17 Countries with Highest Child Marriage Rates in the World

3. South Sudan

In South Sudan, child marriage serves as a survival strategy in the face of economic and food instability. Families residing in the most impoverished households in South Sudan resort to marrying off their daughters to secure dowry, which comprises payments in the form of money, gifts, or cattle from prospective husbands. The region’s instability has led to a rise in cattle theft, rendering some families unable to provide for their children. Cattle have become a form of currency in marriage arrangements, compelling many teenage girls into marriage so that their families can obtain cows for sustenance. Tragically, in some cases, girls are forced into marriage as if they were “born to be consumed.”

The latest data, dating back to 2010, indicates that 52% of girls in South Sudan enter into marriage before they reach their 18th birthday, with 9% being married before turning 15. It’s noteworthy that a significant portion of the South Sudanese population, specifically 57%, falls under the age of 18.

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