Age at first marriage, female in Tanzania
Tanzania: Age at first marriage, female was 21 in 2016. ▲ Rising
Age at first marriage, female in Tanzania, 1973–2016
Source: United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division. World Marriage Data 2019.
Analysis
In 2016, age at first marriage, female in Tanzania stood at 21.
That represents a change of up 5.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, age at first marriage, female in Tanzania peaked at 22.3 in 2012 and was at its lowest, 18.5, in 1973.
That places Tanzania 144th out of 166 countries with data for 2016, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 14 years of available data.
Age at first marriage, female in Tanzania, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1973 | 18.5 | — |
| 1978 | 19.1 | +3.2% |
| 1988 | 20.5 | +7.3% |
| 1992 | 20.5 | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 20.5 | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 20.5 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 20.4 | -0.5% |
| 2002 | 21.1 | +3.4% |
| 2004 | 20.7 | -1.9% |
| 2005 | 20 | -3.4% |
| 2008 | 20.3 | +1.5% |
| 2010 | 21 | +3.4% |
| 2012 | 22.3 | +6.2% |
| 2016 | 21 | -5.8% |
Tanzania compared with similar countries
- Tanzania's 21 is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 21.9, 96% of the median. (43 countries reporting)
- Tanzania's 21 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 21.85, 96% of the median. (42 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 18.8 | 18.5 | 19.1 | 2 |
| 1980s | 20.5 | 20.5 | 20.5 | 1 |
| 1990s | 20.48 | 20.4 | 20.5 | 4 |
| 2000s | 20.52 | 20 | 21.1 | 4 |
| 2010s | 21.43 | 21 | 22.3 | 3 |
Countries ranked near Tanzania
- 142 Nicaragua 21.1 compare
- 142 Zimbabwe 21.1 compare
- 144 Panama 21 compare
- 144 Sao Tome and Principe 21 compare
- 147 Democratic Republic of Congo 20.9 compare
More gender data for Tanzania
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) 33,294 (2030)
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) (0-14), annual growth 2.01 % change on previous year (2030)
- Population 47,619 (2030)
- Working-age population (UN estimates and projections) 47,619 (2030)
- Population (UN estimates and projections), annual growth rate 3.22 % change on previous year (2030)
- Age population, age 00, female, interpolated 1.16 million (2025)
- Age population, age 00, male, interpolated 1.19 million (2025)
- Age population, age 01, female, interpolated 1.13 million (2025)
- Age population, age 01, male, interpolated 1.16 million (2025)
- Age population, age 02, female, interpolated 1.11 million (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is age at first marriage, female in Tanzania?
- Age at first marriage, female in Tanzania was 21 in 2016, 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 Tanzania?
- The highest recorded value was 22.3 in 2012.
- What is the lowest age at first marriage, female recorded in Tanzania?
- The lowest recorded value was 18.5 in 1973.
- How does Tanzania rank for age at first marriage, female?
- Tanzania ranks 144th out of 166 countries with data for 2016.
- Is age at first marriage, female rising or falling in Tanzania?
- Over the last ten years it is up 5.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Tanzania 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.