We asked people in 18 mostly middle-income countries what they think is the best age to get married. On average, respondents say 25.9 years old is the ideal age for marriage. But opinions vary by country.
For instance, Argentine adults say the best age to get married is 28.9 – on the older end when compared with other country averages. People in Chile, Colombia, Peru, South Africa and Tunisia also suggest ages on the older end, saying it is best to marry around 28 years old.
Conversely, Bangladeshis say it’s best to get married younger – at 21.2 years old, on average. People in India and Indonesia generally agree that the ideal age for marriage is under 25.
The United Nations has global data on when men and women typically get married for the first time. Across the countries included in our analysis, actual ages at first marriage generally fall within the same range as the ideal ages suggested in our survey: between 20 and 29 years old.
Overall, the ideal and actual ages for marriage are positively related. In countries where the age of first marriage is older – Chile, South Africa and Tunisia – people tend to say it is best to get married later in life.
Refer to Appendix A for actual average ages at first marriage in each country.
In addition to the average age suggested in each country, we can also look at the distribution of ages people in that country say are ideal for marriage. Here, we see even more variation.
In Bangladesh for example, a majority of adults say the best age to get married is under 25. The largest share say the ideal age for this life event is between 20 and 24, and the next-largest share say under age 20 is best.
In Peru, however, we measure the opposite pattern. Only 11% of Peruvians say the best age for marriage is under 25. Instead, 39% of respondents think the ideal age is between 30 and 34, and 33% say it’s between 25 and 29. Another 10% say people should wait to get married until age 35 or older.
In Mexico, responses are more evenly distributed: 43% of Mexicans say the best age for marriage is between 25 and 29, while about equal shares say slightly older or slightly younger is ideal.
Generally, people in the Asian countries surveyed suggest younger ages for marriage, while people in the Latin American countries choose older ideal ages.
However, what is seen as the best age for marriage in many countries varies slightly based on some demographic factors.
Views by gender, age, education and religiousness
Men tend to say the best age for marriage is later in life, compared with women. There’s a similar gender gap in the actual ages of men and women at their first marriage.
Older adults generally say the best age to get married is earlier in life, compared with younger adults. In Chile, Colombia, Peru, and Thailand, the average ideal ages suggested by the oldest and youngest respondents differ by about three years. Ghana is the only country where younger adults say it is best to get married slightly earlier in life, compared with older adults.
Views also vary somewhat by education. On average, adults with more education say it is better to get married later in life, compared with those who have less education. This is especially the case across the Latin American countries surveyed.
In 11 countries, people who say religion is very important in their life suggest a younger age for marriage, compared with those who say religion is somewhat or less important to them.
