An estimated 115 million boys and men worldwide were married as children, 23 million of them before the age of 15, UNICEF said in the first ever in-depth study of child grooms.
The Central African Republic had the highest prevalence of child marriage among boys at 28 percent, followed by Nicaragua at 20 percent and Madagascar at 13 percent.
Data from 82 countries showed that boys are being married at high rates around the world: in sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America, South Asia, East Asia and Oceania.
Worldwide, child marriage disproportionately affects girls over boys. (AFP)