Table 3.

Multiple classification analysis estimates of Predicted mean at first marriage among women aged 15–49 years by background characteristics, 1992–2021.

Variables	NFHS–I		NFHS-II		NFHS-III		NFHS-IV		NFHS–V
	Unadjusted	Adjusted for factors and covariates	Unadjusted	Adjusted for factors and covariates	Unadjusted	Adjusted for factors and covariates	Unadjusted	Adjusted for factors and covariates	Unadjusted	Adjusted for factors and covariates
State Region	Mean (95% CI)	Mean (95% CI)	Mean (95% CI)	Mean (95% CI)	Mean (95% CI)	Mean (95% CI)	Mean (95% CI)	Mean (95% CI)	Mean (95% CI)	Mean (95% CI)
East	15.38 [15.31 15.44]	16.11 [16.06 16.17]	16.05 [15.99 16.11]	16.83 [16.77 16.88]	16.55 [16.48 16.62]	17.13 [17.07 17.2]	17.53 [17.5 17.56]	18.04 [18.01 18.06]	17.61 [17.59 17.64]	18.09 [18.06 18.12]
West	17.64 [17.57 17.72]	17.09 [17.02 17.15]	17.56 [17.49 17.64]	16.84 [16.77 16.9]	18.45 [18.37 18.52]	17.69 [17.63 17.76]	18.54 [18.5 18.58]	18.25 [18.21 18.29]	18.86 [18.82 18.89]	18.7 [18.67 18.73]
North	16.8 [16.75 16.86]	16.52 [16.47 16.57]	16.91 [16.85 16.96]	16.64 [16.59 16.69]	17.42 [17.36 17.49]	17.14 [17.08 17.19]	18.75 [18.73 18.78]	18.29 [18.26 18.31]	19.44 [19.42 19.47]	19 [18.97 19.02]
South	16.98 [16.92 17.04]	16.74 [16.69 16.8]	17.26 [17.2 17.32]	17.09 [17.03 17.15]	17.75 [17.68 17.81]	17.64 [17.59 17.7]	19.01 [18.97 19.04]	18.71 [18.68 18.74]	18.87 [18.84 18.9]	18.74 [18.71 18.76]
Central	14.71 [14.65 14.77]	15.57 [15.52 15.63]	14.6 [14.54 14.66]	15.36 [15.31 15.42]	15.98 [15.92 16.05]	16.61 [16.55 16.66]	17.32 [17.29 17.34]	17.68 [17.65 17.7]	17.89 [17.86 17.91]	18.24 [18.22 18.26]
Northeast	18.35 [18.27 18.43]	17.29 [17.21 17.37]	18.93 [18.86 19.01]	18.22 [18.14 18.29]	19.06 [18.99 19.13]	18.62 [18.55 18.69]	19.9 [19.86 19.93]	19.43 [19.39 19.46]	19.97 [19.94 20]	19.69 [19.65 19.72]
Residence
Urban	18 [17.95 18.04]	16.56 [16.51 16.61]	18.36 [18.31 18.41]	16.94 [16.89 16.99]	18.51 [18.47 18.55]	17.48 [17.44 17.52]	19.29 [19.27 19.31]	18.45 [18.42 18.47]	19.75 [19.73 19.77]	18.92 [18.9 18.95]
Rural	15.77 [15.74 15.81]	16.41 [16.39 16.44]	15.99 [15.96 16.03]	16.65 [16.62 16.68]	16.67 [16.63 16.7]	17.38 [17.34 17.41]	17.91 [17.89 17.92]	18.19 [18.18 18.2]	18.36 [18.34 18.37]	18.59 [18.58 18.61]
Highest Education
No Education	14.91 [14.88 14.94]	15.39 [15.36 15.43]	14.99 [14.95 15.02]	15.59 [15.55 15.63]	15.43 [15.39 15.46]	15.97 [15.93 16.02]	16.83 [16.81 16.84]	17.14 [17.12 17.16]	17.18 [17.16 17.2]	17.41 [17.39 17.43]
Primary	17 [16.94 17.05]	16.62 [16.56 16.67]	16.74 [16.68 16.8]	16.58 [16.53 16.64]	16.69 [16.62 16.75]	16.68 [16.62 16.74]	17.42 [17.39 17.45]	17.49 [17.46 17.52]	17.66 [17.63 17.69]	17.72 [17.69 17.75]
Secondary	18.92 [18.86 18.97]	18.14 [18.09 18.2]	18.47 [18.42 18.51]	17.74 [17.69 17.79]	18.78 [18.74 18.82]	18.26 [18.22 18.31]	18.95 [18.93 18.96]	18.7 [18.68 18.71]	19.1 [19.08 19.11]	18.97 [18.96 18.99]
Higher	22.32 [22.2 22.43]	21.42 [21.3 21.54]	21.6 [21.52 21.68]	20.58 [20.5 20.67]	22.76 [22.68 22.85]	21.93 [21.84 22.02]	22.2 [22.16 22.23]	21.66 [21.62 21.7]	22.31 [22.28 22.34]	21.95 [21.92 21.99]
Caste
SC	15.09 [15.01 15.17]	16.11 [16.05 16.18]	15.56 [15.49 15.62]	16.41 [16.36 16.47]	16.36 [16.29 16.43]	17.13 [17.07 17.19]	17.69 [17.66 17.71]	18.13 [18.1 18.15]	18.11 [18.08 18.14]	18.51 [18.48 18.53]
ST	16.92 [16.84 16.99]	16.82 [16.75 16.89]	17.19 [17.11 17.27]	16.9 [16.82 16.97]	17.74 [17.67 17.82]	17.49 [17.41 17.57]	18.8 [18.77 18.83]	18.62 [18.59 18.65]	19.21 [19.18 19.23]	19.12 [19.09 19.15]
OBC	16.6 [16.56 16.63]	16.46 [16.43 16.48]	16.06 [16.01 16.11]	16.53 [16.49 16.57]	16.66 [16.62 16.71]	17.12 [17.08 17.16]	17.85 [17.83 17.87]	18.06 [18.04 18.07]	18.3 [18.28 18.32]	18.47 [18.45 18.48]
Others			17.57 [17.53 17.62]	16.97 [16.94 17.01]	18.54 [18.49 18.58]	17.83 [17.78 17.87]	19.11 [19.08 19.14]	18.48 [18.46 18.5]	19.51 [19.48 19.53]	18.84 [18.82 18.87]
Religion
Hindu	16.1 [16.07 16.13]	16.23 [16.2 16.25]	16.38 [16.35 16.41]	16.57 [16.54 16.59]	17.22 [17.19 17.26]	17.32 [17.29 17.35]	18 [17.99 18.01]	18.1 [18.09 18.12]	18.4 [18.38 18.41]	18.48 [18.46 18.49]
Muslim	16 [15.92 16.08]	16.37 [16.3 16.44]	16.48 [16.4 16.56]	16.64 [16.57 16.7]	16.88 [16.8 16.95]	17.15 [17.08 17.23]	18.39 [18.36 18.42]	18.52 [18.48 18.55]	18.92 [18.89 18.95]	19.31 [19.27 19.34]
Christian	20.04 [19.94 20.15]	18.51 [18.41 18.61]	20.25 [20.14 20.37]	18.4 [18.29 18.51]	19.97 [19.87 20.07]	18.41 [18.31 18.52]	20.42 [20.38 20.47]	19.01 [18.96 19.06]	20.72 [20.68 20.77]	19.53 [19.48 19.58]
Others	18.36 [18.24 18.48]	17.62 [17.52 17.73]	19.02 [18.9 19.15]	17.92 [17.82 18.03]	18.96 [18.83 19.08]	18.24 [18.13 18.35]	19.91 [19.86 19.97]	19.23 [19.17 19.28]	20.19 [20.14 20.24]	19.42 [19.37 19.47]
Wealth Index
Poorest	14.31 [14.25 14.37]	15.74 [15.68 15.81]	14.71 [14.65 14.78]	16.2 [16.13 16.27]	15.13 [15.06 15.2]	16.89 [16.81 16.97]	17.02 [16.99 17.04]	18.12 [18.09 18.16]	17.71 [17.68 17.73]	18.62 [18.6 18.65]
Poor	14.96 [14.9 15.02]	16.04 [15.98 16.11]	15.1 [15.04 15.16]	16.24 [16.18 16.3]	15.78 [15.72 15.85]	16.91 [16.85 16.98]	17.51 [17.48 17.53]	17.95 [17.92 17.97]	18.02 [18 18.05]	18.44 [18.42 18.47]
Middle	15.75 [15.69 15.8]	16.29 [16.24 16.35]	15.99 [15.93 16.04]	16.49 [16.43 16.54]	16.7 [16.64 16.76]	17.2 [17.15 17.26]	18.14 [18.11 18.16]	18.1 [18.08 18.13]	18.49 [18.47 18.52]	18.55 [18.53 18.57]
Richer	16.91 [16.86 16.96]	16.68 [16.63 16.73]	17.25 [17.2 17.3]	16.98 [16.93 17.03]	17.76 [17.71 17.82]	17.58 [17.53 17.63]	18.89 [18.86 18.91]	18.39 [18.37 18.42]	19.21 [19.19 19.24]	18.76 [18.73 18.78]
Richest	18.9 [18.85 18.95]	17.1 [17.03 17.16]	19.23 [19.18 19.28]	17.4 [17.34 17.46]	19.69 [19.64 19.74]	17.96 [17.91 18.02]	20.12 [20.09 20.15]	18.79 [18.76 18.83]	20.46 [20.44 20.49]	19.08 [19.05 19.11]
Mass Media Exposure
No	15.1 [15.06 15.14]	16.32 [16.28 16.36]	15 [14.96 15.04]	16.54 [16.49 16.58]	15.33 [15.27 15.39]	17.18 [17.12 17.24]	17 [16.97 17.02]	18.15 [18.12 18.18]	17.65 [17.63 17.68]	18.57 [18.54 18.59]
Any	17.5 [17.46 17.53]	16.57 [16.54 16.6]	17.74 [17.71 17.77]	16.86 [16.83 16.89]	17.98 [17.95 18.01]	17.48 [17.46 17.51]	18.67 [18.66 18.69]	18.29 [18.28 18.31]	19.05 [19.03 19.06]	18.71 [18.69 18.72]
Family Structure
Nuclear					17.34 [17.3 17.37]	17.4 [17.37 17.44]	18.13 [18.11 18.14]	18.24 [18.22 18.25]	18.51 [18.49 18.52]	18.65 [18.63 18.66]
Non-Nuclear					17.62 [17.58 17.66]	17.45 [17.41 17.48]	18.46 [18.44 18.47]	18.28 [18.27 18.3]	18.86 [18.85 18.88]	18.7 [18.68 18.71]
Prior Relationship with husband
No							18.33 [18.32 18.34]	18.3 [18.29 18.31]	18.74 [18.73 18.75]	18.72 [18.71 18.73]
Yes							18.09 [18.06 18.13]	17.98 [17.95 18.01]	18.32 [18.29 18.35]	18.32 [18.29 18.35]
Total	16.46 [16.43 16.48]		16.73 [16.7 16.76]		17.47 [17.44 17.5]		18.3 [18.29 18.31]		18.69 [18.68 18.7]