Background characteristics of women (n = 10337).

This study aims to examine the prevalence of early marriage among ever-married Somali women aged 20−49, assess differences across age groups and regions, and identify the main sociodemographic and contextual determinants. The study used the 2020 Somali Health and Demographic Survey dataset. The survey was a representative, three-stage cluster stratified sample, and the data were collected through personal interviews. Descriptive statistics and chi-square tests were used to examine prevalence and differences by background characteristics. Logistic regression modeled the probability of women marrying before 15 or 18 while adjusting for sociodemographic and contextual variables. Three logistic regression models were run; two of these models examined women aged 20−49 for the probability of marrying below age 15 or age 18, while one considered women aged 20−29 in assessing the probability of marriage before age 18. Of the respondents, 24.3% (95% CI: 22.6–26.1) married before 15, while the overall estimated prevalence of marriage before 18 was 41.7% (95% CI: 39.3–44.2). The odds of getting married before 15 (AOR = 1.51, 95% CI: 1.16–1.99, p = 0.002) and 18 (AOR = 2.08, 95% CI: 1.68–2.58, p