Just about one fourth of the world’s population is between 10 to 24 years old. It must be understood that the aspirations and achievements of these young segment will shape the future of the world. Another consideration is that the fertility rates in many parts of the world are declining rapidly. A country with increasing number of young people and declining fertility reaps a ‘demographic dividend’ – a boost in economic productivity that occurs when there are an unprecedented growing numbers of people in the workforce relative to the number of dependents.

The total number of young people in the world today is higher than it has ever been – there are about 1.8 billion people between ages of 10 to 24 years old. It is expected to increase 2070, according to most of the moderate population projections.

While many of the developed countries face steadily shrinking populations of young people it is the least developed countries that have large and rapidly growing population currently, however, about 60 percent of the population in the least developed countries is under 24 years of age. Their ranks will increase by another 60 percent by the middle of the century. These rising numbers of young people, accompanied by falling fertility rates, offer a critical window of economic opportunity that has been termed the ‘Demographic Dividend’.