When a girl marries, her childhood usually comes to an end. An abundance of evidence shows that child brides are likely to drop out of school, experience early pregnancy and social isolation, and have limited employment prospects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This is the harsh reality faced by one in five girls around the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Child marriage<\/a> is widely recognized as a human rights violation, yet it persists. The practice not only affects child brides, but also their families, communities and countries at large. It perpetuates cycles of poverty, undermines gender equality, and blocks progress towards the better, fairer world envisioned in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n More than half a billion girls and women alive today were married during childhood. This burden is not borne equally, however. The largest share of child brides is concentrated in a small number of countries, and the risk of marrying in childhood varies greatly depending on where a girl lives. Half of all child brides worldwide live in just five countries: India, Bangladesh, Nigeria, Indonesia and Brazil. That said, the countries with the highest prevalence of child marriage are concentrated in sub-Saharan Africa.<\/p>\n\n\n\nWhere is child marriage most common?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n