The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) says investments in education have helped avert an estimated 68 million child marriages over the past 25 years, demonstrating that progress is possible when girls are supported and their rights are protected.
The agency attributed the achievement to investments in girls’ education, legal reforms and social protection programs.
UNICEF stated this in a message issued to mark the 2026 International Day of the Girl Child, celebrated annually on October 11, with the theme, “End Child Marriage and Invest in Girls’ Rights!”
“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,” the agency said.
It stressed the need to accelerate efforts to protect girls, adding that every girl should have the opportunity to realize her rights and fulfill her potential.
“For when girls are safe, educated and empowered, they don’t just transform their own lives, they help build healthier families, stronger communities and more peaceful, prosperous societies,” it said.
According to UNICEF’s 2026 estimates, one in five girls worldwide is married before the age of 18, representing approximately 650 million women and girls alive today who were married during childhood.
The agency added that nearly one in four ever-married or partnered girls aged 15 to 19 had experienced intimate partner violence in their lifetime.
It noted that crises, conflicts and displacement continued to increase girls’ vulnerability to child marriage, sexual violence and maternal mortality.
UNICEF further stated that girls aged 15 to 19 were twice as likely as boys to be out of education, employment or training.
It added that girls in fragile, conflict- and violence-affected settings were nearly 90 percent more likely to be out of secondary school than those in stable environments, increasing their vulnerability to child marriage.
The agency, however, maintained that ending child marriage was achievable through sustained investment in girls’ rights and access to essential services.
“We know what works – and investing in girls is one of the most effective ways to accelerate progress,” it said.
UNICEF stressed that every girl deserved the opportunity to learn, grow, make independent choices, and determine her future, noting that millions were still denied these fundamental rights.
It estimated that more than 12 million girls were married before reaching adulthood each year, equivalent to approximately one girl every three seconds. Sub-Saharan Africa has the highest prevalence, at 31 percent.
The agency described child marriage as one of the most widespread violations of girls’ rights, saying it deprived millions of the opportunity to remain in school, protect their health, live free from violence and fulfill their potential.
It warned that child marriage could have severe and lasting consequences for girls’ physical and mental health, increasing their risks of social isolation, anxiety and emotional distress.
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UNICEF also expressed concern over the mental health challenges facing adolescent girls, noting that self-harm remained one of the leading causes of death among girls aged 15 to 19 globally.
The agency called on governments, communities, families and other stakeholders to strengthen efforts to end child marriage, expand educational opportunities and ensure that every girl could grow up safely and exercise her rights.
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