Eastern Africa
Rwanda
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
- Rwanda
- Eastern Africa
The line chart shows the prevalence of child marriage (before age 18) in Rwanda and Eastern Africa from 1995 to 2024.
In Rwanda, 17% of girls in 1995 married before age 18, compared with 6% in 2020, which is the latest available value.
In Eastern Africa, the prevalence was 46% in 1999 and was 32% in 2024.
Show data table
| Year | Rwanda | Eastern Africa |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 16.6% | |
| 1999 | 46.2% | |
| 2000 | 17.8% | |
| 2004 | 43.5% | |
| 2005 | 12.2% | |
| 2009 | 44.6% | |
| 2010 | 7.4% | |
| 2014 | 42.1% | |
| 2015 | 6.0% | |
| 2019 | 37.4% | |
| 2020 | 5.5% | |
| 2024 | 32.4% |
Rwanda
Child Marriage
Prevalence
Residence
- Rural
- Urban
Wealth
- Poorest
- Second
- Middle
- Fourth
- Richest
Education
- No schooling
- Primary education
- Secondary or higher
Compare regions of Rwanda
Understand differences inside the country
Touch the timeline to see how the child marriage affect differently each sub-region of Rwanda in the last decades.
Levels of child marriage vary across different parts of Rwanda. See the range of values within the country, and explore the map for details.
Prevalence of child marriage
Compare regions of Rwanda
Understand differences
inside the country
Region with no data
2020
Prevalence of child marriage in each region of Rwanda in 2020
Region with no data
2020
Prevalence of child marriage in each region of Rwanda in 2020
The map shows the prevalence of child marriage (before age 18) across Rwanda. Data refer to 2020, the latest year with available data.
The practice is most common in East (7%), North (6%), West (6%), and South (4%).
Show data table
| Year | Kigali | South | West | North | East |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.8% | 4.3% | 6.0% | 6.0% | 7.0% |
Compare countries
How does Rwanda compare to other countries?
Prevalence of child marriage
- Rwanda
The line chart shows the prevalence of child marriage (before age 18) in Rwanda from 1995 to 2020.
In Rwanda, 17% of girls in 1995 married before age 18, compared with 6% in 2020, 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 Rwanda. Data refer to the latest available year.
In Rwanda, 6% of girls married before age 18. The prevalence is 6% of girls in rural areas, compared with 4% in urban areas.
For more data related to child marriage, please see the child marriage country profiles available on the UNICEF Data website
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Where does child marriage occur?
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