Washington, April 3, 2014 – The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) and the International Youth Foundation (IYF) have released a groundbreaking tool, the Global Youth Wellbeing Index, which measures and compares the quality of life for youth in 30 countries. Representing nearly 70 percent of the world’s youth population, the Index measures wellbeing in six domains: citizen participation; economic opportunity; education; health; information and communications technology; and safety and security.

The Index is the first of its kind to gather and connect youth-related data to assess and compare the state of young people around the world. It will help policy-makers, civil society, and business leaders to make smarter investments in youth programming, encourage a coordinated approach to planning policies, and help elevate youth issues to the top of the global agenda.

UNFPA Youth Advocate from Indonesia, Mr. Angga Dwi Martha, was a panelist at the launch of the Index. He linked the importance of this index with the discussion surrounding the Post-2015 Development Agenda because it identified the issues and challenges that must be addressed. “As young people, we can then relay this to other development stakeholders such as governments, the private sector and civil society to ensure they include youth priorities within the next development agenda,” said Mr. Martha.

Although youth aged 10 to 24 comprise a quarter of the global population, they remain an underutilized source of innovation, energy, and enthusiasm. In fact, nearly half of the youth worldwide are under or unemployed. Yet, at a time when policy and investment decisions to address these challenges are increasingly data-driven, existing information on youth development and wellbeing are often fragmented, inconsistent, or nonexistent.

Of the countries analyzed in the Global Youth Wellbeing Index, Australia ranks 1st, while Nigeria ranks 30th. Indonesia is ranked 18th.

Across the countries surveyed, key finding include:

• A large majority of the world’s youth are experiencing lower levels of wellbeing.
• Even where young people are doing relatively well, they still face specific challenges and limitations.
• Even where youth may not be thriving, they display success in certain areas.
• How young people feel about their own wellbeing does not always align with what the objective data suggests.
• Across countries, domain average scores indicate youth faring strongest in health and weakest in economic opportunity.

“One of the most pressing challenges facing our world today is ensuring that youth have the tools and resources they need to thrive, yet we simply do not have enough information about this transformative generation to do so effectively,” said John Hamre, CSIS President, CEO, and Pritzker Chair. “This Index for the first time offers a framework to help us understand and compare where they stand.”

The joint effort, with principal funding from Hilton Worldwide, follows commitments made at the 2012 Clinton Global Initiative Annual Meeting to address youth employment and the need for better youth-related data to assess how young people are faring around the world.

“This Index is an invaluable investment guide that will help governments, foreign aid agencies, companies, and philanthropists decide where their resources are most needed and will do the most good,” said Bill Reese, President and CEO, International Youth Foundation. “We also hope this comprehensive look at the challenges facing today’s young people will elevate the global conversation around critical issues such as youth employment and inspire greater action in response.”

For more information or to read the full report, please visit www.youthindex.org. Share the index on Twitter #YouthWellbeingIndex.

Tags: youth