Underage Marriages in Azerbaijan Drop Sharply in 2025

Official registrations of marriages involving individuals under the age of 18 in Azerbaijan showed a sharp decrease in 2025, with only 1 boy and 116 girls registered, according to data from the State Statistics Committee.

Underage marriages among girls dropped 37.3% compared to 2024 (185 cases) and 57% compared to the five-year peak in 2022 (270 cases). Historically, the highest figure between 2000 and 2025 was recorded in 2008 with 5,544 cases, marking a 98% reduction to date. Among underage boys, the 2000–2025 record was set in 2006 with 50 cases; zero cases were registered in 2023 and 2024, while single cases were recorded in 2021, 2022, and 2025.

Under Azerbaijan's Family Code, the minimum age of marriage is set at 18. Following legislative amendments enacted on June 28, 2024, legal provisions allowing a one-year reduction of the marriage age under exceptional circumstances were officially abolished, eliminating all exceptions for marriages at age 17.

Gulnar Nazimgizi