Copyright (c) 2026 Siti Maisaroh,Mohamad Yaser
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Child Marriage and Teenage Pregnancy: Reproductive Health Challenges in the Community
Corresponding Author(s) : Siti Maisaroh
International Research of Multidisciplinary Analysis,
Vol. 4 No. 1 (2026): International Research of Multidisciplinary Analysis
Abstract
Background: Child marriage and adolescent pregnancy pose risks to the reproductive health of young women and their infants. Comprehensive provincial data on child marriage are not publicly available; therefore, this article examines national trends and available provincial evidence. Objectives: To describe trends in adolescent birth rates and child marriage in Indonesia, compare them with four other Southeast Asian countries, and assess the association between the two. Methods: A time-series ecological study using secondary data. Adolescent birth rates (births per 1,000 females aged 15–19 years) from 1990 to 2023 were obtained from the World Bank’s World Development Indicators for Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, and Malaysia. The percentage of women aged 20–24 who were married before age 18 (2008–2024) was obtained from reports by the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) and UNICEF, as well as publications derived from BPS data. Annual rates of change were calculated using log-linear regression across three periods; trends in child marriage were analyzed using linear regression; and the relationship between the two was assessed using Spearman’s and Pearson’s correlations. Results: Indonesia’s adolescent birth rate declined from 74.8 to 26.4 per 1,000 (−64.7%) between 1990 and 2023. The annual rate of decline was −2.96% from 1990 to 2004, slowed to −1.07% from 2005 to 2012, and increased to −5.08% from 2013 to 2023. Child marriage declined from 14.67% (2008) to 5.9% (2024), with a decrease of approximately 0.71 percentage points per year from 2016 to 2024 (R² = 0.89). The two time series were correlated from 2016 to 2023 (ρ = 0.93; 95% CI 0.53–0.99; n = 8), but both declined over time, so the correlation does not indicate causation. In 2018, the percentage of child marriages in provinces with available data ranged from 4.68% (Riau Islands) to 19.43% (West Sulawesi). Conclusion: Significant progress has been made, but the rate of decline has slowed, and disparities among provinces remain substantial. Analysis of adolescent pregnancies by province requires the publication of complete provincial data.
Keywords
Download Citation
Endnote/Zotero/Mendeley (RIS)BibTeX
- Aladin, A. (2023). Adolescent pregnancy and child marriage: Current situation in Indonesia. Andalas Obstetrics and Gynecology Journal, 7(2), 353–362. https://doi.org/10.25077/aoj.7.2.353-362.2023
- Central Statistics Agency, National Development Planning Agency, UNICEF Indonesia, & Center for Research and Advocacy on Child Protection and Quality of Life. (2020). Prevention of child marriage: An acceleration that cannot be delayed. https://www.unicef.org/indonesia/media/5031/file/Laporan%20PenPreventan%20Marriage%20Children.pdf
- GoodStats. (2025a, October 17). West Nusa Tenggara and Central Papua Have the Lowest Average Age at First Marriage. https://goodstats.id/article/di-mana-usia-nikah-paling-muda-di-indonesia-qNuIM
- GoodStats. (2025b, May 17). Early marriage in Indonesia has continued to decline over the past decade. https://data.goodstats.id/statistic/pernikahan-dini-di-indonesia-terus-menurun-sedekade-terakhir-EIeO5
- Nove, A., Matthews, Z., Neal, S., & Camacho, A. V. (2014). Maternal mortality in adolescents compared with women of other ages: Evidence from 144 countries. The Lancet Global Health, 2(3), e155–e164. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2214-109X(13)70179-7
- Raj, A. (2010). When the mother is a child: The impact of child marriage on the health and human rights of girls. Archives of Disease in Childhood, 95(11), 931–935. https://doi.org/10.1136/adc.2009.178707
- Renfrew, M. J., McFadden, A., Bastos, M. H., Campbell, J., Channon, A. A., Cheung, N. F., Silva, D. R. A. D., Downe, S., Kennedy, H. P., Malata, A., McCormick, F., Wick, L., & Declercq, E. (2014). Midwifery and quality care: Findings from a new evidence-informed framework for maternal and newborn care. The Lancet, 384(9948), 1129–1145. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(14)60789-3
- ten Hoope-Bender, P., de Bernis, L., Campbell, J., Downe, S., Fauveau, V., Fogstad, H., Homer, C. S. E., Kennedy, H. P., Matthews, Z., McFadden, A., Renfrew, M. J., & Van Lerberghe, W. (2014). Improvement of maternal and newborn health through midwifery. The Lancet, 384(9949), 1226–1235. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(14)60930-2
- World Bank. (2026). Adolescent fertility rate (births per 1,000 women ages 15–19) [Data set]. World Development Indicators. https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.ADO.TFRT
References
Aladin, A. (2023). Adolescent pregnancy and child marriage: Current situation in Indonesia. Andalas Obstetrics and Gynecology Journal, 7(2), 353–362. https://doi.org/10.25077/aoj.7.2.353-362.2023
Central Statistics Agency, National Development Planning Agency, UNICEF Indonesia, & Center for Research and Advocacy on Child Protection and Quality of Life. (2020). Prevention of child marriage: An acceleration that cannot be delayed. https://www.unicef.org/indonesia/media/5031/file/Laporan%20PenPreventan%20Marriage%20Children.pdf
GoodStats. (2025a, October 17). West Nusa Tenggara and Central Papua Have the Lowest Average Age at First Marriage. https://goodstats.id/article/di-mana-usia-nikah-paling-muda-di-indonesia-qNuIM
GoodStats. (2025b, May 17). Early marriage in Indonesia has continued to decline over the past decade. https://data.goodstats.id/statistic/pernikahan-dini-di-indonesia-terus-menurun-sedekade-terakhir-EIeO5
Nove, A., Matthews, Z., Neal, S., & Camacho, A. V. (2014). Maternal mortality in adolescents compared with women of other ages: Evidence from 144 countries. The Lancet Global Health, 2(3), e155–e164. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2214-109X(13)70179-7
Raj, A. (2010). When the mother is a child: The impact of child marriage on the health and human rights of girls. Archives of Disease in Childhood, 95(11), 931–935. https://doi.org/10.1136/adc.2009.178707
Renfrew, M. J., McFadden, A., Bastos, M. H., Campbell, J., Channon, A. A., Cheung, N. F., Silva, D. R. A. D., Downe, S., Kennedy, H. P., Malata, A., McCormick, F., Wick, L., & Declercq, E. (2014). Midwifery and quality care: Findings from a new evidence-informed framework for maternal and newborn care. The Lancet, 384(9948), 1129–1145. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(14)60789-3
ten Hoope-Bender, P., de Bernis, L., Campbell, J., Downe, S., Fauveau, V., Fogstad, H., Homer, C. S. E., Kennedy, H. P., Matthews, Z., McFadden, A., Renfrew, M. J., & Van Lerberghe, W. (2014). Improvement of maternal and newborn health through midwifery. The Lancet, 384(9949), 1226–1235. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(14)60930-2
World Bank. (2026). Adolescent fertility rate (births per 1,000 women ages 15–19) [Data set]. World Development Indicators. https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.ADO.TFRT