The comparison highlights a difference that continues to fuel debate over rights and the protection of minors.
By 2025, 39 countries had legalized same-sex marriage, expanding the legal recognition of these couples and establishing equality in access to marriage. At the same time, a study that reviewed the marriage laws of 191 countries found that 99 allowed a person under 18 to marry when parental or guardian consent existed.
The figure does not mean that child marriage is the general norm in those countries, but it does show that numerous laws retain exceptions allowing a minor to marry before reaching the age of 18.