Half of the world’s
people are under the age of 25. Some three billion
children and young people are, or will soon be, of
reproductive age. |
Universal access to
reproductive health, including family planning, is the
starting point for a better future for the 1.5 billion
young people (ages 10 to 24) who live in developing
countries. |
In 57 developing
countries, over 40 per cent of the population is under
15. |
The number of youth in
the world surviving on less than a dollar a day in 2000
was an estimated 238 million, almost a quarter (22.5 per
cent) of the world’s total youth population. |
Despite a shift toward
later marriage in many parts of the world, 82 million
girls in developing countries who are now aged 10 to 17
will be married before their 18th
birthday. |