Percentage distribution of currently married women by age at first marriage according to selected characteristics of women, husband's education and region, India, 2005–2006
| Age at first marriage (years) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Characteristics | ≤14 | 15–17 | ≥18 | All women |
| Current age (years) | ||||
| 15–19 | 17.3 | 10.0 | 0.6 | 7.6 |
| 20–24 | 32.2 | 39.6 | 28.4 | 33.6 |
| 25–29 | 26.6 | 28.1 | 39.5 | 32.5 |
| ≥30 | 23.9 | 22.3 | 31.5 | 26.4 |
| Residence | ||||
| Rural | 85.4 | 79.1 | 61.6 | 73.1 |
| Urban | 14.6 | 20.9 | 38.4 | 26.9 |
| Religion | ||||
| Hindu | 80.4 | 80.1 | 77.4 | 79.0 |
| Muslim | 17.5 | 17.1 | 15.1 | 16.3 |
| Other | 2.1 | 2.9 | 7.5 | 4.6 |
| Caste | ||||
| Scheduled caste/tribe | 38.2 | 32.6 | 24.3 | 30.3 |
| Other backward class | 44.0 | 42.9 | 38.8 | 41.4 |
| Other castes | 17.8 | 24.5 | 36.9 | 28.3 |
| Wealth index | ||||
| Poorest | 37.8 | 27.7 | 13.9 | 23.9 |
| Poorer | 29.1 | 25.2 | 14.8 | 21.7 |
| Middle | 19.2 | 21.7 | 17.8 | 19.6 |
| Richer | 10.4 | 17.0 | 23.5 | 18.4 |
| Richest | 3.5 | 8.5 | 30.1 | 16.4 |
| Educational status | ||||
| No education | 70.6 | 54.3 | 29.5 | 47.2 |
| Primary | 14.6 | 16.2 | 11.6 | 14.0 |
| Secondary | 14.6 | 28.7 | 45.2 | 32.8 |
| Higher | 0.1 | 0.8 | 13.7 | 6.0 |
| Exposure to mass media | ||||
| No exposure | 46.3 | 35.2 | 19.1 | 30.7 |
| Partial exposure | 49.2 | 54.7 | 56.6 | 54.4 |
| Full exposure | 4.5 | 10.1 | 24.3 | 14.8 |
| Age at first sexual encounter (years) | ||||
| ≤14 | 96.8 | 0.5 | 0.1 | 18.8 |
| 15–19 | 3.0 | 99.4 | 49.4 | 60.4 |
| ≥20 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 50.5 | 20.8 |
| Marital duration (years) | ||||
| ≤9 | 42.5 | 60.9 | 75.9 | 63.6 |
| 10–14 | 28.8 | 22.0 | 15.8 | 20.8 |
| 15–19 | 16.3 | 11.1 | 5.6 | 9.8 |
| 20–24 | 8.3 | 4.3 | 2.1 | 4.2 |
| ≥25 | 4.1 | 1.7 | 0.5 | 1.6 |
| Husband's educational status | ||||
| No education | 42.0 | 31.1 | 17.3 | 27.5 |
| Primary | 18.4 | 16.2 | 11.7 | 14.8 |
| Secondary | 35.2 | 45.6 | 50.9 | 45.8 |
| Higher | 3.4 | 5.9 | 19.7 | 11.1 |
| Region* | ||||
| North | 11.5 | 11.6 | 14.8 | 12.9 |
| Central | 30.0 | 32.3 | 23.2 | 28.1 |
| East | 31.9 | 28.2 | 19.3 | 25.3 |
| Northeast | 3.3 | 3.2 | 5.1 | 4.0 |
| West | 8.7 | 11.9 | 15.9 | 12.9 |
| South | 14.6 | 12.8 | 21.8 | 16.8 |
| Total† | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 |
| Sample | 7472 | 15 533 | 16 021 | 39 026 |
↵* Regional classification of states, India, 2005–2006. North: Delhi, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttaranchal. Central: Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh. East: Bihar, Jharkhand, Orissa, West Bengal. Northeast: Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, Tripura. West: Goa, Gujarat, Maharashtra. South: Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu.
↵† Total may not equal 100 on account of missing cases.