Age & Marriage

Why is women’s median marriage age usually calculated for ages 25–49?

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Answer

Direct answer

Age at first marriage can be calculated only for people who have married, while younger respondents still include many who will marry later. Restricting the median to women aged 25–49 reduces the bias that would occur if a teenage group contained only its earliest marriages. DHS also reports results by sex and age because men and women have different marriage-timing distributions. The denominator and completed exposure period are therefore part of the indicator, not optional detail.

Evidence

Sources used

National Survey · 2019

Pakistan Demographic and Health Survey 2017–18

National Institute of Population Studies and The DHS Program

National survey evidence for marriage timing, women, households and health indicators.View source
National Survey · 2026

Pakistan Country Indicators

The DHS Program

Indicator page summarizing Pakistan DHS measures across survey waves.View source
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