• Around 14 percent girls (aged 15-19 years) in India are illiterate.
   
• 73 percent girls in the same age group never get to complete more than 10 years of school
   
• A third of the world’s child brides are in India
   
• Half of Indian women get married before turning 18

These disturbing facts on adolescent girls (Source: UNDP India) make the global theme for world population day –Investing in Teenage Girls– important for India.

In fact, teenage girls across the world are facing enormous challenges. According to a statement released by United Nations, many are considered by their communities or parents to be ready for marriage and motherhood. Many are forced from school, damaging their future prospects. Even among girls who stay in school, access to basic information about their health, human rights and reproductive rights can be hard to come by, leaving them vulnerable to illness, injury and exploitation. These challenges are exacerbated among marginalized girls, such as members of ethnic minorities or those living in poverty or remote areas.

More to know this population day:
 

• There are more young people today than at any other time in human history
   
• About nine out of ten of these young people live in less developed countries
   
• And half of these young people face alarming vulnerabilities – because they are girls
   
• In developing countries, one in every three girls is married before reaching age 18
   
• Child marriage is often followed by pregnancy, even if a girl is not yet physically or mentally ready

(Source: UNFPA)

Check real time population data of India