Claim: The Daily Times newspaper reported in a March 5, 2025, article (archived here) that Malawi had the eighth-highest rate of child marriage in the world, which made it difficult for the country to achieve its gender equality goals.
Verdict: FALSE
Methodology
This fact-check is based on the most recent internationally comparable data on child marriage, provided by leading global organizations such as UNICEF, World Bank and Girls Not Brides. The primary metric used is the percentage of women aged 20–24 who were first married or in a union before the age of 18. This is the standard indicator used to measure the global prevalence of child marriage.
Evidence and Analysis
The claim that Malawi has the eighth-highest rate of child marriage is outdated. Although Malawi has historically ranked high in global child marriage statistics, more recent data shows that its ranking has declined.
According to the latest global data from UNICEF, used by organizations like Girls Not Brides, Malawi is not among the top ten countries with the highest prevalence of child marriage. As of 2024, data based on UNICEF’s 2020 global databases shows Malawi’s prevalence rate of child marriage (girls married before 18) at 38%, placing it 14th in the world. Some sources, citing slightly different data sets or timeframes, place the rate at 42%, but the global ranking remains outside the top ten.
The countries currently reporting the highest prevalence rates of child marriage (percentage of women 20-24 married before 18) are:
- Niger (76%)
- Central African Republic (61%)
- Chad (61%)
- Mali (54%)
- Mozambique (53%)
- South Sudan (52%)
- Bangladesh (51%)
- Burkina Faso (51%)
- Guinea (47%)
- Somalia (45%)
A 2024 UNICEF report noted that 42% of girls aged 15-19 were married, leading to high rates of school dropout. Efforts to combat the practice are ongoing, including a National Strategy on Ending Child Marriage (2018-2023) and a 2017 constitutional amendment that effectively banned child marriage.
Conclusion
The assertion that Malawi has the eighth-highest child marriage rate in the world is FALSE. This claim is based on out-of-date information. According to the most recent comprehensive global data from UNICEF, Malawi ranks 14th worldwide. The highest rates of child marriage are now concentrated in other sub-Saharan African countries, such as Niger, Central African Republic, and Chad.
This fact-check was produced by Collins Mtika of the Centre for Investigative Journalism Malawi (CIJM) as part of the African Fact-Checking Alliance’s (AFCA) incubation programme. It was produced with peer-mentorship from Code for Africa’s fact-checking initiative, PesaCheck, with financial support from Norway.
AFCA mentorship respects the journalistic independence of the researchers, offering access to advanced techniques and tools. Editorial decision-making remains with the Centre for Investigative Journalism Malawi. Want to learn more? Visit: https://factcheck.africa/
