Table 2.
Distribution of age at first marriage by exact age in India over the period 1992–2021.
| Percentage of women who married for the first time by specific exact age and the median age at first marriage by current age | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Current Age | NFHS-Rounds | Percentage married by exact age |
Number of Women | Median age at first Marriage | |||||||
| 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 25 | ||||
| 15–19 |
NFHS–I | 43.1 | na | na | na | na | Na | na | na | 9098 | a |
| NFHS-II | 41.0 | na | na | na | na | Na | na | na | 8275 | a | |
| NFHS-III | 11.9 | na | na | na | na | Na | na | na | 7133 | a | |
| NFHS-IV | 2.6 | na | na | na | na | Na | na | na | 19,194 | a | |
| NFHS–V |
1.7 |
na |
na |
na |
na |
Na |
na |
na |
15,897 |
a |
|
| 20–24 |
NFHS–I | 31.2 | 44.3 | 56.2 | 65.9 | 79.1 | 87.2 | na | na | 17,974 | 16.5 |
| NFHS-II | 29.3 | 42.1 | 53.8 | 63.5 | 77.9 | 85.5 | na | na | 16,583 | 16.7 | |
| NFHS-III | 18.2 | 27.2 | 36.9 | 47.4 | 56.8 | 64.4 | na | na | 16,294 | 18.3 | |
| NFHS-IV | 6.5 | 10.9 | 17.5 | 26.6 | 37.4 | 47.7 | na | na | 78,800 | a | |
| NFHS–V |
4.8 |
8.7 |
14.7 |
23.2 |
33.4 |
43.0 |
na |
na |
71,356 |
a |
|
| 25–29 |
NFHS–I | 32.4 | 45.2 | 56.5 | 64.7 | 75.1 | 80.7 | 87.0 | 97.5 | 17,439 | 16.4 |
| NFHS-II | 30.2 | 42.9 | 53.8 | 61.9 | 73.3 | 79.2 | 85.8 | 97.0 | 17,960 | 16.7 | |
| NFHS-III | 25.4 | 35.8 | 46.2 | 55.4 | 65.7 | 72.4 | 78.6 | 91.3 | 18,163 | 17.4 | |
| NFHS-IV | 12.1 | 18.5 | 26.4 | 35.8 | 45.6 | 54.5 | 62.7 | 83.8 | 100,084 | 19.5 | |
| NFHS–V |
8.9 |
14.4 |
22.1 |
32.0 |
42.7 |
52.5 |
61.1 |
82.7 |
1,02,068 |
19.7 |
|
| 30–34 |
NFHS–I | 33.6 | 46.4 | 58.3 | 66.1 | 76.3 | 81.1 | 87.1 | 96.1 | 14,665 | 16.3 |
| NFHS-II | 31.6 | 44.9 | 56.8 | 64.8 | 75.3 | 80.3 | 86.4 | 95.8 | 15,288 | 16.4 | |
| NFHS-III | 28.5 | 40.7 | 51.8 | 61.2 | 70.9 | 76.5 | 82.0 | 93.2 | 16,366 | 16.8 | |
| NFHS-IV | 16.4 | 24.4 | 33.5 | 43.6 | 53.0 | 61.4 | 68.4 | 85.7 | 88,867 | 18.7 | |
| NFHS–V |
13.5 |
20.9 |
29.6 |
39.3 |
49.1 |
57.8 |
65.9 |
86.1 |
94,719 |
19.1 |
|
| 35–39 |
NFHS–I | 36.7 | 49.8 | 61.9 | 69.2 | 78.4 | 82.7 | 88.3 | 96.0 | 12,461 | 16.0 |
| NFHS-II | 33.5 | 46.4 | 58.3 | 66.1 | 76.1 | 81.1 | 86.5 | 95.3 | 13,252 | 16.3 | |
| NFHS-III | 31.0 | 43.6 | 54.8 | 63.4 | 73.5 | 79.1 | 84.3 | 93.8 | 14,813 | 16.6 | |
| NFHS-IV | 17.8 | 26.1 | 35.0 | 45.1 | 54.6 | 62.8 | 69.6 | 85.6 | 82,729 | 18.5 | |
| NFHS–V |
15.8 |
24.4 |
34.2 |
44.9 |
55.0 |
63.3 |
70.4 |
87.5 |
92,831 |
18.5 |
|
| 40–44 |
NFHS–I | 40.3 | 53.8 | 64.7 | 72.0 | 81.1 | 85.1 | 90.9 | 96.9 | 9755 | 15.7 |
| NFHS-II | 36.3 | 49.1 | 60.1 | 68.0 | 77.9 | 82.8 | 88.5 | 96.2 | 10,646 | 16.1 | |
| NFHS-III | 32.4 | 44.4 | 55.6 | 64.6 | 74.1 | 79.8 | 85.5 | 94.6 | 12,222 | 16.5 | |
| NFHS-IV | 19.6 | 28.1 | 37.1 | 46.8 | 55.6 | 63.5 | 70.2 | 84.9 | 69,863 | 18.4 | |
| NFHS–V |
17.9 |
26.7 |
36.3 |
46.9 |
56.8 |
65.4 |
72.7 |
88.6 |
77,467 |
18.3 |
|
| 45–49 |
NFHS–I | 44.1 | 56.7 | 67.4 | 73.8 | 82.6 | 86.5 | 91.7 | 97.4 | 8046 | 15.7 |
| NFHS-II | 38.3 | 51.7 | 62.0 | 69.7 | 78.5 | 82.5 | 88.5 | 95.8 | 8272 | 15.9 | |
| NFHS-III | 33.0 | 44.7 | 55.4 | 64.2 | 73.3 | 79.1 | 85.1 | 94.5 | 9203 | 16.5 | |
| NFHS-IV | 18.0 | 26.3 | 34.7 | 43.7 | 52.7 | 60.6 | 67.1 | 82.4 | 65,737 | 18.7 | |
| NFHS–V |
17.3 |
26.2 |
35.7 |
46.0 |
56.0 |
64.4 |
71.2 |
87.6 |
80,331 |
18.4 |
|
| 15–49 |
NFHS–I | 36.0 | na | na | na | na | Na | na | na | 89,437 | a |
| NFHS-II | 33.2 | na | na | na | na | Na | na | na | 90,276 | a | |
| NFHS-III | 23.9 | na | na | na | na | Na | na | na | 94,194 | a | |
| NFHS-IV | 12.3 | na | na | na | na | Na | na | na | 505,274 | a | |
| NFHS–V |
10.6 |
na |
na |
na |
na |
Na |
na |
na |
5,34,670 |
a |
|
| 20–49 |
NFHS–I | 35.2 | 48.1 | 59.7 | 67.7 | 78.2 | 83.6 | na | na | 80,340 | 16.2 |
| NFHS-II | 32.4 | 45.4 | 56.7 | 65.0 | 76.2 | 81.8 | na | na | 82,001 | 16.4 | |
| NFHS-III | 26.9 | 37.9 | 48.6 | 57.9 | 67.7 | 74.0 | na | na | 87,061 | 17.2 | |
| NFHS-IV | 14.3 | 21.3 | 29.6 | 39.1 | 48.8 | 57.5 | na | na | 486,080 | 19.1 | |
| NFHS–V |
12.4 |
19.3 |
27.7 |
37.6 |
47.7 |
56.7 |
na |
na |
5,18,773 |
19.2 |
|
| 25–49 | NFHS–I | 36.3 | 49.2 | 60.7 | 68.2 | 77.9 | 82.6 | 88.5 | 96.7 | 62,366 | 16.1 |
| NFHS-II | 33.2 | 46.2 | 57.5 | 65.4 | 75.7 | 80.8 | 86.8 | 96.1 | 65,418 | 16.3 | |
| NFHS-III | 29.4 | 41.1 | 52.0 | 61.1 | 70.9 | 76.8 | 82.5 | 93.2 | 70,767 | 16.8 | |
| NFHS-IV | 16.4 | 24.2 | 32.8 | 42.5 | 51.9 | 60.1 | 67.3 | 84.5 | 407,280 | 18.8 | |
| NFHS–V | 14.2 | 21.9 | 30.9 | 41.1 | 51.3 | 60.1 | 67.7 | 86.3 | 4,47,417 | 18.9 | |
Notes: na = Not applicable, a = Median is not calculated because less than 50 percent of women had a birth before reaching the beginning of the age group.