Scale and Demographics
- Adolescents account for 24% of the global population, i.e., around 2 billion individuals.
- By 2030, nearly 1 billion adolescents are projected to live in multi-burden countries facing overlapping health, social, and economic challenges.
- By 2100, an estimated 85% of the world’s adolescents will live in Africa or Asia.
- Adolescents living in conflict-affected areas have doubled since the 1990s, now numbering 340 million.
Relevance : GS 1(Society ) ,GS 2(Health ,Social Issues)
Health Burden Projections
- By 2030:
- 464 million adolescents are projected to be overweight.
- 42 million years of healthy life will be lost to mental health disorders and suicide.
Funding Gaps
- Funding for adolescent health is grossly inadequate:
- Adolescents received only 2.4% of total global health development assistance (2016–21).
- This is disproportionate to their 25.2% share in the global population.
- Current funding is not targeted to areas of greatest need or demographic pressure.
Progress and Gains
- Adolescent mortality has declined by 27% in the past two decades.
- Improvements are largely due to:
- Reductions in malnutrition and communicable diseases.
- Greater access to education, especially for girls.
- These changes contribute to gender equity and better socioeconomic outcomes.
Digital Era and New Challenges
- Adolescents are the first global generation of digital natives:
- 79% of youth aged 15–24 are Internet users globally.
- Over 95% of adolescents in high- and upper-middle-income countries are digitally connected.
- Digital exposure raises new risks and responsibilities, such as:
- Mental health implications.
- Online safety.
- Commercial exploitation via digital platforms.
Legal and Policy Recommendations
- Enabling laws and policies are critical to improving adolescent wellbeing:
- Protect sexual and reproductive health and rights.
- Tackle commercial determinants of health (e.g., junk food, substance marketing).
- Promote healthy and ethical use of social media.
- Emphasis on sustained legal environments over one-time interventions.
Youth Engagement and Participation
- The commission included:
- 44 global commissioners.
- 10 youth commissioners.
- 122 adolescents in Youth Solution Labs — signaling a strong push for youth-led solutions.
