Tanzania Economic Update: THE POWER OF INVESTING IN GIRLS: Educating Girls and Ending Child Marriage in Tanzania

This report is the 11th in a series of updates on the economy of Tanzania published by the World Bank. Unlike others in the series however, this report has a special focus on the economic implications of girls' education and child marriage. The report builds on some of the analysis from the study looking at the economic impact of child marriage conducted by the World Bank and International Center for Research on Women. The authors find that overall child marriage and early child bearing are still prevalent, and girls' educational attainment is on average low. Overall, ending child marriage in Tanzania could lead to:

• up to US$311 million in education budget savings by 2030


• up to US$219 million benefit from reduced under 5 mortality by 2030


• US$5 billion in welfare benefits through reduced population growth by 2030

The report concludes with policy recommendations to increase opportunities for adolescent girls, including strategies to improve access to and quality of education, to change social norms that perpetuate gender stereotypes, to empower girls, and to increase economic opportunities for girls.