Around 130 million girls and women in Africa were married before 18
One in three child brides globally lives on the continent
West and Central Africa record the highest prevalence rates
Climate shocks and conflict are worsening early marriage risks
Zambia cited as an example of progress through legal reform
A new African Union report says the continent is not on course to meet the United Nations-mandated Sustainable Development Goal target of eliminating child marriage by 2030, warning that Africa could account for nearly half of the world’s child brides by mid-century if current trends continue.
The findings are set out in the African Union Presidential Champion Report on Ending Child Marriage in Africa, launched on February 14, 2026 by Zambia’s President Hakainde Hichilema during a high-level dialogue held alongside the 39th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the African Union.
The report highlighted one in three child brides globally lives in Africa. Around 130 million girls and women on the continent were married before the age of 18.
Sub-Saharan Africa carries the heaviest burden, with one in three girls married in childhood. West and Central Africa account for seven of the ten countries worldwide with the highest prevalence.
Rates vary significantly across regions. In Northern Africa, 13 per cent of women aged 20 to 24 were married or in union before 18. In Western and Central Africa, the figure rises to 32 per cent and 33 per cent respectively. In parts of the Sahel, more than half of girls marry during childhood, and in some states and provinces prevalence exceeds 80 per cent.
While Africa remains the region with the highest overall rates, the report notes that progress has been uneven. Eastern Africa has recorded the most substantial gains over the past 25 years, reducing prevalence from 48 per cent to 31 per cent, driven in part by improvements in Ethiopia and Kenya.
The report highlights how overlapping crises, described as “polycrises”, are worsening the drivers of child marriage.
Climate shocks, armed conflict and global pandemics are said to be compounding vulnerabilities and weakening prevention efforts. Climate change, in particular, is affecting health, education and livelihoods.
Disruptions to agriculture, social protection systems and household incomes can limit families’ ability to invest in girls’ education and wellbeing, increasing the risk of early marriage. According to the report, a 10 per cent deviation from average rainfall is associated with a 1 per cent increase in child marriage rates. In parts of southern Africa, girls accounted for 70 per cent of children withdrawn from school during droughts.
In pastoralist communities in Eastern Africa, repeated droughts have depleted livestock, increasing reliance on bridewealth from early marriages. Desertification in the Sahel and prolonged droughts in Northern Africa have similarly reinforced early marriage as an economic coping strategy.
Despite the challenges, the report says progress is possible through sustained political leadership, harmonised legislation and coordinated action.
Zambia is cited as an example. The country reduced child marriage from 29 per cent in 2018 to 23.9 per cent in 2024, through legal reforms, free education policies, expanded social protection and community engagement.
The report urges African Union member states to adopt integrated, context-specific strategies that combine legal, educational, economic and sociocultural measures.
It also notes that the African Union Commission has established normative, policy, institutional and financing frameworks aimed at preventing and responding to child marriage.
However, with just four years remaining to meet the 2030 deadline under Sustainable Development Goal 5.3, the report warns that accelerated action will be required if Africa is to change its current trajectory.