TOP 10 Countries by Youth Share (Age 15–24, 2025)
The share of youth aged 15–24 in the total population is a simple but powerful indicator. Where this cohort is large and increasingly educated, countries can enter a “demographic dividend” phase. Where institutions and labour markets are weak, the same youth bulge can amplify unemployment, migration and political instability.
Table 1. Countries with the highest share of youth (15–24), 2025
The table below lists the territories and countries where young people aged 15–24 represent the largest fraction of the population in 2025. Values are given as a percentage of the total resident population.
| Rank | Country / territory | Youth share 15–24, 2025 (% of population) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mayotte (France) | 23.8 |
| 2 | Afghanistan | 23.7 |
| 3 | Guyana | 22.1 |
| 4 | Timor-Leste | 21.9 |
| 5 | Mozambique | 21.6 |
| 6 | Tonga | 21.2 |
| 7 | Malawi | 20.9 |
| 8 | Angola | 20.9 |
| 9 | Uganda | 20.9 |
| 10 | Ethiopia | 20.9 |
How has the youth share changed since 1990?
The size of the 15–24 cohort is not fixed. As large generations born in the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s move through the age pyramid, the youth share rises and then gradually declines. At the same time, falling fertility and increasing life expectancy shift the balance towards working-age adults (25–64) and, later, older populations.
For the current Top 10 youth-share countries, this means that 2025 is often close to – but not always exactly at – the peak of the “youth bulge”. In some cases the youth share is still drifting upwards; in others it has started to decline as countries progress in their demographic transition.
| Country / territory | Youth share 15–24, 1990 (%) | Youth share 15–24, 2025 (%) |
|---|---|---|
| Mayotte (France) | 19.8 | 23.8 |
| Afghanistan | 20.7 | 23.7 |
| Guyana | 18.8 | 22.1 |
| Timor-Leste | 19.5 | 21.9 |
| Mozambique | 19.7 | 21.6 |
| Tonga | 20.8 | 21.2 |
| Malawi | 20.4 | 20.9 |
| Angola | 20.3 | 20.9 |
| Uganda | 21.4 | 20.9 |
| Ethiopia | 20.5 | 20.9 |
From a policy perspective, these trajectories matter more than a single number. Countries where the youth share is still rising must expand education systems, basic infrastructure and entry-level jobs very quickly. Where the youth share is peaking or beginning to fall, the priority shifts towards harnessing a growing working-age population and preventing long-term scarring through youth unemployment, informality and outward migration.
In all cases, the 1990–2025 comparison also reminds us that the “youth bulge” is a temporary phase. Today’s 15–24 year-olds will be 35–44 in two decades’ time. The extent to which they accumulate skills, savings and health capital during their youth will determine whether this demographic wave translates into sustained growth or into a new cycle of unmet expectations.
Visualising youth shares and the demographic dividend
The charts below summarise the cross-country picture and the longer-term trends that are relevant for the “demographic dividend” discussion. The bar chart ranks the Top 10 by youth share in 2025, while the line chart tracks how the youth share has evolved in four large emerging economies that are either in, or approaching, their demographic dividend window.
Sources and further reading
The ranking and time series draw on harmonised UN and World Bank population data, as disseminated through official portals and secondary aggregators.
- United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division, World Population Prospects 2024 (age structure by five-year age group, 1950–2100). Available via the UN WPP data portal: population.un.org/wpp.
- World Bank, World Development Indicators – Population by age group, including “Population ages 0–14 (% of total population)” and related series based on UN WPP. Indicator overview: data.worldbank.org/indicator.
- NationMaster, “People > Age distribution > Population aged 15–24 > Percent” (country comparison, year 2025), used for the Top 10 ranking of youth share: nationmaster.com – Population aged 15–24, percent.
- Our World in Data, “Age structure” and related charts based on UN WPP, providing long-run series of population by broad age group: ourworldindata.org/age-structure.
Note: charted trajectories for Ethiopia, India, Brazil and Egypt are smooth, illustrative reconstructions consistent with UN WPP 2024 series and may differ slightly from official one-decimal published values.
