Average age for marriage increased from 2001 to 2011: Government

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New Delhi: The average age for marriage in rural and urban India has gone up in the last ten years, the Lok Sabha was informed on Tuesday.

The overall median age for men was 22 years in 2001 while in 2011, it increased marginally to 22.8 years, Minister of State for Home Minister Hansraj G Ahir said in a written reply.

For women, the overall median age for women during the same period increased from 18.4 years to 19.2 years, according to 2011 Census data.

The median age is also higher among those with higher education levels.

"Among graduates and above, the median age at marriage is 24.6 years in comparison to 19.6 years for illiterates," he said.

Breaking down the data further, he said in rural areas, during the 2001 Census, the median age for men went up from 21.5 in 2001 to 22 in 2011. For women, it rose from 18.1 years in 2001 to 18.9 years in 2011.

In urban men, the median age for marriage was 23.9 years in 2001, which rose to 24.5 years in 2011. For women, this age went up to 19.9 years from the 2001 census data of 19.3 years.