According to the National Family Health Survey-3, Forty-six per cent of women (between the ages of 18 and 29) in India were married before the age of 18.
It is estimated that there are 23 million child brides in the country, around 40% of child brides globally.
Worldwide, 60 million girls become child brides every year, of which around 30 million belong to South Asia alone.
According to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), if the trends continue between 2011 and 2020, more than 140 million girls will become child brides, of which at least 18.5 million will be under the age of 15.
The trend is worse in rural areas according a report by NGO Breakthrough. In Jharkhand, 71% of girls in rural areas were married before 18 years compared to 33% in urban areas. In Bihar, 65.2% of girls were married before 18 years compared to 37% in urban areas.
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