Definition of Youth
According to a 2006 situation analysis of youth in Tuvalu, youth is defined as between 15-34 years.
Marriageable Age
- Opposite Sex
- Same Sex
- Without parental consent
- with parental consent
- Male
- 21
- 16
- XX
Candidacy Age
- Lower House
- 21 Source: Inter-Parliamentary Union
- Upper House
- --
Source: Inter-Parliamentary Union
Unicameral.
Criminal Responsibility
(1965)
Majority Age
Situation of Young People
Literacy Rates
- -- Male (15-24) %
- -- Female (15-24) %
- Year: No data.
- Source: UNESCO
Net Enrolment Rate
Secondary School- --Male %
- -- Female %
- Year: No data.
- Source: UNESCO
Situation of Young People
Tobacco Use
Consumed any smokeless or smoking tobacco product at least once 30 days prior to the survey.- 41.60% Male (13-15) %
- 32.70% Female (13-15) %
- Year: 2010
- Source: WHO
Policy & Legislation
According to a 2013 report by the UN Human Rights Council, the Draft Tuvalu National Youth Policy (2012-2016) commits to providing opportunities to develop the “personal, physical, social, economic, mental and spiritual potential of young people”. It emphasises the need for coordination among government, NGOs, private sector and the community to address youth issues. According to the report, drafted in January 2013, the youth policy is awaiting Cabinet endorsement. To date, there is no indication that the youth policy has been approved. As a member of the Commonwealth of Nations, Tuvalu is a signatory of The Commonwealth Plan of Action for Youth Empowerment (PAYE) 2006-2015. It lists 13 action points for member nations, including youth empowerment, participation, and gender equality.
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 May 2014).
Additional Background
Although youth representatives are permitted to attend community meetings, they tend to leave all decisions to older people because there is a culture of respect for elders and because they lack a vote in community decision-making. They said ‘Youth are the hands and legs of the community – elders are the voice’. If they do try to speak out, they find it difficult to get their message across. Virtually all Tuvaluan young people belong to a youth organisation of some sort, and are entitled to request assistance from the Government’s Youth Office through the National Youth Council, but youth organisations have only limited facilities and budgets. The total budget for the National Youth Council is only $AUD 5,000 a year. The Tuvalu Association for NGOs (TANGO) has received many creative income generating project proposals from youth – piggeries, fisheries, agriculture etc – especially from the outer islands where there are more resources, but TANGO has very limited funding to assist youth. This means it may be difficult or impossible for youth groups to obtain the funding they need to start productive activities. [...]
There are insufficient wage employment opportunities for youth in Tuvalu. Many young people do not aspire to career choices because they do not expect to have a choice. Girls are especially likely to be without ambition. There are no career counselors in schools. Most youth in the outer islands have little opportunity for employment outside agriculture unless they migrate to Funafuti where they face strong competition in the job market. A few fortunate ones may gain admission to the Tuvalu Marine Training Institute in Amatuku, but there are few choices for those who fail to meet admission standards. The recent reduction in the number of Tuvalu Government scholarships for overseas study means still less opportunity to obtain quality education and skills training overseas.