mixed methods including desk reviews, quantitative surveys across 12 focal states, key informant interviews, and focus group discussions, the report examines how poverty, harmful cultural norms, weak legal enforcement, insecurity, and limited educational access continue to fuel early marriage. It documents the profound impacts on girls’ health, education, and socio-economic opportunities, and evaluates the effectiveness of existing legal frameworks and community-level interventions. The report concludes with targeted recommendations emphasizing constitutional reform to uniformly prohibit child marriage, strengthened enforcement of the Child Rights Act, expanded educational and economic opportunities for girls, community-led social norms change, and multi-sectoral collaboration. Overall, the report serves as an evidence-based roadmap for accelerating progress towards eliminating child marriage in Nigeria and safeguarding the rights and futures of all Nigerian girls.