Baden-Württemberg authorities recorded 358 marriages involving minors since 2012, while only eight cases had been legally annulled with final effect, according to a new report.
Authorities in Baden-Württemberg, southwestern Germany, have recorded 358 cases of marriages involving minors since 2012, including a documented case involving an 11-year-old Iraqi girl, raising fresh questions about the protection of children from early and potentially forced marriage.
The figures were disclosed in a response by the state government to questions submitted by Alternative for Germany (AfD) lawmakers Nikolaos Boutakoglou and Emely Knorr, according to a report published by Euronews on October 13, 2026.
Of the 358 cases recorded, only eight marriages had been annulled with final legal effect. Authorities said the remaining 350 cases were concluded through other means, although the circumstances varied and did not necessarily mean that every marriage was formally annulled.
Girl, 11, Among Documented Cases
One of the cases cited in the report involved an 11-year-old Iraqi girl who married a 17-year-old Iraqi boy. The marriage was annulled in 2020.
Another documented case involved a 14-year-old Afghan girl and a 30-year-old Afghan man. The marriage was ended in 2018, according to the report.
The records also included cases involving teenage girls aged 16 and 17 who married adult men. The available figures covered marriages involving minors from different national backgrounds and recorded the ages of the spouses at the time of marriage.
The cases have renewed attention on the circumstances in which marriages involving children take place abroad and the legal processes available to protect minors once they are in Germany.
Why Were Hundreds of Cases Not Formally Annulled?
The relatively small number of final annulments compared with the total number of recorded cases has prompted questions about how authorities handled the other cases.
According to the state government’s response, the category used for the remaining cases included different outcomes, such as a spouse reaching adulthood before a final annulment, the death of a spouse, a decision not to pursue annulment or the conclusion of another marriage abroad.
The figures therefore require careful interpretation: a case recorded as having been concluded through another administrative or legal route does not, by itself, establish that a marriage was formally annulled or that all child-protection concerns were resolved.
The report said no court proceedings to annul child marriages were pending at the time the state government answered the parliamentary inquiry.
Forced Marriage Concerns Remain
The report also highlighted figures from YASEMIN, a counselling service supporting people affected by forced marriage and related issues.
In 2025, the service recorded 271 counselling cases. Eighty involved people considered at risk of forced marriage, including 33 minors. Four of the minors were younger than 12, while others were aged 12 or 13.
These counselling figures concern people seeking assistance and should not be interpreted as a complete count of forced marriages across Germany.
The figures nevertheless underscore the importance of early intervention, accessible support services and protection for children who may face pressure to enter marriages against their wishes.
Germany’s Law Sets 18 as the Minimum Marriage Age
Germany’s law prohibits marriage before the age of 18. The country introduced legislation in 2017 to combat child marriage, including provisions addressing marriages involving minors concluded abroad.
The legal framework was subsequently amended, with further rules adopted in 2024 concerning the treatment of marriages involving minors entered into outside Germany.
However, the Baden-Württemberg figures illustrate the legal and administrative challenges that can arise when authorities assess marriages concluded in other countries and determine the appropriate legal response under German law.
The federal government has also acknowledged that Germany does not have a comprehensive nationwide statistical record of child marriages, meaning the Baden-Württemberg figures should not be presented as Germany’s total or as proof that it has the country’s highest rate of child marriage.
Calls for Stronger Protection of Children
The latest findings have renewed debate about how effectively authorities identify and respond to marriages involving minors, particularly where children may be vulnerable to family pressure, coercion or restrictions on their education and personal freedom.
Child-protection advocates have long stressed the importance of ensuring that young people have access to education, counselling and legal assistance, alongside mechanisms for reporting suspected forced marriage.
The figures from Baden-Württemberg provide a snapshot of cases recorded in one German state. A broader national assessment would require more comprehensive and comparable data across the country.
Ultimately, the central concern extends beyond the number of cases: it is whether every child at risk receives timely protection and whether legal processes adequately safeguard the child’s welfare, rights and future.
Source: Euronews, October 13, 2026, Child marriage in southern Germany: Over 350 cases recorded, some brides as young as 11.
Additional legal context: German Bundestag — No nationwide recording of child marriages.
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Editorial note: Avoid using “Germany Records Highest Child Marriage” as a definitive headline unless a reliable comparative dataset establishes that Germany has the highest rate. The verified report concerns recorded cases in one state, not a national ranking.
