Western Africa
Ghana
Absolute number
Prevalence
Married by 15: Number of girls and women (left) and percentage of women 20-24 years (right) married before age 15
Married by 18: Number of girls and women (left) and percentage of women 20-24 years (right) married before age 18
Prevalence of child marriage
- Ghana
- Western Africa
The line chart shows the prevalence of child marriage (before age 18) in Ghana and Western Africa from 1997 to 2025.
In Ghana, 31% of girls in 1997 married before age 18, compared with 16% in 2022, which is the latest available value.
In Western Africa, the prevalence was 41% in 2000 and was 32% in 2025.
Show data table
| Year | Ghana | Western Africa |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 30.8% | |
| 2000 | 41.5% | |
| 2002 | 27.0% | |
| 2005 | 39.1% | |
| 2007 | 24.2% | |
| 2010 | 38.6% | |
| 2012 | 22.4% | |
| 2015 | 37.9% | |
| 2017 | 19.2% | |
| 2020 | 35.8% | |
| 2022 | 16.1% | |
| 2025 | 31.9% |
Ghana
Child Marriage
Prevalence
Residence
- Rural
- Urban
Wealth
- Poorest
- Second
- Middle
- Fourth
- Richest
Education
- No schooling
- Primary education
- Secondary or higher
Compare regions of Ghana
Understand differences inside the country
Touch the timeline to see how the child marriage affect differently each sub-region of Ghana in the last decades.
Levels of child marriage vary across different parts of Ghana. See the range of values within the country, and explore the chart for details.
Prevalence of child marriage
Compare regions of Ghana
Understand differences
inside the country
Prevalence of child marriage before age 18 years in each region of Ghana in 2022.
Region with no data
2022
Prevalence of child marriage in each region of Ghana in 2022
The chart shows the prevalence of child marriage (before age 18) across Ghana. Data refer to 2022, the latest year with available data.
The practice is most common in North East (31%), Oti (23%), Northern (23%), and Ahafo (21%).
Show data table
| Year | Ahafo | Ashanti | Bono | Bono East | Central | Eastern | Greater Accra | North East | Northern | Oti | Savannah | Upper East | Upper West | Volta | Western | Western North |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 20.8% | 14.5% | 11.1% | 17.6% | 17.2% | 20.6% | 9.5% | 31.4% | 22.6% | 23.0% | 19.3% | 19.4% | 12.0% | 11.4% | 12.8% | 19.4% |
Compare countries
How does Ghana compare to other countries?
Prevalence of child marriage
- Ghana
The line chart shows the prevalence of child marriage (before age 18) in Ghana from 1997 to 2022.
In Ghana, 31% of girls in 1997 married before age 18, compared with 16% in 2022, which is the latest available value.
Residence
Child marriage prevalence
Review the data to find if girls living in rural areas are more likely to marry in childhood than girls in urban areas
The bubble chart shows the prevalence of child marriage (before age 18) disaggregated by residence in Ghana. Data refer to the latest available year.
In Ghana, 16% of girls married before age 18. The prevalence is 22% of girls in rural areas, compared with 12% in urban areas.
For more data related to child marriage, please see the child marriage country profiles available on the UNICEF Data website
UNICEF DataExplore other countries
Where does child marriage occur?
Drag to rotate the map
Select Other Country