Mali provides a striking example. The younger the bride, the larger the age gap between spouses tends to be. These include Bangladesh, Nepal, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, and Yemen. In countries where the average age at first marriage is relatively high, national figures may mask the fact that early marriage may still be prevalent in some districts within the country. Contrary to the general trend, there is evidence that early marriage is on the increase in societies under stress.
Evidence suggests that in such situations, early marriage is on the rise.