What percentage of Pakistani marriages are between first cousins?
Last reviewed:
Direct answer
The 2017–18 Pakistan Demographic and Health Survey found that almost half of ever-married women were married to a first cousin: about 29% to a cousin on the father’s side and about 21% on the mother’s side. Roughly 63% were related to their husbands when other relatives were included. These figures describe women interviewed in that survey and marriages existing at different dates; they are not an annual rate for weddings performed in 2018 or a prediction for every community.
≈50%married to a first cousin, PDHS 2017–18
Sources used
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 sourceUnpacking the link between cousin marriage and women's paid work
Social Science Research
Analysis of PDHS 2017–18 married women. Evidence about associations with paid work, not a new 2024 national prevalence survey or a longitudinal trend.Source checked:
View source