ISLAMABAD, May 3 (TNS): Pakistan currently has the largest percentage of young people ever recorded in its history, according to the new National Human Development Report launched by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Pakistan.
Titled Unleashing the Potential of a Young Pakistan, the report says 64pc of the total population is below the age of 30 while 29pc is between the ages of 15 and 29 years.
It is one of the youngest countries in the world and the second youngest in the South Asian region after Afghanistan.
This youth bulge will critically impact Pakistan as a country if not dealt with appropriately, depending on how the country invests in the youth by providing them with quality education, employment and meaningful engagement opportunities.
The report says that if engaged and utilised properly, the youth can serve as catalysts for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
It seeks to understand Pakistan’s human development challenges and opportunities from the viewpoint of the youth. It focuses on how to improve human development outcomes, by empowering the youth, addressing the root causes of the obstacles they face and by proposing innovative ways to overcome the challenges.
The report is authored by dean of the Pardee School of Global Studies at Boston University Dr Adil Najam and Dr Faisal Bari, associate professor of Economics at the Lahore University of Management Sciences.
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