Marriage Trends

Which marriage indicators changed most between the 2012–13 and 2017–18 Pakistan DHS rounds?

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Answer

Direct answer

The clearest comparable movement was toward later first marriage. Women’s median age at first marriage rose from 19.5 to 20.4 years, while men’s rose from 24.7 to 25.9. The share of women married by 18 declined from 35% to 29%, and the share of men married by 22 fell from 31% to 24%. These are cohort measures reported by PDHS, not annual marriage-registration statistics. Other social changes may have occurred, but they should not be called DHS trends unless both rounds measured them comparably.

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
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