By Iminza Keboge
Published August 12, 2021
A survey which measures the status of young people around the world has ranked Kenya in the 139th position out of 181 countries.
While the data used in the 2020 Global Youth Development Index by the Commonwealth Secretariat pre-dates COVID-19, the report highlights a positive trajectory of youth development which the virus could reverse for the first time unless urgent action is taken to secure the pre-pandemic gains.
The index ranks countries between 0.00 (lowest) and 1.00 (highest) according to the developments in youth education, employment, health, equality and inclusion, peace and security, and political and civic participation. It looks at 27 indicators including literacy and voting to showcase the state of the world’s 1.8 billion people between the age of 15 and 29.
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Overall, the index shows advances in youth’s participation in peace processes and their education, employment, inclusion and health care since 2010.
Health made the largest gains of 4.39 per cent driven by a 1.6 per cent decline in global youth mortality rates and a 2 per cent drop in each HIV, self-harm, alcohol abuse and tobacco use.
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Levels of underemployed youth and those not in school, training or work remained constant. Advances in equality and inclusion are led by improved gender parity in literacy as well as fewer child marriage cases and pregnancies in girls under 20. Yet no progress occurred in women’s safety.
The global education score increased by 3 per cent while peace and security improved by 3.41 per cent, resulting from fewer young people dying from direct violence.
Youth participation in politics, according to the survey, is the only domain to record a decline in most parts of the world, reporting a deterioration in 102 countries.
“Young people are indispensable to delivering a future that is more just, inclusive, sustainable and resilient,” says Patricia Scotland QC, Commonwealth Secretary-General. “By measuring their contributions and needs with hard data, our advocacy for their development becomes more powerful, and we are then able incrementally to increase the positive impact and benefits youth are able to add towards building a better future for us all.”
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Among its recommendations, the index calls for more investment in lifelong digital skilling of young people, mental health services, apprenticeships, road safety and youth participation in decision-making to reverse trends which adversely impact them.
It further urges governments to improve data collection on education and diversify how they measure digital skills and online engagement of youth.
While Singapore ranks top followed by Slovenia, Norway, Malta and Denmark, the countries at the bottom are, respectively, Chad, Central African Republic, South Sudan, Afghanistan and Niger.
Globally, Sweden leads on education, Luxembourg on equality and inclusion, Indonesia on political and civic participation while Singapore tops the employment, health, and peace and security domains.
