Youth Progress Index: Measuring young people's quality of life around the world!

Young people make up more than half of the global population, but what does it really mean to be young today?

The European Youth Forum is very excited to introduce the Youth Progress Index, a brand new tool that provides valuable insight into life as a young person in different countries around the world.

Knowledge is power!

Data can be a huge source of power and influence. With the relevant, reliable data collected in this Youth Progress Index, we can provide opportunities for countries to share good practices, and assess the success of policy and public investment over time.

How does the Index measure progress?

The Youth Progress Index is one of the first measurements to be independent of economic indicators. Although GDP remains the preferred measure of progress for politicians and other leaders, only focusing on economic measures does not tell the full story. By focusing on ‘social progress’, the Youth Progress Index gathers data that matters to and can impact the daily lives of young people in areas such as education, healthcare, housing and environmental sustainability.

How can it be used?

We know that today’s youth are facing incredible challenges. For the first time ever, they are at risk of being worse off than their parents. They are the most at risk of poverty and social exclusion. They are underrepresented in decision-making, and too often are prevented from being able to fully access their rights.

With this Index, policy makers, youth activists and youth organisations, and businesses will have the framework needed to empower all young people to be agents of change, access their rights, and be in a better position to contribute to achieving sustainable development.

For youth civil society organisations, it can be used to complement advocacy with credible and reliable data, support campaigns as well as to prioritise areas of action and use of resources. It can support advocacy messaging by identifying and highlighting the challenges faced by young people in their communities.

For young people more generally, the Youth Progress Index can be used to find information on how well a country performs on issues that have a real impact on their lives, and support demands for political action to improve their situation accordingly.

The Team

The Youth Progress Index has been developed by the European Youth Forum together with Deloitte, the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA), the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), the Social Progress Imperative, and in collaboration with the International Organisation of Employers (IOE).