Definition of Youth
The National Institute for Youth, the governmental body responsible for youth policies and programmes, focuses its work on young people aged 15-29 years.
Marriageable Age
- Opposite Sex
- Same Sex
- Without parental consent
- with parental consent
- Male
- 18
- 16
- --
Candidacy Age
- Lower House
- 21 Source: Inter-Parliamentary Union
- Upper House
- 35
Source: Inter-Parliamentary Union
Situation of Young People
Literacy Rates
- 98.32% Male (15-24) %
- 99.06% Female (15-24) %
- Year: 2015
- Source: UNESCO
Net Enrolment Rate
Secondary School- 82.31%Male %
- 85.93% Female %
- Year: 2012
- Source: UNESCO
Situation of Young People
Tobacco Use
Consumed any smokeless or smoking tobacco product at least once 30 days prior to the survey.- 29.80% Male (13-15) %
- 39.80% Female (13-15) %
- Year: 2010
- Source: WHO
Policy & Legislation
The National Youth Action Plan (2004) seeks to “allow progress towards the consolidation of a network of opportunities for the youth of our country.” The Plan focuses on five key areas:
- Youth Citizenship And Generation Networks;
- Culture And Recreation;
- Self-Care Health;
- Youth Work;
- Access to New Technologies.
Young people increasingly demand a society with greater equality of opportunity, increased equity, more tolerance and less discrimination.
In 2012 a National Youth Health Programme was created. This is a technical framework for implementation, monitoring and evaluation of a systematic youth-focused healthcare programme.Public Institutions
(ministry, department or office) that is primarily responsible for youth?
Youth and Representation
Budget & Spending
- % of GDP
- % of gov. expenditure
Source: World Bank
Gaps indicate missing data from the original data source. (Accessed August 2013).
Additional Background
Cultural & social change From the analysis of the data collected in national surveys of young persons by the National Youth Institute in 1994, 1997, 2000 and 2003, it appears that one of the characteristics of the youth condition is participating in processes of cultural change that the country has experienced in the last ten years. They value family and consider as the most important institution of society, but marry less and live longer. Young people are more liberal in their sexual behavior and practices and have children at a younger age, but have weak skills for preventing sexually transmitted diseases. Young people increasingly demand a society with greater equality of opportunity, fairer, more tolerant and less discrimination.
Media portrayal In recent years the media have tended to emphasize a negative image about the youth (especially those in sectors): "youth problem." Thus, an important part of the youth made references in the media accentuate a certain relation to drug use, vandalism or crime.
Participation In addition, young people have been showing a gradual distancing from formal politics. The results of the 4th National Youth Survey shows that young people have low confidence in people and political institutions.
In regards to the participation of young people in various groups and organizations, 47.2% of them participate in some, 29.5% participated and 23.3% had never participated (4th National Youth Survey, INJUV 2004). Young people between 15 and 18 years are the most involved (60.5%) and between 25 and 29 years is the largest number of youth who have never participated in any organization or group (28.1%).
Unemployment Work is central to young people. More than half of them (53.1% according to the Youth Survey IV) are working or looking for work.