One in five girls worldwide is still married before the age of 18, while more than 12 million girls are married off annually before reaching adulthood, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has warned.
The agency, however, said global efforts over the past 25 years had helped avert 68 million child marriages through investments in girls’ education, legal reforms and social protection.
UNICEF disclosed this in a message marking the 2026 International Day of the Girl Child, observed on October 11, under the theme, “End child marriage and invest in girls’ rights!”
The agency said approximately 650 million women and girls alive today were married during childhood, while more than 12 million girls are still married before turning 18 every year.
It identified sub-Saharan Africa as the region with the highest prevalence of child marriage, at 31 per cent.
“We have the solutions: keeping girls in school; expanding access to health, protection and social services; working with families and communities to challenge harmful norms; investing in girls’ rights and supporting their leadership,” UNICEF said.
The agency called for accelerated action to protect girls from early marriage, stressing that every girl should have the opportunity to complete her education, make independent decisions and fulfil her potential.
“Now we must go further and faster. It is in our power to ensure that every girl, everywhere, can realise her rights and fulfil her potential,” it added.
UNICEF also raised concerns about violence against adolescent girls, revealing that nearly one in four ever-married or partnered girls aged 15 to 19 had experienced intimate partner violence in their lifetime.
It warned that crises, armed conflicts and displacement continued to increase girls’ vulnerability to child marriage, sexual violence and maternal mortality.
The agency further noted that girls aged 15 to 19 were twice as likely as boys to be outside education, employment or training.
In fragile, conflict and violence-affected settings, girls were nearly 90 per cent more likely to be out of secondary school than their counterparts in stable environments, increasing their vulnerability to early marriage.
UNICEF said child marriage remained one of the most widespread violations of girls’ rights, depriving millions of opportunities to remain in school, protect their health and live free from violence.
It added that early marriage could have severe and lasting consequences for girls’ physical and mental health, including social isolation, anxiety and emotional distress.
The agency also highlighted the risks facing adolescent girls, noting that self-harm remained one of the leading causes of death among girls aged 15 to 19 globally.
“We know what works – and investing in girls is one of the most effective ways to accelerate progress,” UNICEF stated.
The organisation urged governments, families and communities to strengthen investments in girls’ rights, education, healthcare and protection, arguing that empowering girls would contribute to healthier families, stronger communities and more peaceful societies.
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