Unhappily Ever After: Slow and uneven progress in the fight against early marriage

According to research conducted by the Overseas Development Institute (ODI), there has been limited progress in ending early marriage, despite a decline in some countries. This document presents some international statistics concerning the existence and spread of child marriage in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.

Nearly 39,000 girls are married every day – over 4,000 of them are younger than 15. This amounts to over 14 million child brides each year – and 142 million this decade.

This report continues by looking at the root causes of early marriage, economic and social drivers. ODI concludes with solutions to educate and aid communities in ending the practice.