As the world marks International Youth Day, stark gaps in youth representation highlight the need for fresher voices in democratic governance.
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Adequate substantive representation of all sections of society is an integral function of an inclusive representative democracy. According to United Nations (UN) data, there are 1.2 billion young people aged 15–24, accounting for nearly 16 percent of the global population. With the emergence of a sizable young population globally, it is crucial to ensure that more young voices reach the highest echelons of governance and decision-making structures in democracies worldwide. As the world celebrates the UN International Youth Day on 12 August every year, it signals a moment to reiterate the need for bringing in more young leaders to the institutions of democratic governance in countries across the world. More young representatives in policy making are essential not only for providing a voice and expression to the needs and aspirations of the youth but also to navigate the global developmental challenges with fresh ideas, vigour, enthusiasm and efficiency.
Nonetheless, the presence and participation of youth in governance institutions remain quite inadequate globally. Research reveals that the average and median age of world leaders from 1945 to 2023 has been 57 years, which is above the average age of the population they tend to represent. The study further indicates that ‘only 2.37 percent of the countries had a young leader aged 35 or under. For the age category 40 years or under, only 6.63 percent of nations had a young leader. And finally, only 15.19 percent of countries have been led by leaders aged 45 or under.’ According to the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Parline, the global average percentage of parliamentarians under 30 is 2.84 percent. Additionally, 19.13 percent is the global average for under 40-year parliamentarians. The global average percentage improves only marginally for parliamentarians under the age of 45 to 32.70 percent. However, it suggests that 68 percent of parliamentarians across the globe are above 45 years of age, making the spectrum of youth representation in parliamentary politics extremely narrow.
Young policy makers, as representatives of the youth, make the voice, aspirations, demands, and challenges of the youth heard in the highest chambers of decision-making structures in a democracy.
Examining the regional distribution of youth representation in parliament offers further valuable insights. For parliamentarians under 30 and 40 years of age, countries in the Americas have a relatively high average of 3.85 percent and 23.52 percent, respectively, with North America performing the lowest and Central America the highest in the region. Among parliamentarians under the age of 45, Sub-Saharan Africa records the highest proportion, at 38 percent. Furthermore, the countries in the Pacific have a low share of young parliamentarians across all age categories up to 45 years of age. Asia also lacks adequate youth parliamentary representation, with East Asia and South Asia having relatively lower youth participation in their parliamentary landscape. Europe—which performs relatively better in youth parliamentary representation—has only 33.24 percent of parliamentarians under 45 years of age. The Middle East has a low representation of youth in parliament, with just 1.07 percent up to 30 years of age and 13.73 percent up to 40 years of age. In sum, youth representation in the governance structures of democratic countries remains considerably low and largely disproportionate to their sizable young populations. This limited presence of young leaders in political institutions has far-reaching implications for the holistic empowerment of youth and the overall effectiveness of governance.
Figure 1: Region-wise breakup of youth parliamentary representation
| Region | % of 30 years or under representatives | % of 40 years or under representatives | % of 45 years or under representatives |
| Americas | 3.82 | 23.46 | 37.20 |
| Asia | 2.19 | 13.39 | 25.94 |
| Europe | 3.17 | 20.26 | 33.15 |
| Middle East and North Africa | 2.01 | 16.89 | 29.62 |
| Pacific | 1.71 | 12.82 | 26.50 |
| Sub-Saharan Africa | 2.33 | 20.58 | 37.46 |
Source: IPU Parline
The UN has recognised the need for greater youth engagement in public life rather early, especially to achieve rapid, inclusive development, which serves as a precondition for long-lasting peace, prosperity, and progress. As early as 1965, the member nations of the UN endorsed the Declaration on the Promotion among Youth of the Ideals of Peace, Mutual Respect, and Understanding between Peoples. In 1985, the UN observed the eponymous year as the International Youth Year: Participation, Development and Peace, highlighting ‘the important role that young people play in the world, and, in particular, their potential contribution to development.’ Marking the decennial anniversary of the International Youth Year, the UN further adopted a strategy in 1999: the World Programme of Action for Youth to the Year 2000 and Beyond, underlining the developmental challenges faced by youth. Finally, in December 1999, the UN General Assembly (UNGA) endorsed the recommendation of the World Conference of Ministers Responsible for Youth to observe 12 August as International Youth Day every year. In 2020, through UN Security Council Resolution 2535, the crucial role of youth in preventing and resolving conflicts worldwide was formally recognised.. Moreover, the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) on quality education, decent work and economic growth, and climate action involve key issues which require youth intervention in the policy sphere for ushering in transformative societal change. For this to happen, it is the need of the hour to ensure that young leaders are empowered to drive policy-making and execution in representative democracies across the world.
By participating in the crucial policy-making and implementation processes in the parliament and government, the young leaders shape key policy areas such as health, education, climate change, employment, urban planning, and digital technology, which are extremely significant issues linked to substantive empowerment of the youth.
Youth political participation has many facets to it, which include political activism and political mobilisation activities, participation in the programmes of the political parties, casting a vote in elections, engagement in political debates and conversations, involvement in social media campaigns, among others. However, the participation of the young leaders or aspirants in electoral politics offers them the propitious opportunity to directly represent the young population in the institutions of representative governance, such as the parliament or government machinery. Such representation of the youth in systemic and policy-making structures is crucial due to two factors. It provides descriptive representation as well as substantive empowerment to the youth. First, young policy makers, as representatives of the youth, make the voice, aspirations, demands, and challenges of the youth heard in the highest chambers of decision-making structures in a democracy, providing descriptive representation to the youth. Second, by participating in the crucial policy-making and implementation processes in the parliament and government, the young leaders shape key policy areas such as health, education, climate change, employment, urban planning, and digital technology, which are extremely significant issues linked to substantive empowerment of the youth. Hence, the presence of youth in democratic institutions is a key to the holistic development and empowerment of the young population in democracies across the world.
Institutional reforms as well as societal changes are crucial to overcome the existing stumbling blocks in order to facilitate greater youth participation in representative institutions of governance.
The low representation and participation of youth in worldwide elected governance institutions indicate deep-rooted structural hindrances in encouraging young leaders to participate in administrative, legislative, and governance affairs. Apathy and mistrust amongst the youth towards politics and democratic institutions, structural barriers to youth political participation, including a higher age limit for contesting elections, lesser access to party nominations, and the rising expenses of participating in elections, deter greater political participation of the youth, resulting in lower representation. Institutional reforms as well as societal changes are crucial to overcome the existing stumbling blocks in order to facilitate greater youth participation in representative institutions of governance.
Ambar Kumar Ghosh is an Associate Fellow at the Observer Research Foundation.
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Ambar Kumar Ghosh is an Associate Fellow under the Political Reforms and Governance Initiative at ORF Kolkata. His primary areas of research interest include studying ...
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