UNICEF Indonesia Child Marriage Factsheet
CHILD MARRIAGE
IN INDONESIA
Child marriage prevalence in Indonesia remains high - Two new reports launched by Statistics Indonesia (BPS), supported
by UNICEF, analyze data on child marriage in Indonesia from 2008 to 2015. These reports provide first-ever data from the
National Socioeconomic Survey (SUSENAS) on the trends of child marriage in Indonesia.
POVERTY MAKES GIRLS MORE VULNERABLE TO CHILD MARRIAGE
AROUND 1 IN 4 GIRLS
ARE MARRIED BEFORE 18*
Child marriage prevalence has
plateaued from 2008 to 2015
HOUSEHOLDS WITH
LOWER EXPENDITURE
1,348,886 girls married
before 18 in 2012
Girls from households with the lowest levels of expenditure
are more than twice as likely to be married than girls from
households with the highest levels of expenditure.
*From sample of ever-married women aged 20 to 24.
RURAL AREAS
POOR HOUSING CONDITIONS
Child marriage is more than
Child marriage rates increase as housing
conditions deteriorate from adequate
(21.9 per cent) to inadequate (31.0 per cent).
1.5 times higher
in rural compared to urban areas.
GEOGRAPHICAL SPREAD, AVERAGE PREVALENCE OF CHILD MARRIAGE UNDER 18, 2008-2015
17.9
0-19%
20-24%
15.2
27.4
14.2
20.5
25-29%
30.8
29.7
29.9
30+%
26.4
16.7
26.9
29.4
34.6
36.2
28.4
26.3
35.5
26.4
33.3
25.5
31.7
22.1
31.6
18.5
13.7
24.1
29.3
20.7
13.3
27.1
15.9
25.5
20.5
Child marriage is found in geographical pockets throughout Indonesia – Rates vary widely across the country and by level of government
(province, district and sub-district). Provincial averages can mask districts where prevalence is much higher than the national or provincial average.
LEGAL FRAMEWORK
AROUND
21
WITH
PARENTAL
CONSENT
LEGAL AGE
OF MARRIAGE
ABOVE
ABOVE
16
19
WITH DISPENSATION
(EXEMPTION) REQUEST
NO MINIMUM AGE LIMIT
300.000
GIRLS
MARRY BEFORE
16 PER YEAR
IMPACT
INDONESIA
GLOBALLY
Complications during pregnancy and
childbirth are the second leading
cause of death for girls between
ages 15 and 19.**
EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT
Girls marrying before 18 are at least six times
less likely to complete secondary education or
equivalent compared to girl marrying after 18.
ECONOMIC GROWTH
Child marriage causes a loss of
at least 1.7%of GDP (2014).
Babies born to mothers under 20 are
1.5 times more likely to die during
the first 28 days than babies born to
mothers in their 20s or 30s.**
**United Nations Children’s Fund, The State
of the World’s Children 2016, New York, 2016.
Married girls are more vulnerable to domestic violence.***
***Kidman, Rachel, ‘Child marriage and intimate partner violence: a comparative study of 34 countries’, International Journal of Epidemiology, 12 October 2016, pp. 1-14.
IN INDONESIA
Child marriage prevalence in Indonesia remains high - Two new reports launched by Statistics Indonesia (BPS), supported
by UNICEF, analyze data on child marriage in Indonesia from 2008 to 2015. These reports provide first-ever data from the
National Socioeconomic Survey (SUSENAS) on the trends of child marriage in Indonesia.
POVERTY MAKES GIRLS MORE VULNERABLE TO CHILD MARRIAGE
AROUND 1 IN 4 GIRLS
ARE MARRIED BEFORE 18*
Child marriage prevalence has
plateaued from 2008 to 2015
HOUSEHOLDS WITH
LOWER EXPENDITURE
1,348,886 girls married
before 18 in 2012
Girls from households with the lowest levels of expenditure
are more than twice as likely to be married than girls from
households with the highest levels of expenditure.
*From sample of ever-married women aged 20 to 24.
RURAL AREAS
POOR HOUSING CONDITIONS
Child marriage is more than
Child marriage rates increase as housing
conditions deteriorate from adequate
(21.9 per cent) to inadequate (31.0 per cent).
1.5 times higher
in rural compared to urban areas.
GEOGRAPHICAL SPREAD, AVERAGE PREVALENCE OF CHILD MARRIAGE UNDER 18, 2008-2015
17.9
0-19%
20-24%
15.2
27.4
14.2
20.5
25-29%
30.8
29.7
29.9
30+%
26.4
16.7
26.9
29.4
34.6
36.2
28.4
26.3
35.5
26.4
33.3
25.5
31.7
22.1
31.6
18.5
13.7
24.1
29.3
20.7
13.3
27.1
15.9
25.5
20.5
Child marriage is found in geographical pockets throughout Indonesia – Rates vary widely across the country and by level of government
(province, district and sub-district). Provincial averages can mask districts where prevalence is much higher than the national or provincial average.
LEGAL FRAMEWORK
AROUND
21
WITH
PARENTAL
CONSENT
LEGAL AGE
OF MARRIAGE
ABOVE
ABOVE
16
19
WITH DISPENSATION
(EXEMPTION) REQUEST
NO MINIMUM AGE LIMIT
300.000
GIRLS
MARRY BEFORE
16 PER YEAR
IMPACT
INDONESIA
GLOBALLY
Complications during pregnancy and
childbirth are the second leading
cause of death for girls between
ages 15 and 19.**
EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT
Girls marrying before 18 are at least six times
less likely to complete secondary education or
equivalent compared to girl marrying after 18.
ECONOMIC GROWTH
Child marriage causes a loss of
at least 1.7%of GDP (2014).
Babies born to mothers under 20 are
1.5 times more likely to die during
the first 28 days than babies born to
mothers in their 20s or 30s.**
**United Nations Children’s Fund, The State
of the World’s Children 2016, New York, 2016.
Married girls are more vulnerable to domestic violence.***
***Kidman, Rachel, ‘Child marriage and intimate partner violence: a comparative study of 34 countries’, International Journal of Epidemiology, 12 October 2016, pp. 1-14.