While most European countries are experiencing a shortage of labor force as a consequence of declining fertility rates, these 11 countries with the highest youth population have different concerns. For such nations, the more imminent matter seems to be the generation of sufficient internal resources to be able to provide the youth basic necessities to sustain themselves. Education systems and employment opportunities will also have to be improved tenfold for the youngsters to have any chance of working for their respective countries’ development.
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However, this matter is more alarming than it sounds as most of these states are in fact developing nations, which do not have the resources to cater to the needs of their young population, nor do they have any concrete plans of making much progress in the next few years. These countries majorly include ones in Africa, where 19% of the total population is made up of 15 to 24-year-olds (youth as defined by the United Nations). Latin America & the Caribbean and Asia are not far behind with 17% and 16% youth among their population, respectively.
Some of these countries might be able to make the most of their circumstances by achieving the phenomena referred to as a demographic dividend, a situation where the percentage of children in the nation decreases in comparison to the working age population of the country. Such an age composition provides the ideal opportunity for a nation to accelerate its economic progress as the number of dependents using up its resources will be quite small. Provided that the birth rates in these countries will have to decline to attain such an advantage, so it might be years before this shift in the age structure occurs. However, fortunately for them, according to the UN projections, fertility rates and consequently children are expected to decrease in the upcoming years, even in African nations. The total population of Africa is composed of 41% children (below 15 years of age) who will gradually grow to become a part of the age group classified as youth. Couple that with the anticipated decline in birth rates and the nations within this continent might be able to achieve a demographic dividend. The real question is whether or not they will be able to pull it off. Even with population projections and various forecasts by experts, only time will tell how this dilemma will play out.
With all this information in mind, it’s really no surprise that none of the 11 Countries With the Highest Urban Population Percentage appear on our list. Predictably, it does not contain any European countries either, where the population has been on a steady decline over the years what with low birth rates and high percentages of citizens above 60 years of age. So which countries did make the list of 11 countries with the highest youth population? To find out, we referred to the data issued by the UN as part of its report on “World Population Prospects, the 2015 revision”. We extracted the percentage of the total population as constituted by 15 to 24-year-olds in each country and formulated the following list:
11. Afghanistan
Percentage of youth of total population: 21.2%
Afghanistan is mostly viewed as a desolate, war-stricken place associated with the US-led war from 2001 to 2014 and the infamous Taliban, but the fact remains that this unfortunate nation has a very high percentage of the youth population. The huge problems that Afghanistan is facing don’t paint a very good picture for the youngsters, though, and many of them desire to leave their hometowns to emigrate to safer, more developed places with infinitely more opportunities. As per The Asia Foundation, the biggest national problem faced by the country is a lack of security while the youth of the nation, 71.4% of it to be exact, declares unemployment as the most dominant issue. To fight the massive brain drain that the country is experiencing, the government has been struggling to inculcate hope among its citizens, the youth in particular, for a better future.
10. Cabo Verde
Percentage of youth of total population: 21.5%
Cape Verde, or Cabo Verde as the natives call it, is a tiny island nation with a population of merely 521,000. The average age of the citizens of this humble country is 24.5 years, an optimal age structure of a nation. Then again, it’s much easier to maintain the age of an entire population when it’s so small. However, the UN does not expect even Cape Verde to maintain the age of its people. The current average fertility rate per woman is 2.37, but it is expected to fall to 1.94 by the year 2030, in keeping with the trend that most countries seem to be following now.
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8. Ethiopia
Percentage of youth of total population: 21.6%
The country of origin of the amazing coffee bean, Ethiopia is a historically rich state. However, the fact that it is the place where historians found one of the oldest traces of modern humans is often ignored, as people tend to focus more on the civil wars that afflicted the nation for years and absolutely destroyed its economy. Ethiopia was also severely affected by the drought that the whole of East Africa faced in 2011. Although the country has improved tremendously over the years with its GDP being the highest in East and Central Africa, it still has a long way to go as the youth is still facing numerous problems, which include political instability, youth poverty, youth gender inequality and lack of entertainment.
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8. Honduras
Percentage of youth of total population: 21.6%
Up next on our list of countries with the highest youth population is Honduras, that is a Central American country famous for its beaches. The population of this nation had a median age of 23.4 years in 2015. This is expected to increase to 29.9 years by the time we hit 2030 which means that the percentage of youth will see a sharp decline. However, this average age is still significantly lower than, say, most European countries where it is projected to be somewhere between 45 and 50.
7. The State of Palestine
Percentage of youth of total population: 21.7%
Palestine ranks 7th on our list of countries with the highest youth population. It is another country where extreme instability and insecurity have resulted in the frustration of its youth. Awareness of the plight of Palestine has been raised through various means to such an extent that no-one remains completely unaware of the disputes that the country faces with Israel. These problems are a direct cause of the obstacles facing the young population, the biggest of which is unemployment. 44% of young people are unemployed even though more than half of them possess university degrees.
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6. Guyana
Percentage of youth of total population: 21.8%
Unemployment in Caribbean countries is generally high. Youth percentage of the population especially suffers when it comes to joblessness, as most Caribbean nations have a youth unemployment rate above the world average. Guyana falls in this category of countries. As per Stabroek News, youth unemployment in this state could be as much as 40%. The number may improve in the future as Guyana, which was previously choking under huge debt, is now showing steady growth in its economy.
5. Yemen
Percentage of youth of total population: 22.1%
Yemen ranks 5th on our list of countries with the highest youth population. It is another country which seems to be in a depressing state. Several children have lost their lives not only to the war that is currently underway, but also due to the famine that has gripped the nation. UNICEF has suggested, as reported by Middle East Eye, that every 10 minutes a child falls prey to malnutrition in Yemen. The situation does not seem too promising for the youth of the country either, as 48.1% of them, that is nearly half, are neither under employed nor undergoing any sort of education. This heartbreaking situation will have to be ameliorated soon as the percentage of youth in the country will most likely remain on the high side, considering that the median age of the country’s population is currently 19.3 years.
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4. Lao People’s Democratic Republic
Percentage of youth of total population: 22.2%
We are continuing our list of countries with the highest youth population with Laos that is not what you would call an urbanized nation. In 2015, 61% of its population was estimated to be residing in rural areas, as per the World Bank and even today, some of these people do not have access to proper sanitation. One would think that this would render the youth of the country uneducated and unemployed, but the truth is far from this assumption. This source states that 90.23% of the youth of the country is literate and merely 1.4% is unemployed. The Lao People’s Revolutionary Youth Union and its thousands of members are also quite active in the community.
3. Lesotho
Percentage of youth of total population: 22.8%
Another African country making our list of countries with the highest youth population is Lesotho, where the average age of citizens is 21 years. The youth unemployment rate here was 33% in 2014. Shockingly, this number is higher than the overall unemployment rate in the country which was 26.2% in the same year. Nevertheless, the country expects to create more opportunities for its youngsters in the near future, as its economy is growing steadily.
2. Swaziland
Percentage of youth of total population: 23.1%
A sovereign state situated in Africa, Swaziland, which ranks second on our list of countries with the highest youth population, has the lowest life expectancy at birth in the world. Newborn babies, on an average, are expected to live to an age of 52.7 years only. Perhaps some of this can be attributed to the fact that Swaziland has the highest HIV prevalence rate around the globe, causing many people to lose their lives to this horrendous disease.
1. The Federated States of Micronesia
Percentage of youth of total population: 23.8%
The Federated States of Micronesia, not to be confused with Micronesia (a region of Oceania), has the lowest population of all the countries on our list with only 104,000 people residing within it. It is the second island nation on our list of 11 countries with the highest youth population and mainly relies on farming and fishing to support its economy. The citizens of this small country have an average age of 21.5 years.
