The ages at which men and women get married vary widely all around the globe due to several reasons. With a median age of 36 years old, the oldest grooms are found in Estonia whereas, the oldest brides, at the median age of 34 years are found in Slovenia.
The average ages of getting married are higher in the developed countries majorly mostly because men and women there prefer their career over marriage. They want to become independent before tying the knot of marriage. Also, the age gap between the bride and groom in these countries is also smaller in most of the cases.
In some of the developing countries in Asia and Africa, people are seen to get married at their younger ages with a larger age gap in between. The smallest age gap between the bride and the groom was found in Ireland i.e., 1-year difference.
Japan has the second smallest age gap i.e., only 1.3 years with men aging more. However, the highest marriage gap was found in Senegal, Mali, and Morocco i.e., 7.8 years, 7.1 years, and 6.9 years, respectively.
For the marriage ages in Asia, the oldest brides live in South Korea who got married at the age of 31.5 years whereas, the oldest men there to get married age around 34 years. The lowest marriage age among men and women was found in Mozambique where women aged around 18.7 years whereas, men aged around 23.4 years.
According to the studies, smaller marriage gaps are among the people living in higher socioeconomic classes. On the other hand, larger age differences in developing countries are a result of arranged marriages.
Infographic by: Statista.com
