Globally, the number of adolescents and young people is at an all-time high. While the number of young people has been declining in the more developed regions since it peaked around 1980, it has been increasing in the less developed regions and is expected to continue to grow over the next few decades.
The size of the successive cohorts of young people has implications for the demand for education and health, the supply of labour as they enter the labour market, and can constitute a dynamic force of political change and social transformation.
The Division publishes reports and briefs on adolescents and youth (see list below), and collaborates with other divisions of DESA and other UN entities in organizing and servicing expert meetings and producing analytical reports on the topic.
Publications
Facts and Figures
- Population Facts No. 2015/1, May 2015 - Youth population trends and sustainable development
- Facts and Figures: International Migrant Children and Adolescents (0-19 yrs) by UN/DESA and UNICEF (2013)
- Population Facts No. 2013/7, December 2013 - Adolescent Fertility Trends
Reports
- Household Size and Composition Around the World 2017: Data Booklet
- GMG report on migration and youth (contributions made to chapter 1 by the Population Division)
- Adolescent Fertility since the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) in Cairo, 2013
- World Population Monitoring: Adolescents and Youth - A Concise Report (2012)
Expert Papers
- High adolescent fertility in the context of declining fertility in Latin America - Jorge RodrÃguez, (2013)
- Global employment trends for youth - Steven Kapsos, (2013)
- Education, life cycle and social mobility: a Latin American perspective - Martin Hopenhayn, (2012)
- A clash of generations? Youth bulges and political violence - Henrik Urdal, (2012)
- Leaving home: Independence, togetherness and income in Europe - Maria Iacovou (2011)
- Global patterns of mortality in young people - George C. Patton (2011)
- The impact of sex education on the sexual behaviour of young people - Douglas Kirby (2011)
- Transition to financial independence of youth in Asian countries: does furthering one's education pay? - Nicole Mun Sim Lai (2011)
Technical Papers
Events
- Commission on Population and Development (CPD) Forty-fifth session: theme Adolescents and youth 23 - 27 April 2012
- United Nations Expert Group Meeting on Adolescents, Youth and Development 21-22 July 2011 New York
Data / Interactive Data
- Household Size and Composition 2017
-
2014 Update for the MDG database
- Adolescent Birth Rate