Over 200 girls aged 17 and below got married in 2023, a figure more than three times higher than the number of boys their age who tied the knot, according to a GMA News Online report, citing the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).
Data presented by PSA Vital Statistics Division officer in charge Marjorie Villaver showed that 233 girls and 71 boys under 18 had registered marriages last year. The youngest bride was 13 years old, while the youngest groom was 12.
In addition, 12,630 marriages in 2023 involved adolescent females below 20 years old, significantly higher than the 3,058 marriages involving adolescent males. More than half (54%) of these young brides married men aged 20 to 24, while 22.5% wed men aged 25 to 29.
Meanwhile, adolescent couples—where both partners were below 20—accounted for 1,723 registered marriages or 4% of the country’s total.
PSA chief and national statistician Claire Dennis Mapa also raised concerns over teenage marriages and pregnancies. He noted that in 2023, about 10% of registered births were from mothers aged 19 and below, emphasizing the need for targeted interventions.
The number of live births among very young adolescent mothers (ages 10 to 14) has steadily increased since 2020, rising from 2,113 to 3,343 in 2023. Meanwhile, births among mothers aged 15 to 19 have fluctuated, reaching 138,933 in 2023.
The rise in child marriages persists despite the enactment of Republic Act 11596 in 2022, which prohibits and criminalizes child marriage in the Philippines. Under the law, facilitating or solemnizing child marriage, as well as cohabitation between an adult and a minor outside of wedlock, is illegal.
