The age at which someone is considered an adult varies across countries, depending on factors such as legal working age, marriage age, voting age, drinking age, and criminal liability. Some countries have no minimum age for marriage, while others set it at 18. The legal voting age is typically 18, but some countries allow 16-year-olds to vote in municipal elections. The drinking age is usually 18, but some countries set it at 16. Criminal liability can be assessed as early as seven in some countries. Cultural traditions may also determine when someone is considered an adult.
The age at which a person is considered an adult varies significantly across countries around the world. A lot depends on what it means to be an adult. Most look to an age when children can legally work, marry, vote, buy alcohol, be drafted, or be charged with a crime, as adulthood.
There is great variability as to the age at which one can work in different countries. When this is a factor for an adult to consider, age can vary by any law, such as in countries such as Papua New Guinea, Yemen and Liberia.
Other countries set minimum age requirements for child labour. The lowest exist in countries such as Syria, Paraguay or Bangladesh, where the minimum age is 12 years. However, many workers in developing countries start working before they reach the legal minimum age. Most countries set the minimum age at 15-16 years. In some cases, the minimum age may be 14 years old. This is comparable to US figures where the minimum age ranges from 15 to 16, and in general, you must have parental permission to work before age 18 and be considered an adult.
Marriage age, which in some countries is often considered the age of adulthood, also shows great variability. In some countries there is no minimum age. Again, most countries set the minimum at 18. There are huge exceptions to this rule.
For example, in many African countries, such as Niger, Mozambique and Mali, more than 50% of girls marry before the age of 18. In Yemen, 64% of girls marry before the age of 18 and in Bangladesh, 81% of girls marry before the age of 18. These figures often coincide with child labor laws that allow children to work at a young age. In these cases, many girls marry soon after menarche (their first period), and some marry before puberty. A married person is, for the most part, considered an adult.
In most countries, the legal voting age is also set at 18 and defines who is an adult. Some countries marry an earlier or later voting age. Some countries such as Austria and Germany allow 16-year-olds to vote in municipal elections. In Italy, on the other hand, you cannot vote to elect a senator unless one is 16 years old. Liechtenstein voters must wait until age 25 to vote.
Another common litmus test for determining when you are an adult is the age at which you can purchase alcohol. The US figure of 21 is actually quite high. In some countries, alcohol can be purchased by anyone, but it is not treated with the same “rite of passage” reverence given by countries with a minimum drinking age. In most countries, the drinking age is 18. Some countries, including Spain, France, Austria and Germany, set the drinking age at 16. Some countries allow children under the drinking age to consume alcohol but not buy it.
Age can influence when children are considered criminally liable or an adult in the eyes of the law. Perhaps unsurprisingly, countries with low ages for marriage, alcoholism or child labor assess criminal liability as early as seven. However, the US also holds seven-year-olds criminally liable, and perhaps they can be charged as adults. This is rare, but not impossible. Often, the age of criminal responsibility is around 7-14 years old.
A person may also be considered an adult if he is drafted or volunteers for military service. In most countries this age is 18, although some countries set the age at 16 or 17.
In several countries, cultures may also determine that someone is an adult before the legal age of adulthood applies. For example, coming of age ceremonies for Jewish children, bat or bar mitzvahs occur when a child is 13 years old. Additionally, many Mexican-born families throw coming-of-age parties for their 15-year-old daughters, called quinceaneras. Many local traditions consider a child to be an adult long before a child is legally considered an adult.
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