Fifty Years of Child Marriage in Bangladesh and the UN SDG 5 Implications

ABSTRACT This study provides a country‐specific, five‐decade analysis (1975–2025) of Bangladesh's child marriage trajectory, tracing long‐term shifts in prevalence and examining the structural, socioeconomic, and cultural forces shaping progress. Drawing on prevalence estimates and findings reported in nationally representative surveys (DHS, MICS), international demographic databases, legislative records, and an extensive empirical literature, this desk‐based synthesis documents Bangladesh's transition from extremely high child marriage rates following independence—exceeding 80% in the 1970s—to current estimates of approximately 51% of women married before age 18. Although this represents meaningful progress, declines are uneven across regions and demographic groups; rural areas, climate‐vulnerable districts, and girls with limited educational access remain disproportionately at risk. Persistent poverty, restrictive gender norms, school discontinuation, climate‐induced livelihood shocks, and weak enforcement of child protection laws continue to sustain early marriage practices. Educational attainment emerges as the strongest protective factor, with secondary school completion substantially reducing early marriage likelihood; however, disparities in school access across divisions perpetuate unequal risks. Bangladesh is unlikely to achieve the SDG 2030 elimination target, requiring acceleration from 1.6 to approximately 6.4 percentage points per year. The study identifies priority evidence‐based interventions—including strengthened social protection systems, expanded secondary education infrastructure, community‐level norm transformation, enhanced economic opportunities for adolescent girls, and multisectoral coordination—as essential for accelerating progress toward SDG Target 5.3 and eliminating child marriage in Bangladesh.