Child marriage in Pakistan

Child marriage (marriage of minors under the age of 18) is banned by law and is criminalized under the Pakistan Penal Code. But, it is practiced in some parts of the country, with the highest prevalence in the Sindh province. It disproportionately affects the female children. According to UNICEF report from 2018, around 18% of women aged 20-24 years were found to be married before the age of 18 (almost 20.5 million). For children married before the age of 15, the number drops to 4% or 5 million. Child marriage occurs most often in rural areas, and the primary driving factor is poverty among the low-income households where education is minimal. Pakistan has the lowest prevalence of child marriages in South Asia after Sri Lanka, and has almost halved since 1993.