Comparative table on minimum age legislation

Minimum age for when school-children can be employed, married and taken to court?

The information presented in the table below permits easy comparison of minimum ages in different countries. It is an update of the findings of the latest version of At What Age...? and reflects analysis of states parties’ reports to the Committee on the Right of the Child between 1993 and January 2013. Countries updated by the Right to Education Initiative between 2010 and 2013 are indicated in bold.

See a note on scope and methodology for this table at the bottom of this page. For the detailed excerpts from states parties' reports up to 2010, please consult At What Age...? (annotated version)

Countries	State report circulated on	End of compulsory education	Admission to employment	Minimum ages for Marriage		Criminal responsibility
				General Girl/Boy	Exception girl/boy
Afghanistan	2010	?	15	16/18	15/18	13
Albania	2011	14	16	18/18	No min.*	14
Algeria	2011	16	16*	18/21		13
Andorra	2001	16	16	16	14	16
Angola	2010	12	14	18	15/16	16
Antigua & Barb.	2003	16	16*	No min.		8
Argentina	2009	18	14*	16/18*	No min.	16*
Armenia	2011^	?	14	17/18	?	14
Australia	2011	15*	No min.*	18	16	10
Austria	2011	15	15*	18	16/18	14
Azerbaijan	2005	?	15	X		14
Bahamas	2004	16	?	15	13	10
Bahrain	2010	15	14*	No min.		?
Bangladesh	2008	10	14	18/21	No min.	9
Barbados	1997	16	?	18	16	7
Belarus	2010	15	14*	18	No min.	14
Belgium	2009	15	15	18	No min.	16*
Belize	2004	14*	14*	18	14	9
Benin	2005	?	14	15/18		No min.°
Bhutan	2007	?	No min.*	18		10
Bolivia	2009	16	14	14/16		16*
Bosnia & Herz.	2011	?	15	18	16	14
Botswana	2004	n/c	15	14/16		8
Brazil	2003	14	16	18	16	12
Brunei Daruss.	2003	n/c	?	No min.		7
Bulgaria	2007	16	16	18	16	No min. *
Burkina Faso	2009	16	15	17/20	15/18*	13
Burundi	2010	12	16	?	No min.	13
Cambodia	2010	n/c	15	18/20		?
Cameroon	2001	14	14	15/18*	No min.	18°
Canada	2009	X*	17*	X*		12
Cape Verde	2001	16	?	?		16
Central Afr. Rep.	1999	?	14	18		13
Cook Islands	2011	15	15	16/16		?
Chad	2007	15	No min.*	?		13
Chile	2005	?	15	16		14*
China	2012^	15	16	20/22		14
Hong Kong	2012^	15	16	20/22		10
Macau	2012^	15	16	16	no min*	16
Colombia	2005	15	14	18	12/14°	?
Comoros	1998	14	No min.*	?		13
Congo	2006	16	16	X		No min.*
Costa Rica	2010	?	15	15/15		12
Côte D’Ivoire	2000	n/c	No min.*	21	No min.	10
Croatia	2003	15	15	18	16	14
Cuba	2010	?	17*	18/18	14/16	16
Cyprus	2011	15	15	16/18°	No min. °	10
Czech Republic	2010	15	15	18	16	15
DPR Korea	2008	16	16	17/18		14
DRC	2008	?	16*	15/18		?
Denmark	2010	16	13	18	15	15
Djibouti	2007	?	16	18	No min.	13
Dominica	2004	16	?	18	16	12
Dominican Rep.	2007	14	14	?	No min.	13
Ecuador	2009	15	15	18	12 14	12
Egypt	2010	14	14	16/18		12
El Salvador	2009	14	14	18	No min.	12
Equatorial Guinea	2004	12	No min.*	?		No min.°
Eritrea	2007	13	14	No min.		12
Estonia	2002	15	15	18	15	13
Ethiopia	2005	n/c	No min.*	No min.*		9
Fiji	1996	n/c	12	21	16/18	10
Finland	2010	16	15	18	No min.	15
France	2008	16	16	18	No min.	No min.
Gabon	2001	16	16*	?	No min.	13
Gambia	2000	n/c*	No min.°	X		7
Georgia	2007	14	16	18	16	12°
Germany	2003	15	15	16		14
Ghana	2005	15	15	18		12
Greece	2011	15	15	18	No min.	13
Grenada	2009	14	14	21	No min.	7*
Guatemala	2008	?	No min.*	14/16*		12
Guinea	2012	16	16	18/18		13
Guinea-Bissau	2011^	X	?*	No min.		16
Guyana	2003	15	15	18	16	10
Haiti	2002	X	15	18	No min.	13*
Honduras	2006	13	14	18	16	12
Hungary	2005	18	16	18	16	14
Iceland	2010	18	16	18	No min.	15
India	2003	14*	14*	18/21*		7
Indonesia	2003	n/c*	No min.*	21	16/19	8
Iran	2003	11	12°	13/15°		No min.
Iraq	1996	?	15	X		No min.*
Ireland	2005	16	16	18	No min.	7*
Israel	2012^	17*	15*	No min.*		?
Italy	2010	16	16	18	16	14*
Jamaica	2003	14	12	18	16	12
Japan	2009	15	15	16/18		14
Jordan	2006	16	16	18		7*
Kazakhstan	2006	?	15	18	16	14
Kenya^	2013	n/c	13*	18		8*
Kiribati	2005	14	14	16		10
Kuwait	2012^	15	14	15/17		7
Kyrgyzstan	2004	16*	14	18	17/18	14
Lao PDR	2010	?	15	18		15
Latvia	2005	15	15	18		16
Lebanon	2005	12*	13*	No min.		7
Lesotho	1998	X	No min.*	?	No min.	7
Liberia	2011	16	16	?		16
Libyan Arab Jam.	2002	15	15	20	15	14
Liechtenstein	2005	15	15	18	No min.	14
Lithuania	2011^	16	16	18	No min.*	14
Luxembourg	1997	15	15	16/18		16
Madagascar	2010	?	14	18	No min.	13
Malawi	2008	n/c	14	No min.		7
Malaysia	2006	12	15	18	No min.	?
Maldives	2006	n/c*	14	18	No min.	?
Mali	2006	15	14	15/18	No min.	13
Malta	2012	16	15	16		9
Marshall Islands	2005	14*	18	18		10
Mauritania	2008	14	14	18	No min.	7
Mauritius	2005	12	15	18	16	No min.
Mexico	2005	14	14*	14/16	No min.	11
Micronesia	1996	14	No min.*	No min.		?
Monaco	2012^	16	16	15/18*	No min.	13
Mongolia	2009	17	14*	18		14
Montenegro	2010	15	15	18	16	14*
Morocco	2003	13*	?	15/18		12*
Mozambique	2009	?	15*	18	16	16
Myanmar	2011	?	13	14/ No min.°		?
Namibia	2011	16	14	21	No mins.*	7
Nepal	2004	n/c	14	21/18	16/18	10
Netherlands	2008	18*	16	18	No min.	12
New Zealand	2010	16*	?	20	16	10
Nicaragua	2010	?	14	18/21	14/15	13
Nieu Islands	2011	16	?	19/21	15/18	10*
Niger	2008	16	14	?	No min.	13
Nigeria	2009	15	No min.	18*	No min.°	No min.
Norway	2009	16	15	18	16	15
Oman	2006	n/c°	15	18	No min.	9
Pakistan	2009	n/c*	No min.*	16/18*	No min.	7
Palau	2000	17	No min.	No min.		10
Panama	2011	15	15	14/16		14
Papua New Guinea	2003	n/c	No min.	No min.		7
Paraguay	2009	14	14	16	14	14
Peru	2005	18	?	18	14/16	12
Philippines	2009	?	15*	No min.		?
Poland	2002	15	15	18	16/18	10
Portugal	2001	15	15	18	16	16
Qatar	2008	15	16	16/18	No min.	7
Republic of Korea	2011	15	15	18/18		?
Rep. of Moldova	2008	16	15	16/18	14/16	14
Romania	2008	18	15*	16/18	15/18	14
Russian Federat.	2004	15	15	18	No min.	14
Rwanda	2012^	16	16	21	18	14
St. Kitts & Nevis	1997	16	16	16		8
Saint Lucia	2004	?	16	18	No min.	?
St. Vincent & Gren.	2001	n/c	?	15/16		8
Samoa	2006	13	15	19/21	No min.	8
San Marino	2003	16	16	18	16	12
Sao Tome & Princ.	2011^	?	14	18	14/16	17
Saudi Arabia	2005	?	No min.*	No min.		7°
Senegal	2006	16	15	16/?*		?
Serbia	2007	14	15	16		14
Seychelles	2011	15	15	18	15/18	7
Sierra Leone	2006	?	No min.*	No min.		16
Singapore	2010	?	12	18	No min.	7
Slovakia	2006	16	16	18	16	14
Slovenia	2012^	15	15	18	No min.	14
Solomon Islands	2002	n/c	12	No min.		8
South Africa	1999	15	No min.*	21	12 14	7
Spain	2009	16	16	14		12
Sri Lanka	2010	14*	14	18	No min.	8
Sudan	2010	n/c*	14*	21	10	7*
Suriname	2005	?	14	13/15*		10*
Swaziland	2006	n/c	No min.	21	No min.	7
Sweden	2004	16	16	?	No min.	15
Switzerland	2001	15	15	18		7*
Syrian Arab Rep.	2010	15	15	18/18	No min.	10
Tajikistan	2009	16	14	17	16	14
Thailand	2011	15	15*	17	No min.	7
FYR of Macedonia	2009	15	15	18	16	14
Timor-Leste	2007	n/c	15	15/18		12
Togo	2011	15	14	No min.°		15
Trinidad & Tobago	2004	12	12	12 14		7
Tunisia	2008	16	16	18		13
Turkey	2011	14	15	17/17		12
Turkmenistan	2005	?	16	18	16	14
Tuvalu	2012	15	14	21/21	16/16	10
Uganda	2004	?	No min.*	No min.		7*
Ukraine	2010	17	16*	17/18	No min.	14
United Arab Em.	2001	12	15	X		7
United Kingdom	2008	16	16	16*		8
Un. Rep. Tanzania	2005	?	14°	15/18	No min.	12
Uruguay	2006	14*	15	12/14°		18
Uzbekistan	2012^	18	16	17/18*	16/17*	13
Vanuatu	1997	n/c	12	21	16/18	10
Venezuela	2007	14	14	18	No min.	18
Vietnam	2011	10	?*	18/20		14
Yemen	2004	?	14	15	No min.°	7
Zambia	2002	n/c	No min.	No min.		8
Zimbabwe	1995	n/c	No min.	16/18	No min.	7

AVERAGE	2006	15.03	14.86			11.79
Average at 2010 update	2003	14.92	14.77			11.72
Evolution since 2010 update (in months)	35	1.36	1.03			0.94

LEGENDA

X = information unavailable

? = information unclear

° = information from dialogue

* = see report for details

n/c = not compulsory

^ = Country reports coming from the pre-session only

Bold = Countries updated between 2010 - 2013

Sections

Title

Methodology

Text

This table is based on an analysis of states' reports to the Committee on the Rights of the Child. It was updated in January 2013 to include information collected for the period 2010-2013.

Sources

States' reports to the CRC are the primary source of information. Where clear minimum ages were not included in these reports, the dialogue between States parties and the Committee was consulted through Summary Records, Written Replies, and Concluding Observations issued for the relevant monitoring session. The decision to rely mainly on States parties’ reports was taken for two reasons. Firstly, these reports constitute public self-assessment by governments and are consequently an authoritative source, emanating directly from those empowered to make decisions. This type of analysis therefore permits a range of actors to hold governments accountable for the standards which they themselves report under the CRC. Secondly, using the interaction between states and the Committee allows both inter-national comparison and a world-wide overview of the global direction of children’s rights implementation, as all states–except for Somalia and the US-are bound by the same process.

Whilst the reports of non-governmental organisations and UN agencies, as well as academic material or field work, would undoubtedly provide an important and insightful counterfoil to the sources used here, they have been omitted in the interests of uniformity. Not all reviews include alternative reports, nor do all states allow genuine NGO work and participation. Additionally, examining only those countries for which shadow reports are available would not do justice to the desire to develop inter-national comparison and global analysis. Ultimately, the rationale was to develop a methodology that could be applied universally.

Challenges

The research methodology is not easy. Comparing different ages across countries or even within the same country is a difficult task, and inferring a precise number from a general description is a dangerous exercise. Collecting, analysing and interpreting information from States parties’ reports requires a great deal of care, thought and patience. Individual country reports are often more than one hundred pages long, and written by diverse parts of the government - not always in close consultation with one another. Moreover, within some states’ legal systems there are various recognised sources of law which frequently generate conflicting minimum ages, further complicating the task of distilling a single age from the information provided.

Another equally serious challenge relates to transparency and/or lack of information. Firstly, there is a danger that those countries with a more honest engagement with the reporting process might come off worse when compared with those which would misrepresent the degree of compliance, whether wilfully or not. Secondly, failure to report is also difficult to interpret as it may indicate an indirect recognition of inconsistent practices (i.e. information on a specific age may at times not be included in an attempt to mask violations), a lacuna in domestic monitoring, or simply an oversight. For the purposes of this research, however, and in the best interest of children, it has been assumed that if no minimum age is included in the reports of a State party, none exists there in practice.

Codification

In order to maintain coherence, the following methodology has been followed uniformly to arrive at the interpretations presented in the summary table. Where no information is provided, this is indicated by a cross (X); where the information is available but not sufficiently clear, or is self-contradictory, a question mark (?) is used. A star (*) indicates a proposed change in legislation, a division of competence in federal states, or a particular exception or practice that begs closer scrutiny. Where the information comes from the Concluding Observations, Summary Records or Written Replies, a circle (°) is used. Otherwise, the information provided in the reports is translated into a precise number or "no minimum" for each specific case according to the respective guiding criteria.

Regarding minimum ages for marriage, the table does not inform whether exceptions refer to pregnancy, court or parental consent, or puberty, or whether they refer to customary, religious or traditional laws and practice. This detailed information can be found in the states' reports available on the website of the Committee on the Rights of the Child. All exceptions were grouped under the same category. If the report indicates an absolute minimum age below which marriage was never allowed, this lower age is recorded. Otherwise, "no minimum" is quoted.

Main image

Srey Yeng, 8-year old girl, walking to school with her brothers.