Age at first marriage, female in Ghana
Ghana: Age at first marriage, female was 23.7 in 2017. ▲ Rising
Age at first marriage, female in Ghana, 1960–2017
Source: United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division. World Marriage Data 2019.
Analysis
In 2017, age at first marriage, female in Ghana stood at 23.7.
That represents a change of down 3.3% on the previous year and up 3.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, age at first marriage, female in Ghana peaked at 24.5 in 2014 and was at its lowest, 17.8, in 1960.
Ghana ranks 82nd of 166 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 13 years of available data.
Age at first marriage, female in Ghana, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 17.8 | — |
| 1970 | 19.4 | +9.0% |
| 1988 | 20.2 | +4.1% |
| 1993 | 20.5 | +1.5% |
| 1998 | 21 | +2.4% |
| 2000 | 22.4 | +6.7% |
| 2003 | 22.4 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 22.8 | +1.8% |
| 2008 | 23.4 | +2.6% |
| 2010 | 24.1 | +3.0% |
| 2011 | 23.8 | -1.2% |
| 2014 | 24.5 | +2.9% |
| 2017 | 23.7 | -3.3% |
Ghana compared with similar countries
- Ghana's 23.7 is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 21.9, 1.1× the median. (43 countries reporting)
- Ghana's 23.7 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 21.85, 1.1× the median. (42 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 17.8 | 17.8 | 17.8 | 1 |
| 1970s | 19.4 | 19.4 | 19.4 | 1 |
| 1980s | 20.2 | 20.2 | 20.2 | 1 |
| 1990s | 20.75 | 20.5 | 21 | 2 |
| 2000s | 22.75 | 22.4 | 23.4 | 4 |
| 2010s | 24.02 | 23.7 | 24.5 | 4 |
Countries ranked near Ghana
More gender data for Ghana
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) 12,710 (2030)
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) (0-14), annual growth 0.3902 % change on previous year (2030)
- Population 25,512 (2030)
- Working-age population (UN estimates and projections) 25,512 (2030)
- Population (UN estimates and projections), annual growth rate 2.34 % change on previous year (2030)
- Age population, age 00, female, interpolated 428,908 (2025)
- Age population, age 00, male, interpolated 442,748 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, female, interpolated 424,540 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, male, interpolated 437,618 (2025)
- Age population, age 02, female, interpolated 420,712 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is age at first marriage, female in Ghana?
- Age at first marriage, female in Ghana was 23.7 in 2017, according to United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division. World Marriage Data 2019.
- What is the highest age at first marriage, female recorded in Ghana?
- The highest recorded value was 24.5 in 2014.
- What is the lowest age at first marriage, female recorded in Ghana?
- The lowest recorded value was 17.8 in 1960.
- How does Ghana rank for age at first marriage, female?
- Ghana ranks 82nd out of 166 countries with data for 2017.
- Is age at first marriage, female rising or falling in Ghana?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Ghana data come from?
- The figures come from United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division. World Marriage Data 2019, published as part of Age at first marriage, female. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Mean age at marriage, female shows the average length of single life expressed in years among those females who marry before age 50. It is a synthetic indicator calculated from marital status categories of men and women aged 15 to 54 at the census or survey date.