Youth Development in Pakistan

Introduction

Pakistan is a country that has the largest number of youths in its population. Globally, Pakistan was ranked fifth-largest young country in the world in 2021, with 63 percent population falling within the age bracket of 15 and 33 years (Kamray, 2021).

According to United Nations, “youth is best understood as a period of transition from the dependence of childhood to adulthood’s independence.” However, for statistical purposes, United Nations defines ‘youth’, as “those persons between the ages of 15 and 24 years, without prejudice to other definitions by Member States” (United Nations, n.d.). According to United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), Pakistan’s population aged 15-64 stands at 61 per cent of the total population in 2022 (United Nations Population Fund [UNFPA], 2022).

Today, youth acquire about 16 per cent of the global population that means there are 1.2 billion young people aged 15 to 24 years. The number of youth is projected to have grown to nearly 1.3 billion by 7 per cent by 2030, the target date for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the basis of the 2030 Agenda. The need to address the multifaceted challenges faced by young people such as, access to education, employment, health, and gender equality, have become more pressing than ever with the youth increasingly demanding more just, progressive and equitable opportunities and solutions in their societies. When provided with the knowledge and opportunities needed to thrive, youth can be a positive force for development. In particular, young people should obtain the education and skills required to contribute in a productive economy; and they require access to a job market that can take them into the labour force (United Nations, n.d.).

A nation’s most strategic investment can be investing in young people. If provided with essential opportunities such as gainful employment, quality education, meaningful engagement, marketable skills, and good mental and physical health, youth can obtain the ability and authority to make well-informed choices to improve their and their family’s well-being. Empowered youth can not only realize great heights for themselves but can also positively influence society at large (United Nations Development Programme [UNDP], 2020).

Fortunately, Pakistan is young and for at least another decade, will continue to remain young. Investment in youth empowerment has to be a top priority in Pakistan with having more than 68% of its population being below the age of 30 years. Pakistan will not able to meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Agenda and it will be at risk of leaving more young people further behind unless this demographic dividend is transformed and leveraged into a positive one. There are already numerous challenges the country faces regarding the youth. Ninety per cent youth do not have access to recreational facilities (libraries, parks, cinemas, etc.). With regards to access to media, information and communication technologies, 15% have access to the Internet, 8% have access to radio, 48% own a mobile, and 68% have access to television. Unfortunately, the challenges have increased with the recent Covid-19 pandemic. The pandemic has led to an exceptional impact on education systems worldwide, translating into substantial social consequences on youth. As of April 2020, as many as 191 countries as well as Pakistan had to call for a localised or nationwide school closure to inhibit the spread of the virus. This means that 1.5 billion people or almost 91% of the total enrolled students in the world had to face disruptions of uncertain duration to their education. In Pakistan, 42 million school-going youth have faced discontinuation of education due to Covid-19 (UNDP, 2020).