80% of Kazakhstan women get married when they are under 25

The average age when Kazakhstan women got married in 2011 made 24.3 years, Tengrinews.kz reports, citing Kazakhstan Statistics Agency. About 33,100 women (24.4%) under 20 got married in 2011. A larger part of the women (75,700 women - 55.8%) who got married in 2011 were aged between 21 and 25. Only 26,900 women (19.8%) aged 26 and up got married last year. According to the Agency, the average age of the brides did not increase very much in 2011. The average age of women who got married for the first time in 2009 made 24.2 years. Marriages in Kazakhstan are registered in Civil Registry Office. Young people can get legally married only after they reach the age of 18. Religious marriages done by priests or imams are welcomed in Kazakhstan, but are not considered official unless registered in the Civil Registry Office in Kazakhstan.