Definition of Youth
The Ministry of Youth defines youth as those aged 15 to 35 years of age. The National Youth Law (2000) refers to young people aged 10 to 35.
Marriageable Age
- Opposite Sex
- Same Sex
- Without parental consent
- with parental consent
- Male
- 18
- 16
- --
Candidacy Age
- Lower House
- 25 Source: Inter-Parliamentary Union
- Upper House
- 25
Source: Inter-Parliamentary Union
Criminal Responsibility
(2003)
Voting Age
Source: Inter-Parliamentary Union
Situation of Young People
Literacy Rates
- 97.26% Male (15-24) %
- 98.61% Female (15-24) %
- Year: 2015
- Source: UNESCO
Net Enrolment Rate
Secondary School- 57.80%Male %
- 66.50% 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.- 18.40% Male (13-15) %
- 11.90% Female (13-15) %
- Year: 2010
- Source: WHO
Policy & Legislation
The Dominican Republic formally approved a national youth policy in January 1998 and enacted a General Youth Law (Ley 49-00) in August 2000. According to a report by RED Nacional de Acción Juvenil (2011), the General Youth Law is the main legislative tool for youth and was introduced in order to promote the comprehensive development of young people. The national youth policy of 1998-2003 outlined policies in seven priority areas (health, culture, education, training, community participation, legislation, and sports and recreation), and sets out strategies for achieving the policies goals. Reference has been made to a national public policy for the development of Dominican Youth (2008-2015), however this is not currently available online or from the Ministry of Youth.
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
It is certain that a ministry with a budget of DOP 300 million should be able to contribute significantly to the solution of national problems. But with the ministry of youth the opposite happens. ...Being one of the few countries in the American continent with a Ministry of Youth should be a privilege for the young people of our country. However, the opposite is true, the Ministry remains indifferent to the problems that affect youth, and has been unable to develop and achieve the implementation of public policies that counteract the painful reality of living young Dominicans (such as high rates of unemployment, school and university dropout, social inequality and political violence).From the World Bank Children and Youth report on Improving Employability for At-Risk Youth(2006):
In the late 1990s, the Dominican Republic (DR) boasted one of the fastest growing economies in Latin America, until 2003, when the country suffered a banking crisis and sub- sequent economic stagnation. For Dominican youth, this resulted in an increase in the unemployment rate from 23% in 2001 to more than 30% by the end of 2003. Coupled with one of the region’s poorest performing education systems, increasing numbers of poor youth found themselves out of school and jobless. Only 53% of Dominican youth ever complete primary school. What is more, the net enrolment rate at the secondary level is a paltry 35%. The main reasons cited for school leaving in the DR are the need to earn money, early marriage or pregnancy, and a perceived irrelevance of the education. In response, the Ministry of Education is investing in overall improvements to the education system.From USAID/Dominican Republic Cross-Sectoral At-Risk Youth Assessment (2010):
[I]n 2008 youth ages 10‐24 represented a quarter of the total labor force in the DR and 43 percent of the total unemployed population. Job creation for young people primarily takes place in the informal sector where wages are reported to be 44 percent lower than in the formal economy. [...] [R]eproductive and sexual health are the two priority issues for young people. Risky behaviours, such as multiple sex partners, unsafe sexual practices, and/or the use of drugs and alcohol play a significant role in the health profile of Dominican youth. There is a high incidence of teen pregnancy (26% in rural areas and 18% in urban areas), and a negative relationship has been observed between teenage pregnancy and education and socio-economic status.