New Delhi: The latest National Family Health Survey (NFHS-6) for 2023-24 reveals a continuing decline in underage marriage in India, though the practice remains prevalent. Among women aged 20-24, 20.1% were married before turning 18, the legal age for marriage. This represents a decrease of over three percentage points from 23.3% recorded in the previous NFHS-5 survey (2019-21).
Male Underage Marriage
For men aged 25-29, 15.9% were married before the legal age of 21 years. This marks a 17.7% decline from the 2019-21 survey, when the figure was 19.3%.
Spousal Violence
The survey also highlights a significant reduction in gender-based violence. The percentage of married women aged 18-49 who experienced spousal violence dropped from 29.2% in 2019-21 to 22.3% in 2023-24. However, rural women continue to face higher rates (24.4%) compared to urban women (17.5%). In the previous survey, these figures were 31.6% for rural and 24.2% for urban areas.
Long-term Trends in Underage Marriage
The prevalence of underage marriage has steadily declined over successive NFHS rounds. It stood at 26.8% in NFHS-4 (2015-16) and was as high as 47.4% in NFHS-3 (2005-06). The current rate of 20.1% reflects ongoing progress.
Rural-Urban Disparities
A wide gap persists between rural and urban areas. Among women, 23.3% in rural areas married before 18, compared to 11.4% in urban areas. In the previous survey, these figures were 27% and 14.7%, respectively. For men, 19% in rural areas married before 21, versus 9.7% in urban areas, down from 21.1% and 11.3% in 2019-21.
Teenage Pregnancy and Sexual Violence
The percentage of women aged 15-19 who were already mothers or pregnant at the time of the survey remained nearly unchanged at 6.7%. Meanwhile, the proportion of women aged 19-29 who experienced sexual violence before age 18 declined to 0.7% from 1.2% in 2019-21.
